Edge Sound Research, the audio innovation startup that has participated in the NBA and MLS’ technology accelerators and taken investment from the USTA, has closed an undisclosed investment from audio equipment manufacturer Shure.
Edge and Shure have collaborated for a few years, most notably around an audio production solution Edge calls its “Virtual Sound Engine.” VSE combines object tracking data and custom AI models to automate the mixing of audio levels and isolation of audio feeds for sports broadcasters. (As profiled by SBJ while it was in development last year, VSE has been used by MLS and Fox Sports on a test basis.) The system uses Shure’s DCA901 array microphone for audio capture.
Shure VP/Strategy and Innovation Scott Sullivan said he had been looking to productize Shure’s array microphones for broadcast use when longtime audio engineer Dave Grundtvig (who is now Edge’s lead broadcast engineer after starting as an adviser) introduced him to Edge’s co-founders Valtteri Salomaki (CEO) and Ethan Castro (CTO). Sullivan highlighted the potential to monetize audio “data” by isolating and distributing different feeds for alt-casts or operational use (e.g., a referee-specific audio feed).
“Because we can capture different streams of data simultaneously and then change it, manipulate it, record it — our customers, between Edge and Shure, can monetize it,” he said. “We’re just scratching the surface.”
Salomaki said Edge is beginning to commercially integrate VSE with partners (but could not disclose who). “We’ve validated enough in live action. Now it’s more about, how do we scale infrastructure?” he said. “You can think about it similar to Hawk-Eye — how do we get these computers and processing in all the different venues? Because the big thing we spent some time learning is everybody wants different workflows.”
In addition to Shure, Edge’s cap table now includes the USTA and NBA and venture capital firms Cartan Capital, Elevate Ventures, LEAD and Potential Capital. As of 2025, the company had raised $5.5M since its founding in 2020.
