CED Tech Venture profile: AthloTech, sensor-based training equipment for athletes

Watch out for smartballs, coming to a soccer field near you …

AthloTech, a startup based in Cary, is developing sensor-based training equipment for athletes with an initial focus on soccer. Its technology is designed to provide “comprehensive data and analytics of players” in order to better train athletes and help coaches make more informed decisions.

“AthloTech is inspiring change in athletics by removing the barriers to an athlete’s success. There are no other products on the market capable of analyzing all aspects of a player’s developmental path or that have the ability to provide immediate postgame team analysis,” says CEO Devon McKenney.

“Our smart ball paired with our all-encompassing development system will be the first of its kind to comprehensively evaluate specific player movements. By incorporating our technology into athletics, we will drastically increase the data collection and actionable insights available today, thus differentiating ourselves in the market.”

The company is among the presenters at CED Tech Venture, which begins Tuesday in Raleigh.

This profile is the latest in a series published by WRAL TechWire in partnership with the CED.

The Q&A:

What is the focus of your business?

AthloTech develops sensor based training equipment to provide objective data and analytics to athletes, teams and organizations. We’re starting with soccer and we’ve developed a Smart Soccer Ecosystem that includes a sensor embedded soccer ball and wearable devices that communicate wirelessly to a mobile app.

This system has the ability to analyze in-depth player movements and provide immediate feedback to improve overall player and team development and inform organizations.

What is the top pain point/business application you are seeking to address?

The soccer market is exploding in popularity with more than 30 million players in the US and 300 million throughout the world. However, the traditional means of player development, team training and game analysis are fundamentally flawed. The industry lacks comprehensive data and analysis of players, leading to underdeveloped talent, uninformed decisions and wasted resources.

Despite the demand for instant and actionable insights, organizations continue to rely on manual means of data collection to inform critical decision makers. The current methods of player and game analysis via hand written notes on a clipboard or video review are outdated and leave a wealth of information untapped.

What makes it unique?

AthloTech is inspiring change in athletics by removing the barriers to an athlete’s success. There are no other products on the market capable of analyzing all aspects of a player’s developmental path or that have the ability to provide immediate postgame team analysis.

Our smart ball paired with our all-encompassing development system will be the first of its kind to comprehensively evaluate specific player movements. By incorporating our technology into athletics, we will drastically increase the data collection and actionable insights available today, thus differentiating ourselves in the market.

Why should investors be interested in your firm?

Our athletic technology is disrupting the industry yet it is so discreet, players remain completely unaware of its presence. We are patenting every piece of our technology and the information it provides players and organizations will inform decisions and increase their profitability.

The youth sports market in the US alone is an $8B market, with 11% of household income being devoted to youth sports. The global applications and expansion are vast and this creates an attractive opportunity for investors.

Our team has extensive domain expertise with the Founder being a former Division 1 athlete and professional soccer player with over 10 years of coaching experience. We have lived the problem and are eager to shake up the industry with the data that is lacking from youth sports all the way up through the highest professional level.

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