When Julien Bourgeois was a teenager practicing basketball in his driveway, he knew he was putting up a ton of shots—but had no qualitative idea how many shots went in or how his form changed over time. As a high school student interested in computer programming, he decided to see if he could tackle the problem using iOS coding tools.
His first version launched in July 2023, when Bourgeois was still a high school senior. Built for Apple Watch, it analyzed motion data through the device’s accelerometer and gyroscope, identifying each shooting motion and recording key stats. The concept took off—more than 50,000 users tried the app—and that early traction provided Bourgeois with valuable feedback to refine the product.
Now, a few years later, as a computer science student at the University of Mississippi, Bourgeois founded Automatic AI, a startup using wearable and mobile technology to bring analytics and accountability to the basketball court. Their flagship product, Ball AI, turns a smartwatch or phone into a real-time practice tracker that can monitor makes, misses, shot angles, and more.
As Automatic AI gained early traction, Bourgeois and his team began testing their product in real-world environments and entering university-level pitch competitions to fund their growth. They bootstrapped the company by using prize money from those events to hire help, improve their models, and expand distribution. Each competition brought critical feedback that helped refine both their technology and their business strategy—transforming a promising side project into a startup with real momentum and a growing user base across the state.
That persistence led Automatic AI to CoBuilders, Innovate Mississippi’s 12-week accelerator program. “We’ve been in touch with Innovate for over a year,” Bourgeois said. “We weren’t quite ready last year, but now the timing aligns perfectly as we prepare for a pre-seed raise.” Through CoBuilders, the team is learning how to adapt their plans in real time—an essential skill for a young company refining both its product and business model. The program’s emphasis on execution over theory has helped the founders focus on measurable progress and flexibility as they pursue growth.
Originally aimed directly at athletes, Ball AI has now evolved into a hybrid B2B model serving high school and college basketball programs. Coaches can use a web dashboard to monitor player performance, hold athletes accountable, and see long-term trends. Teams subscribe for $100–$500 per month, depending on the package, and Automatic AI is already testing with two college programs and a training facility. The company also works with high school athletic programs across Mississippi, where funding is sometimes provided by donors or booster clubs.
After discovering that not every player owned or wanted to wear an Apple Watch, Bourgeois and his team expanded the platform to include an iPhone version that uses computer vision through the camera to record workouts—eliminating the need for additional hardware. This pivot significantly expanded their potential market. “Now every player with a phone can use it,” Bourgeois explained. “A coach can just share a QR code with players, and they’re ready to go.” The app’s AI models utilize pose detection and human activity recognition to determine if the player makes the shots, providing detailed analytics that previously required expensive gym-installed sensors.
Looking ahead, Bourgeois hopes to have 100 Mississippi teams on the platform by 2026 and to expand regionally into neighboring states. With a foundation in both technology and sports, Automatic AI is building what Bourgeois describes as “Apple Workout or Strava, but for basketball.” He’s hoping that a pre-seed round could help them launch an Android version of the app and expand the team.
For him, launching a company from Mississippi is a point of pride as much as a challenge. “We’re not in Silicon Valley,” he said. “But if you embrace the connections and relationships here, that becomes your strength.” By combining local roots, strong partnerships, and cutting-edge AI, Ball AI is poised to bring precision and accountability to basketball training—one shot at a time.
Automatic AI won the People’s Choice Award of $5,000, sponsored by the Regions Foundation, and the Voice of the Customer Award of $1,000, sponsored by Jones Walker, at the 2025 CoBuilders Pitch Day during the Accelerate conference.
