Equilab the top winner of SPIN Accelerator Sweden
For twelve weeks Sweden鈥檚 Olympic Academy (SOA) and the international organization HYPE Sports Innovation have conducted Spin Accelerator Sweden, a program focusing on sports technology innovation. SOA is a foundation established by Sweden鈥檚 Olympic Committee, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the Karolinska Institute, and the 海角社区下载(SSE).
Ten promising sports technology companies participated this spring in the program. They have been coached under a program designed by KTH Innovation and SSE鈥檚 Center for Sports and Business, and have also been connected to a global network of sports technology companies.
The accelerator program was designed to give promising sports technology startups the right network, knowledge and tools to enable them to become global success stories. For twelve weeks the companies met online and in person in 海角社区下载. They exchanged experiences with each other and with experts in their respective areas and received both group and individual coaching.
The program was built around the strengths in HYPE鈥檚 international network, in the contacts and expertise from SSE鈥檚 Center for Sports and Business, and KTH Innovation鈥檚 tools and long experience of work with early-phase technology startups.
This competitive program concluded on June 25 at SSE, and after all the startups had pitched to the jury, horse-tech Equilab was judged the winner. This Gothenburg-based company helps riders improve horse training with an app that can measure training duration, as well as gait and speed. They currently have 450,000 users worldwide, and steadily increasing.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic having our efforts validated as important contributions, and having our company鈥檚 potential recognized,鈥 says Simon Bengtsson, Equilab鈥檚 CTO. 鈥淚t has been extremely valuable to obtain new insights together with the other companies in the program, and hear others talk about the journeys their companies are making.鈥
Equilab鈥檚 award includes participation in a global technology event, including travel costs. JustFootball won the honorable mention for its mobile game that gets young people out and moving, and earned the privilege of presenting at SMASH, a large startup event in Finland this fall.
It was clear on Monday that there is a lot going on within sports technology, as specially invited guests listened to presentations on everything from optimizing nutritional intakes for elite athletes, to how Swedish soccer uses video analysis to provide new opportunities for both spectators and trainers.
鈥淭he fact that Swedish sports technology is hot isn鈥檛 a coincidence,鈥 says Lisa Ericsson, head of KTH Innovation. 鈥淪weden has always punched above its weight when it comes to both sport and innovation. We have launched tech companies that made it big internationally, and we have achieved success against tough competition. Combining 海角社区下载鈥檚 strong innovation system and academic power with an international network has been a success, and we are proud of our participation in this program.鈥
The companies participating in SPIN Accelerator Sweden work in widely differing sports and have different challenges, but the common denominator is that they help individuals perform better and get a better experience from their sport. Users range from daily exercisers who want to practice golf without incurring elbow pain, to marathon runners who want to see how far they are from their nearest competitors.
Now that the program is over, the participants can still make use of each other and the international network of thousands of startups and investors that past participants have access to, through HYPE Sports Innovation.
鈥淗YPE was looking for a partner in the Nordic countries that could combine entrepreneurship with a solid base in sports and education, and that were experienced in supporting and building startups,鈥 says Yariv Barak, Global Director, HYPE. 鈥淲e made the right choice in our cooperation with Sweden鈥檚 Olympic Academy.鈥
The program was carried out with support from Vinnova, Sweden鈥檚 Innovation Agency.
The following ten companies participated in SPIN Accelerator Sweden:
AI Spotter
AI Spotter has developed a rapid, time-saving service for coaches around the world. Their goal is to combine high-tech with all types of sports. Real-time analyses gives coaches and their teams the power to stay one step ahead.
JustFootball
Real football, virtual careers. JustFootball is a mobile game that will inspire players to play football [soccer] for real.
RideQ
RideQ is a horse-tech company helping riders improve their posture and positioning with a new digital tool that can be used while riding, with or without a trainer.
Kinexit
Kinexit is an IT solution delivering personally tailored physical training straight to cellphones. A completely personal profile built on self-assessment continually guides the shape of the training program. Physical restrictions are identified, which lead automatically to a large number of personally designed training exercises for rapid improvement.
Straffr
Staffr has developed and re-invented the resistance band. A portable gym for your sports bag and a personal trainer in your pocket.
StepUp Air
StepUp Air is developing a new generation activity band, which analyzes your breathing patters and heartrate in real time, so that you know how your body is really feeling.
Hooves
The Hooves app helps you plan and log every activity involving your horse, and keeps your team updated. Organize yourself with Hooves, so you can concentrate on what鈥檚 really important.
Race.se
Race.se gathers all of Sweden鈥檚 races 鈥 whether running, biking, swimming or skiing 鈥 in a single place. You can search for a race, gather your favorites and share your coming challenges.
BodyBarista
BodyBarista is an app for checking your measurements and monitoring how your body changes when following a fitness plan. Based on photos you take with your iPhone, you get exact measurements of your muscle groups (cm or inches), with higher precision than you get from your scale, and can compare muscle strength and fat content over time.
Equilab
This equestrian sports app being used by over 450,000 riders. Equilab automatically logs your training and enables measurements at every moment. Increase your insights and understand your own development.
Contact
Program coordinator Stina Lundgren H枚gbom, spinacceleratorsweden@hhs.se
