Golfweek Tech Lab winner Aircast is changing how fans watch live games

At Golfweek Tech Lab 2026, startup founders, technology innovators and golf industry leaders gathered at Aronimink Golf Club during the PGA Championship to showcase ideas that could shape the future of sports and fan engagement.

The annual event, which is described as golf’s version of “Shark Tank,” gives emerging companies an opportunity to present their technologies to judges, investors and industry decision-makers. This year, after a day of presentations and demonstrations, Aircast.Tech was selected as the winner.

Founded by Australian entrepreneur Craig Horobin, Aircast is focused on solving a problem that nearly every sports fan has experienced: streaming delays when you want to see action while you’re at the game.

Whether it’s a text message spoiling a key moment or a video feed that lags behind the live action, delays and not having access to streaming have become a frustrating part of today’s sports events. Aircast’s technology is designed to change that.

“Aircast is a platform that enables us to capture the video and audio and deliver that directly to a mobile device for the fan, but we do that within less than a second,” Horobin said. “[So fans] have the ability to create their own experience.”

For golf fans, that could mean standing beside a green while simultaneously watching featured groups, alternate camera angles of the hole you’re watching when your view is blocked or seeing action from other holes in near real time through a tournament’s existing mobile app.

“It just gives fans added context to what’s going on,” Horobin said. “Not just right in front of them, but on other holes as well.”

Unlike many fan-facing technologies, Aircast is designed to operate quietly in the background. Rather than requiring a separate app, the company’s software can be integrated directly into existing tournament, league or venue applications.

“What we want to do is be as frictionless as possible,” Horobin said.

With partnerships already spanning major sporting events and growing interest from broadcasters and venues, Aircast’s Golfweek Tech Lab victory highlighted a technology that could help make live sports feel truly live again.

David Dusek is a senior writer at Golfweek and writes primarily about golf equipment, technology, and PGA Tour analytics.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Golfweek Tech Lab winner Aircast is changing how fans watch live games