When most people think of professional sports teams, they picture the bright lights of the stadium, the roar of the crowd, and the thrill of the game. Behind the scenes, however, there’s a tremendous amount of work—often involving multiple teams, external partners, and countless moving pieces. Nowhere is that truer than with the Seattle Seawolves, one of Major League Rugby’s premier franchises, and a two-time league champion. In this case study, we explore how Jeff Henshaw, CTO —and a Xbox co-founder—partnered with Empwr.ai to streamline communications, eliminate operational inefficiencies, and keep his entire organization aligned on a fast-changing array of initiatives.
Meet the Seattle Seawolves and Their Visionary CTO
“The Seawolves are Seattle's hometown professional rugby team with deep roots in the city,” Henshaw explains. “We’re part of a larger league, Major League Rugby (MLR), which is quickly growing here in North America. Rugby might be a smaller sport stateside, but globally, it’s huge. Our goal is to bring that excitement, intensity, and culture to a wider audience.”
Henshaw’s path to leading the Seawolves’ technological future is hardly typical. Prior to joining the team, he spent more than three decades at Microsoft, co-founding the original Xbox project and designing Xbox Live. After retiring from big tech, he became a consultant—and ultimately discovered his passion for rugby.
“A friend invited me to a Seawolves match, and I fell in love,” he recalls. “Unlike other sports, rugby offers an incredibly approachable fan experience—tickets are affordable, you’re close to the action, and you can even meet the players. It has the grassroots feel of minor league sports, but with a global pedigree. I knew technology could help grow the team and the league to greater heights.”
The Challenge: Managing Diverse Teams, Vendors, and Communication Tools
When Henshaw became CTO, he was determined to harness the power of digital innovation to expand the Seawolves’ reach. An integral part of that plan was introducing robust mobile and web experiences for fans—live play-by-play, personal commentary, fan meetups, roster updates, and more. That, in turn, demanded close collaboration with a variety of stakeholders:
- In-house staff from coaching to marketing to ticket sales
- External vendors for app development, creative design, and data services
- League personnel overseeing broader Major League Rugby initiatives
“It takes a village to run a pro sports organization, and rugby is no exception,” Henshaw says. “Players, coaches, marketing teams, ticket sales, creative agencies, broadcast partners—everyone’s on different tools, working with different assumptions. We needed a system to unify all those voices and track decisions so nothing fell through the cracks.”
Henshaw and his team also felt the pain of juggling multiple communication platforms. They routinely bounce between Zoom, Google Meet, Slack, and even ad-hoc Slack Huddles. Without a single source of truth, the risk of misalignment and repeated work loomed large.
“We used to rely on a patchwork of scribes and project management hours—just to keep track of who said what, and who’s on the hook for next steps,” Henshaw adds. “We needed something better.”
"We needed a system to unify all those voices and track decisions so nothing fell through the cracks."
Enter Empwr.ai: Turning Conversation into Action
Empwr.ai’s AI-powered collaboration platform automates tasks like note-taking, action item tracking, and summarizing key decisions—freeing up human collaborators to focus on strategy and execution. Henshaw points out a few key factors that made Empwr.ai stand out for the Seawolves:
- Multi-Platform Compatibility
“There’s a whole bunch of different meeting tools out there, and Empwr.ai just works with them,” Henshaw notes. “If I get invited to a Zoom call or a Slack Huddle, or if it’s a native Google Meet—which we prefer—Empwr.ai can join automatically. No mental overhead, no complicated add-ons.” - Unified Knowledge Sharing
Empwr.ai doesn’t just capture meeting notes. It converts them into collective knowledge that is immediately accessible to every stakeholder—whether they’re in-house or external.
“We post meeting results right into Slack where everyone can see them,” says Henshaw. “It’s like having intelligence at the water cooler, so no one misses important details or follow-ups.” - Streamlined Action Items and Decision Tracking
“We have incredibly diverse backgrounds on our team. Our head coach and marketing folks might speak different languages—from a technical standpoint,” Henshaw explains. “Empwr.ai captures decisions and to-dos in plain, consistent language so everyone’s on the same page. No more confusion on who owns what.” - Significant Cost & Time Savings
“We eliminated the need for a dedicated scribe or a full-time project manager to chase down missed notes,” Henshaw says. “By letting the AI handle routine tasks, we focus resources on what really moves the needle—like building a championship team and deepening fan engagement.”
Results: A Winning Formula for Growth
With Empwr.ai in place, the Seattle Seawolves have achieved smoother communication and faster execution—key ingredients for thriving in professional sports:
- Better Alignment Across Teams
Coaches, players, and technologists can coordinate on everything from player performance data to marketing campaigns without confusion. - Faster Product & App Development
The Seawolves work closely with a software vendor to bring their robust mobile app to fans. The Seawolves, their vendor, and MLR all use Empwr.ai to keep an unbiased accounting of conversations and accelerate team velocity. - Cost Reduction
By automating note-taking and action item tracking, the Seawolves have saved on operational costs and hours once needed for project management and cross-team coordination. - Enhanced Fan Experience
Freed from administrative overhead, Henshaw’s tech organization can focus on fan-first innovations.
Looking Ahead: Building a Rugby Dynasty with Empwr.ai
For Jeff Henshaw and the Seattle Seawolves, the future looks bright—and technology will continue to play a starring role. As Henshaw sums it up:
“Our ultimate mission is to grow the sport of rugby and deliver a top-tier fan experience. Empwr.ai is letting us unify efforts across marketing, coaching, and outside partners in a way that was impossible before. We’ve recaptured time and resources we can invest in the team and the fans, and we’re seeing the results on and off the pitch.”
With North American rugby expanding under Major League Rugby’s partnership with ESPN—and the Seawolves vying for their next championship—efficiency and clarity in communication have never been more critical. Thanks to Empwr.ai, they’re well on their way to further success, both on the field and behind the scenes.
About Empwr.ai
Empwr.ai is an AI-powered platform that transforms business conversation into action and collective knowledge. By automatically capturing, organizing, and distributing insights from meetings and communications, Empwr.ai streamlines collaboration across teams and tools—giving you the freedom to focus on innovation and results. To learn more, get in touch with us here and discover how Empwr.ai can empower your organization to achieve seamless communication, just like the Seattle Seawolves.