Human Performance - Form Meets Function: Smart Apparel and the Prosumer Markets

Wednesday, August 12 | 12:30 PM ET

Smart apparel is poised to shake up the $30 billion health and fitness industry—and, potentially, carve out a lucrative new market. And while the category is exploding, it remains a tough product type to get right. Join us as we examine this rapidly growing segment of the sports tech industry.

Speakers

Nathan Ramasarma is the Founder & CEO of formsense. Nathan Ramasarma is a technology industry veteran with over 18 years of startup, consumer product development, and wireless communications engineering expertise. His passion for wearable technologies coupled with his personal struggles with injuries and medieval rehab journeys motivated him to found formsense in 2015. Over the course of his career, Nathan built a reputation for taking several proof-of-concept technologies through commercialization and profitability. His direct relationships with consumer brands, contract manufacturers, ecosystem partners, and technology vendors worldwide have helped him drive new product categories and services in established and emerging markets alike.

Dhananja Jayalath is the CPO & Co-founder of Athos. Dhananja (DJ) Jayalath has always had a passion for building things. As an Electrical Engineering major at the University of Waterloo, DJ began building the first Athos prototypes between classes. Motivated by a desire to better analyze and improve his workouts (and, as a college student, without the bank account to afford a personal trainer), DJ began exploring novel applications of a science called electromyography (EMG). DJ (with co-founder Chris Wiebe) found a way to integrate EMG science, which had previously required expensive machines and electrodes, into apparel he would have worn to the gym anyway. Since co-founding Athos in the summer of 2012, DJ has been working to perfect both the product and his squat form (he still needs some work on the latter). 

Matija Vugrinicek is a Product Manager at Myant specializing in Sport Performance. With a background in exercise physiology, and strength & conditioning training, Matija aspires to find ways to unlock human potential through a deeper connection between an athlete, their body, and others who can help them excel. Prior to joining Myant, Matija has worked with youth and collegiate level athletes as well as general symptomatic and asymptomatic populations. In addition to exercise physiology and strength & conditioning training, Matija’s work included lifestyle management, low back pain rehabilitation, and long-lasting behaviour change. Matija holds a B.Sc. in Kinesiology & Health Science from York University and is a Certified Exercise Physiologist with Health and Fitness Federation of Canada.

Steven Webster is the Founder & CEO of asensei. In-between captaining, competing and coaching Edinburgh University Karate Club, Steven graduated in Computer Science and Electronics. A 4th-degree black belt, he proceeded to coach for Edinburgh during the most successful period of the club’s history—coaching several hundred students, awarding over 20 black belts and winning 10 consecutive national championships. Winner of the PWC Coach of the Year award, Steven funded his sports coaching as a full-time hardware and software engineer. Selling his first startup to Adobe in 2005, Steven built a global consulting team winning awards with clients including Nike, NFL, and BBC. In 2012 Microsoft asked him to create a new innovation group working with products like Cortana and Kinect to craft new digital experiences for events including the 2012 London Olympics and Rio World Cup. Convinced technology has evolved to enable a new category he calls “Connected Coaching,” Steven left Microsoft in 2014 to start asensei.

Registration is free. All registrants will receive a link to watch the recording once the session concludes.

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Human Performance: Next Level Body and Mind

Bigger. Stronger. Faster. More resilient. Athletes are constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, mesmerizing us not just with their exploits but also their longevity. Human sweat will always rewrite the record books, but technology is now collecting troves of data that can give athletes the best chance of success while allowing us to reverse-engineer how the elite keep evolving. From every conceivable angle, we’ll explore what’s new and next (and futuristic) when it comes to human performance on the fields of play and in everyday life. Sessions are free to attend.