The goal of the Sports Tech Collider Sprint is simple yet ambitious – create technology-based innovations to revolutionize the sports world. Unlike similar programs which encompass 10-12 week terms, these students spend eight weeks “sprinting” through ideation, user validation, testing, feedback, and building before presenting their final real-world prototypes to a panel of judges.
Hosted through the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology (SCET), Collider Sprints are projects designed to connect students with thought leaders in industry and academia. Each team of students tackles a specific challenge falling within one of five categories, including Performance and Training; Health and Recovery; Fan Engagement and Scoring; Visual and Facility Technology; and Strategy, Data and Analytics. The curriculum is designed to foster self-directed learning and creativity where students are not graded on “a formula or correct answer,” but are measured by their overall efforts to overcome uncertainty and potential failures.
“In our courses, [students] are actually learning the necessary technical and behavioral components for innovation inside a framework developed for implementation. Working directly with mentors from the industry, students develop practical problem solving and implementation skills that they normally just read about theoretically,” said Danielle Vivo, innovation collider program manager with SCET “The academic component allows students to link the frameworks and concepts to actual execution, which prepares them for the next phase of their journey, whether working in industry or pursuing an academic or research path.”
Advisors, mentors, and guest speakers from a variety of industries such as Under Armour, IBM, Google, SportsLab, Empath, SRO & Associates, and UC Berkeley, ensured the students received perspective and relevant insights within their areas of expertise. “Students gain invaluable interpersonal skills through these projects, that will be an asset in their career,” noted Kelly Becker, partner innovation manager at Under Armour. “Classes like this allow [students] the space to showcase their skill set in a cross-functional team, in a fast-paced environment, and under tight budget restraints; an environment they will likely encounter in the workforce especially if they work for a startup or create their own.”
Similar to SCET, Under Armour is built on a platform for innovation, embraces big thinkers and an entrepreneurial drive, and knows “that great products begin as great ideas.” Under Armour’s commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship is demonstrated through their program, Idea House, which provides innovators a space to pitch their idea, product, or potential partnership to the Under Armour team.
The Future of Sports Tech
This semester’s SCET Sports Collider Sprint program accepted 32 students out of 63 applicants. Students ranged from freshmen level to PhD and were pulled from over 17 different campus majors. Basys, one of the seven teams to participate in the spring Sports Collider Sprint program, would go on to win the Collider Cup, the all-star showcase of the best SCET student teams from this 2018 spring semester.
“Next semester we are having a course called ‘Challenge Lab’ that will run for the semester and can accomodate 60 students. We envision that at least 20 of them could be [student] athletes,” said Vivo. SCET’s future objective is to create a Sports Tech Innovation Lab where classes could be offered on this topic every semester, in addition to developing research and other activities.
As the campus’s designated apparel partner, Under Armour plans to continue engaging students on and off the field“We know that this community of intellectuals are passionate and eager to pursue innovation,” noted Becker. “Our team is committed to engaging students across a variety of disciplines, through opportunities such as the Future Show, our annual innovation challenge that aims to challenge innovators to create concepts, designs, products or technologies that will make all athletes better.” Plans for a Future Show at UC Berkeley are currently in progress for 2019.