"Never say never because limits, like fears, are often just illusions." - Michael Jordan

Pitch Perfect: The Future of Sports Tech w/ PlayerData, SujiBFR & Shot Scope

What links AI-powered blood-flow restriction, GPS-enabled wearable technology & smart watches? A lot, it turns out.

As we gear up for an action packed summer of Lions Rugby, Tokyo Olympics & Euros Football, what better time to sit down with 3 of the hottest sports tech startups in Scotland.

All bets are off as we dive into: raising a £1.7M Series A, attracting tennis star Jamie Murray to invest & tracking 100M+ golf shots.

[Panel] (PlayerData/SujiBFR/Shot Scope/KB Partners)

Roy Hotrabhvanon is the CEO & co-founder of PlayerData, a venture backed wearable tech startup. PlayerData provides amateur and professional sports teams with solutions to train through the use of data, AI, and wearable technology. AI algorithms predict player injuries before they happen and its tools allow coaches to replay key moments from the game, modelling different outcomes based on player positioning. In its first year live, its wearable tech has captured 10K+ team sessions and 50M+ metres of athlete play in UK grassroots football and rugby

Roy's inspiration for PlayerData came after a freak car accident on his return from an archery contest where he was one step away from qualification for the Rio 2016 Olympics. Investors in PlayerData include Sir Terry Leahy (former Tesco CEO) & Hiro Capital.

Alex Birks is the CEO & founder of SujiBFR, a health and wellness start-up creating a global community of clinicians and athletes dedicated to improving muscular performance through BFR training.

Suji BFR is based on blood flow restriction (BFR) training principles, the AI-powered device utilises low-intensity and bodyweight exercise to offer the same training benefits achieved with high-intensity weight training. Alex is also a former Scottish boxing champion.

David Hunter is the CEO & founder of Shot Scope Technologies, the industry-leader in advanced GPS and shot tracking technology. ShotScope combines golf watches, range finders and performance tracking that help lower your score and handicap.

David founded Shot Scope in December 2014. A keen golfer, Hunter invented the technology after tracking the performance of his own game for five years, improving his handicap from 16 to five. A background in electronics design and embedded software development, David qualified from Heriot Watt university in Edinburgh with an honors degree in Electronics and Software Engineering then went on to complete a Masters of Engineering and Business Development at The University of Edinburgh.

Lance Dietz is a Partner at KB Partners, a Chicago-based early-stage venture capital firm that focuses on startups operating at the intersection of sports and technology. He currently serves as a board member or board observer for various KB Partners’ portfolio companies in the sports-tech space. Prior to joining KB Partners, Lance was an investment banker with J.P. Morgan where he managed M&A and capital raising transactions for companies in the building products, packaging, and distribution sectors. 

Previously, he served for five years as an Engineer Officer in the U.S. Army with assignments in Germany, Afghanistan, and the U.S. Lance is an honor graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point where he was recruited to play men's Division I basketball and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

[Host] Dec McLaughlin (SG Scotland/DM Nutrition/BackHug)

Dec McLaughlin is the founder of DM Nutrition, a 'nutritionist in your pocket' that helps entrepreneurs lose up to 10kg, build 3-4kg muscle and 1/2 stress levels in as little as 90-days. Dec discovered the power of science-backed nutrition micro-habits during his Medicinal Chemistry masters degree where he helped friends and relatives lose up to 20kg without hours of meal prep or exercise.

Since then, he has gone on to lead the restart of the Startup Grind Edinburgh chapter after a short period of inactivity. Speakers since 2018 include Gillian Docherty OBE (The Data Lab), Bruce Walker (FutureX) & Marta Krupinska (Head of Google for Startups UK).

His passion for wellbeing and tech has also lead him into his current role of business development & marketing at BackHug, a smart back therapy device that alleviates back aches and pains, at home. He supports the commercialisation of this innovative technology, with the ultimate goal of providing relief for bad backs, anytime, anywhere.

Why attend?

- Share your ambitions for summer 2021

- Connect with peers in a casual online setting

- Catch up with friends and make new ones

- Get advice from industry experts

- Have a conversation and some laughs as a virtual avatar

- Share an ask or a project you’re excited for with the community

Since the success of our 2020 End of Year Social, we wanted to keep things lively and provide a virtual space for connection to catch up with old friends, make new ones and share grand ideas and learnings with each other. With that in mind, we’re excited to invite you to use Roomkey!

Roomkey is an avatar based virtual event platform that connects passion, professional and enterprise communities like they are sitting in the same room!

If you've not used Roomkey before, click here to find out more (it's super easy & super fun)

What you need to know!

What: Pitch Perfect: The Future of Sports Tech w/ Playerdata, SujiBFR & Shot Scope

When: Thurs 24th June 2021

Time: 6.30pm-8.00pm

Where: Roomkey

Bonus Extras: Partner offers and a chance to win a special prize via our Twitter competition!