The SBJ Tech newsletter this week looks at the NASCAR AI enhancements that will be around Championship Weekend and the daily games the Blues have integrated into their Bluenatics fan engagement platform. - Ethan Joyce
In today's edition of Power Up:
- Arris launches new D2C brand, producing insoles
- Doron Gerstel named Pixellot CEO
- Sportlogiq acquires 8BY8
Arris launches first consumer brand selling carbon fiber insoles
Arris is a carbon fiber manufacturing firm with roots in aviation and consumer electronics that started making plates embedded in running shoes brands such as Brooks and Craft.
But over the weekend, in conjunction with the New York City Marathon , Arris launched its first consumer brand, Aurrora , selling $89 insoles that can be placed inside any shoe — for runners, soldiers, first responders and anyone who spends considerable time on their feet.
“Prior to this weekend, we've been doing B2B business — selling to all the brands you’d recognize — and now we're moving B2C,” Arris CEO Riley Reese said at Booth 146 of the TCS New York City Marathon Expo. “Part of this comes from the advantage of creating a carbon plate that can work in any shoe. From a business side, we can finally capture a decent margin.”
Running is the sport that was the first to adopt carbon fiber in shoes as a performance advantage — so much so that World Athletics placed restrictions on their use — but basketball and a few others have seen wide usage. Aurrora’s first TikTok and Instagram influencer is a dancer, and a policeman has been trying them out on long shifts, too. Arris also has a grant funding research on whether the carbon fiber in military boots can reduce fatigue and prevent injury in soldiers.
"A missed opportunity in the market is we focus so much on the tech in athleticism, and we don't look at other people like a police officer,” said Elizabeth Griffin-Isabelle, Arris’ VP of marketing and communications. “He never in a million years thinks this could be for him. He doesn't identify as an athlete. He's been wearing these for the last two months, and it’s been incredible.”
Other consumer products, such as phone cases, are either available or in the development pipeline. As Michael Proman, the managing director of Scrum Ventures, said, “What I like about Arris is that it’s essentially carbon fiber as a service instead of a pure insole company.” (Scum hasn’t invested in Arris because it focuses on earlier stage companies — Arris has already raised $180 million — but Proman is an advisor to Reese.)
The carbon fiber insole has an opportunity to capture a share of the athlete and fitness markets, as it tries to challenge incumbent brands such as Superfeet and VKTRY . (Another emerging brand is TruFit Customs , which recently appeared on Shark Tank and plans to launch its insoles soon.) The core innovation is the way the carbon fiber is made for maximum strength while needing less of the material — the carbon fiber in the insole resembles a skeletal structure than a full plate. That reduces waste and cost without sacrificing effectiveness.
“The concept is actually pretty obvious,” Reese said. “It's been around forever. Natural structures take advantage of it. The challenge is then you need the right design tools that are telling you how the fiber should be aligned. You need the right material so you can align fibers. And you need the right manufacturing process. So you have to build a stack of all three of those things together.”
That biomimicry — the imitation of nature — is then combined with the same Pebax foam as found in high-end running shoes. What the team at Arris is beginning to learn through biomechanics research is that the carbon fiber not only helps runners go faster by reducing the work needed per stride but also that it can help athletes jump higher. But in neither instance is the benefit because of the presumed spring-like mechanism, Reese said.
Instead, runners benefit from a rocker effect of the stiff plate pushing up the heel at toe strike, and a small sample of jumping assessments has shown that the plate naturally modifies the movement pattern that enables a better leap.
“The plate creates — with the foam — this optimized energy return and propulsion,” said Reese, adding that it needs to be studied more carefully, promising to sponsor research “to actually get real science out there. That's another thing that frustrates us a lot in footwear and doubly so in insoles — there's almost no science.”
Pixellot names Doron Gerstel as its new CEO
A day after its CEO stepped down , Pixellot has found new leadership. The AI-powered camera manufacturer named Doron Gerstel as its new CEO.
Pixellot -- one of SBJ’s 10 Most Innovative Sports Technology Companies in 2023 -- works with ESPN, NBA, MLB and various youth sports-related organizations throughout the country.
Gerstel spent the last seven years at Perion Network, where he served as CEO from 2017 to 2023 before shifting to a board member position and, ultimately, spending nine months as counsel on special strategy/mergers and acquisition.
Throughout his 35-year career, Gerstel was also formerly the CEO of various companies:
- Panaya, which was acquired by Infosys
- Nolio, which was acquired by CA Technologies (which was later acquired by Broadcom)
- Syneron, now known as Syneron Candela
- Zend Technologies, which was acquired by Rogue Wave Software
He replaces Alon Werber , who spent nearly 10 years with Pixellot and announced his departure from the company yesterday. Pixellot, headquartered in Israel, was founded in 2013.
Sportlogiq acquires cloud-based video infrastructure solutions provider 8BY8
Sportlogiq has acquired cloud-based video infrastructure solutions provider 8BY8 for an undisclosed sum, with an eye towards expanding its footprint in soccer.
Sportlogiq leverages computer vision to derive tracking data and performance metrics from a range of video formats. The company works with more than 150 professional and amateur hockey teams globally, including 31 NHL clubs. But its soccer presence to this point has primarily consisted of deals with video or data distributors (e.g., Hudl, PFF FC), according to CEO Mitchell Wasserman.
London-based 8BY8, meanwhile, has direct relationships with several pro leagues, including the MLS, Premier League referees and Bundesliga. Its infrastructure solutions facilitate the ingest, synchronization and management of video workflows, with use-cases such as reviewing replays from multiple angles for officiating purposes.
“This acquisition and the footprint that [8BY8] has with soccer and basketball leagues would provide us with a nice avenue to sell our tracking data solutions into those markets,” Wasserman told SBJ. “In addition, our footprint in hockey is something that is likely to add benefit for the 8BY8 solution.”
8BY8’s four employees will be kept on post-acquisition, and the company will continue to operate as its own brand.
8BY8 was advised by Full Court Capital on the deal, while Sporlogiq handled it internally.