New technology from startup ventures is transforming the sports industry. The mission of this series will be to introduce startup companies in the sports technology space to a broader audience and allow Founders of promising new ventures to tell their story. Feel free to contact us if you know of a startup that should be considered for this series.
Company: Motion Metrics
CEO: Jamie Grant
Headquarters: London, UK
1. What is your elevator pitch?
Carv is a digital ski coach that analyses skier technique to provide actionable feedback. Carv retrofits into ski boots to measure foot pressure and motion. It connects to the skier’s smartphone to process data and delivers detailed analysis, either on screen after skiing or in real-time through earphones or heads-up display. Carv helps skiers ski smarter, faster and better.
2. Problem & Solution
Although conventional ski lessons are a great way to get introduced to the world of skiing, it tends to be expensive and instructors can’t always be with you. In addition, it is not always easy for professional skiers to determine what is causing them to slow down, as there are many parameters that could be affecting their performance.
The solution? Carv, the world’s first real time digital ski coach. Carv can help skiers ski smarter, faster and better by analysing loads of parameters of the user’s technique. It then processes the data and lets you know – in real time – how you’re skiing, whether you’re making any mistakes or if there is a specific thing that you can change to improve. Carv is always with you, so that you can face constant improvement any time of day, anywhere you are. Carv is composed by an insole which contains the pressure and motion sensors and a tracker and processing unit which is attached to the back of the ski boot.
The best way to recognize mistakes is to be aware of them as you make them. Carv gives you real time feedback through earphones or heads-up displays so that you are constantly aware of what you are doing. You can also see your stats and progress through the dedicated smartphone app.
3. Market – your target market and the overall market
There are 120 million skiers and snowboarders worldwide who together make 400 million ski visits each year. Carv is designed and built such that anyone – from a total beginner to a professional – would be able to use it and get the most out of their skiing. In addition, the wearable technology market is projected to grow at 20% p.a. and we believe that the potential of sports wearables lies in coaching experiences. Therefore we aim to expand to other sports and activities to be able to offer a vast range of sport digital coaching.
4. Business Model – how do you make money?
We are currently taking pre-orders for Carv units on Kickstarter and plan to ship the first batch by November 2016, in time for the next ski season. We will generate revenue from product sales and subscription fees paid for advanced coaching features.
5. Management Team – with titles
Jamie Grant – CEO
Pruthvikar Reddy – CTO
Bo Xuan Hon – Hardware Lead
Brendan Cowley – Product Design
Samit Patel – Marketing
6. What else do you want the audience to know about your venture?
We have been testing Carv prototypes with many athletes and Olympians and have received extensive feedback and improvement guidelines from them. We are on track to do some more testing with professional teams as they feel that Carv has a lot of potential in the professional training environment.
Our currently ongoing Kickstarter campaign has been the fastest funded ski product of all time and is on the way to become the most funded ski product as well. By backing the campaign you’ll have the opportunity to join this amazing adventure and ski smarter, faster and better.
Bonus Questions: If you were stuck on a desert island with any three athletes, who would they be and why?
Shane McConkey – great ideas and amazing courage, who took extreme skiing to a whole new level.
Ted Ligety – exceptional technique, amazing results, he’s just an outstanding athlete.
Alberto Tomba – The Bomb. World Cup season titles, World Championships, Olympic golds, he won it all.
If you were to invite any CEO to dinner who would it be and why?
Paul Graham – Co-founder of Y Combinator, Paul is an incredible person who has been able to master a variety of skills throughout his career that have enabled him to become so successful. A real source of inspiration and motivation, I’d love for him to teach me some Lisp over dinner.