A 26-year-old founder of the Slovenian start-up Sportbot, Toni Ulčar champions playfulness in sport. He believes kids should try many disciplines before moving into competition and professionalism. The company name blends his two passions—sport and robotics. His love for tennis inspired him, alongside mechanical-engineering studies, to develop a tennis robot that moves around the court and fires balls at different speeds, heights, and spins. With a mobile app for custom programming and AI upgrades, SportBot acts like a true training partner—“and now for padel as well,” Toni adds.
You played tennis and studied mechanical engineering—and then you started building at the point where the two meet. When, why, and how did that journey begin?
It began during the Covid pandemic while I was still a student. As a tennis player I missed the game badly, but restrictions left little opportunity to play. I looked into ball-feeding machines and tested everything on the market. They were mostly suited to beginners or recreational level. I needed more and quickly realized there wasn’t a single robot good enough for professionals. In real tennis, the ball never lands in the same spot—which is exactly what the existing machines did.
So I set out to build my own: a robot that moves across the entire court. It lets players and coaches train far more realistically. Covid became a period of learning, experimenting, and prototyping—and realizing how much I didn’t yet know. After about a year and a half I showed the first prototype on a local court and got great feedback. I teamed up with like-minded people and soon got the first pre-orders. Within a year the prototype became an industrial product now on sale.
You worked with the company Dewesoft during development as well.
When the first pre-orders came in, I looked for support. I knew the project was too complex for one person. Everyone pointed me to Dewesoft’s Katapult, the only accelerator here (In Slovenia) that backs physical products. Their infrastructure and machinery are excellent for founders at this stage. Together we turned the prototype into an industrial product. Today, production plus admin and logistics run there.
What’s your sales model?
Our core team is three: Nika Golob (sales & marketing), Žan Črne (tennis player and engineer like me), and I now spend less time on engineering and more on sales. We also have outside help for AI training features and electronics.
How many robots have you sold?
We’re approaching 100 units. About 95% go abroad—mainly Germany, Austria, the USA and the UK; purchasing power is lower in Slovenia. As a tennis player I assumed we’d sell most to Spain and Italy, but cultures differ: people there are more open and will always find someone to hit with, while northern countries tend to be more self-reliant and less social. Our customers are recreational players, clubs, academies, and resorts.
How many mechanical engineers decide to integrate sport into their careers?
Engineers aren’t exactly sporty—I’d say we’re below average, and probably even fewer among programmers.
What do you observe among entrepreneurs—enough sport or too little?
A good example is entrepreneur Dušan Olaj, founder of DUOL. In his podcast he says he’s “a chess player at heart, a triathlete by discipline, and an innovator by nature.” Sport lifted him in every area.
Of course I also know founders who don’t make time for sport—stress piles up and results stagnate. Sport is huge added value on a non-sport path. Personally, I play tennis twice a week; if I skip it, I’m not “myself.”
Competition is part of sport. Is there too much of it among kids—or enough sport for joy?
No one pushed me into sport, so I didn’t feel pressure for results—maybe I was lucky. On court I do see that competitive edge a lot. If a dad is a tennis player, he might want his five-year-old to live only for tennis. That limits the child. It’s better they try ball games, swimming, climbing, and later choose the sport that fits them.
Your advice to young athletes and their parents?
Up to around age 13, try as many sports as possible—don’t neglect ball sports. That feel can’t be developed later; it’s a specific kind of coordination. The best tennis players are often footballers: great footwork and ball-reading. I see adults who start tennis at 35 or 40—no matter the effort, that feel is missing, and it’s impossible to fully make up.
Where else do you see career potential in sport?
Coaching is the first—ideally with experience in professional sport; otherwise you can’t fully understand a young competitor. Sports marketing still has room to grow, too.
Trends in robotics?
Since the 2022 AI boom, progress has been unreal—new things weekly. A team of three can now do what used to take ten. We’re seeing rapid advances in humanoid robots. Automation in marketing and sales is growing too—but that doesn’t make personal contact less important; if anything, more so.
Are you improving the robot based on those insights?
We’re integrating AI. The robot connects to a camera that recognizes play in real time and adapts to a player’s abilities. We’re also building an AI coach that understands goals, strengths, and weaknesses to create a personalized plan. Our aim isn’t to replace coaches but to give them a top-tier tool—they won’t have to stand on the other side and feed balls anymore.
What’s next?
Biggest focus: padel machines—the mix of tennis and squash, currently the world’s fastest-growing sport. Courts are being built, so we’re moving into that market. We collaborate with padel and tennis coaches who’ll embed their drills and philosophies into the devices. The largest courts (in Sloveni) are in Ljubljana and Maribor. Our base is in Kamnik, where the machine can also be rented.
A closing thought in the spirit of Let’s Play Tennis’s “From Competition to Joy”?
I agree with that philosophy. We shouldn’t pressure kids, and we definitely shouldn’t project our own dreams onto them. Every generation faces tougher challenges—school is getting harder. Give them time. A child who tries many sports is not behind. If they decide for professional sport at 13, that’s fine—better than quitting at that age.
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Order SportBot: Place your order at www.sportbot.tech/orderand use code SPORTBOT50 for free delivery in Slovenia and 50% off delivery within the EU.
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Padel update: Beyond the tennis robot, they have also built SportBot for padel—the first units are finished and ready for testing. For pre-orders, contact info@sportbot.tech.
