Kitman Labs, a Dublin startup whose Injury Profiler reduces the risk of injury in professional athletes, has raised almost €3 million from an American investor.

Kitman Labs has received an equity investment of €2,945,942 from BRV V LP, with an address in Menlo Park, California.

Kitman Labs was established in 2011 by Iarfhlaith Kelly (31), Stephen Smith (31) and Jason Cowman (38) and was based in the Media Cube on the IADT campus in Monkstown before moving to new offices in the city centre over the summer.

Enterprise Ireland backed the company with €25,000 in November 2011 after the founders ponied up  €5,000. The state agency helped again in May 2013, when €25,000 was forthcoming.

Kitman Labs has a focus on rugby and last summer the founders personally touted their nascent venture to rugby enthusiasts around the capital. They raised €225,000 from twelve private investors, who invested amounts ranging between €10,000 and €30,000.

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That achievement prised a further €100,000 from Enterprise Ireland last October, while Leinster star Jamie Heaslip invested  €50,000 at the same time.

The IRFU has been using Kitman's Injury Profiler system since last year. Injury Profiler uses statistical analysis, scientific research and industry experience to highlight, manage and reduce the risk of injury in professional athletes.

Iarfhlaith Kelly and Stephen Smith originally met in college in 2002. Smith was studying Human Physiology and Health Science while Kelly was studying Computer Science.

Smith's MSc thesis investigated the analysis of combined risk factors as predictors of athletic injury, which he completed alongside his role as a Strength & Conditioning coach at Leinster Rugby.

There he met with Jason Cowman and between them they further developed Smith's work into the area of injury prediction and began to outline the basic principles which Injury Profiler is now based.

Smith contacted Kelly in 2010, looking to see about developing his research into an application. By 2012, development was in full swing and the Injury Profiler was taking shape.

According to the company, in early 2013 work began around the Risk Profiler, the engine which now powers Kitman Labs' predictive analytics services.

The team at Kitman is currently made of 10 people.