Page 37 - INC Magazine-November 2018

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SPoRtS

theRe WaSn’t
a BIG­data
SoURce foR all
the natIon’S
BIGGeSt
PaStIMeS.
UntIl theSe
GUyS caMe
alonG

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angela Ruggiero, a four­time Olympic medal­
ist for the U.S. national hockey team, adored
the heart­rate monitors she used during her
strength and conditioning practices. They
helped her fall in love with data and analytics
as well, which led her to get an MBA at Harvard
when her hockey days ended. Afterward, while
at a coffee shop in Boston in late 2016, she
lamented to serial entrepreneur Josh Walker
that the sports industry rarely used data to
justify or inform huge decisions. Walker, in
turn, was astounded that no central platform
for such data existed—after all, practically
every other industry had one. That December,
they founded Sports Innovation Lab, seeking
to be that data aggregator—and quickly built
an enviable list of clients that includes the
NBA, the NFL Players Association, Google,
Verizon, Intel, Gatorade, and the Canadian
Olympic Committee.
One league came to Ruggiero and Walker
seeking info on the best tech wearables that
could monitor strength and conditioning,
mental training, and post­workout recovery,
and help with injury prevention. After intensive
analysis, the company told the league: Wear­
ables can’t yet provide the advanced bio­
metrics you want, but we’ll update you when
someone has a viable option. (One well­known
company, interested in tracking the energy
levels, mental performance, and heart rates of
its employees, received the same response.)
By the end of 2019, Ruggiero and Walker
expect that an automated system will provide
the company’s platform clients with such
personalized insights and updates directly.
“This is the exciting part,” says Ruggiero. “To
help the leaders in sports envision the future
of sports.” –caMeRon alBeRt­deItch