Meet Starlight

Our Story

Jacob Webb and Dr. Xin Li

Starlight was born out of personal experience. I (Jacob) met Dr. Li during my senior year at the University at Albany, where I competed on the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Team. Like many athletes, my journey to college was made possible by game film — hours of footage sent to coaches across the country. But it wasn't cheap. My family spent thousands on highlight reels and travel just so I could be seen.

After my playing career was cut short due to injury, I started editing highlight reels for other high school athletes — right from my dorm room. Over time, I completed more than 300 highlight videos, talking directly with the parents of aspiring players. The message was consistent: getting quality game film was confusing, unreliable, and far too expensive.

I knew there had to be a better way. That insight became the foundation for Starlight.

But I couldn't do it alone — I needed a partner who shared the same vision and could bring deep technical expertise. That's when I met Dr. Xin Li, a professor and head of the Computer Vision Lab at UAlbany. Dr. Li holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University and has led groundbreaking work in AI and machine vision.

As it turns out, Dr. Li had faced the same struggle. His daughter was a competitive tennis player, often traveling hours to tournaments. Capturing her matches, live-streaming events, and creating recruiting materials was a constant challenge — both logistically and financially.

Together, we set out to build a solution: an AI-powered camera system that records and tracks sports games autonomously — no videographer required.

Our vision is to integrate Starlight directly into athletic facilities, giving parents and players easy, affordable access to high-quality game film anywhere they go. No more hauling gear. No more $400 highlight reels. Just smart, simple, accessible footage — the way it should be.