POD Active - From Torquay to the world: The POD Active story

POD Active designs and manufactures premium joint protection systems that help athletes perform with confidence while reducing the risk and severity of injury. Through its patented Protection on Demand® technologies, POD combines biomechanics, advanced materials and athlete driven design to deliver what the company describes as industry-leading performance, comfort and protection.

"At POD Active, we believe the best protection is the kind athletes forget they're wearing," says the POD Active team. "Our mission is to combine world-leading innovation, uncompromising quality and natural human movement to help people stay active, perform at their best and keep doing what they love."

A motorbike fanatic, and a brace that didn't exist

POD's story starts in 2007 in Torquay, Victoria, when polymer and composite materials specialist and motorbike fanatic Geoff Maloney set out to reduce the risk and severity of ligament injuries in sport without restricting performance or compromising comfort. It wasn't Geoff's first time disrupting an established market: in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he had already built and launched a new brand into the sailboard industry, applying his composites and polymers expertise there first.

The idea for POD, though, was personal. Geoff grew up racing dirt bikes, until his mother stopped him and his siblings from racing in their early teens because of the injuries it caused. In his twenties, Geoff started riding again and went looking for effective knee protection. It didn't exist. So, he set out to build it, working with engineers, universities, professional athletes and physicians to design something better.

Today, that founding idea has grown into a seven-person team led by Geoff Maloney (Managing Director/Founder), CEO Brett Nicholas a global executive with business growth and strategic partnership experience across Australia, Europe and the USA and Marketing Manager Byron Marsh, a former professional athlete with a track record in global campaigns and athlete partnerships.

Bulky, corroded, and out of action for weeks

Before POD Active, athletes in high-impact and extreme sports were forced to choose between bulky medical rehabilitation braces that compromised performance, or no meaningful protection at all. The market lacked a purpose-built solution designed for the demands of moto, surf, alpine and other extreme sports environments.

The common issues were consistent and frustrating: metal pivots and gears on medical braces that would rust, corrode and jam in harsh conditions; noisy, restrictive motion, because medical braces simply weren't designed for extreme environments and usage; and basic fixed-axis hinges that felt bulky, mechanical and heavy. Refurbishment options were limited too, a damaged brace had to be sent back to the manufacturer, putting an athlete out of action for three to four weeks, with no self service option like the one POD would go on to introduce.

Seven prototypes to a patented hinge

Athletes needed a lightweight, adaptive knee brace that moved with natural human motion and sat close to the body for an improved fit. Working with engineers, universities, professional athletes and physicians, Geoff and his team refined and patented the original POD Knee Brace, with the patented HUMAN MOTION® Hinge as the key differentiator, replacing the complex, multi-geared hinges common among competitors with a simpler, more adaptive design.

Getting there took seven generations of prototypes, from an early cable-and-pivot design through to progressively refined composite and hinge builds, culminating in POD's first generation HUMAN MOTION® hinge. Since introducing that first knee brace in 2007, POD Active has continued refining the technology through multiple further generations of innovation, combining patented biomechanics, lightweight composites and athlete-driven design to deliver protection without compromising natural movement.

57 championships, 60 countries, one Geelong HQ

POD Active has grown from a small Victorian innovation into one of Australia's leading global sportstech brands, while keeping its headquarters in Geelong. Today, POD products are distributed in more than 60 countries through an extensive network of specialist distributors and retailers, with medically certified knee braces trusted by professional athletes, world champions and recreational riders across motocross, mountain biking, snow sports and other action sports globally, including the 57 world championships won across motocross, alpine and water sports wearing POD protection.

That track record has been built on continuous investment in intellectual property: POD holds multiple international patents protecting its proprietary technologies, developed through ongoing investment in R&D, industrial design and advanced composite engineering.

ASTN's role

POD Active's relationship with ASTN is one of the deepest and longest running in Victoria's sportstech ecosystem, dating back to ASTN's inception. In 2009, Geoff Maloney was introduced to respected Melbourne business leader and investor Bob Beaumont, who became an invaluable mentor and advisor, and who was instrumental in helping establish ASTN itself. Through that relationship, POD Active became one of ASTN's earliest members and has remained an active participant in the network for more than 15 years as it has grown alongside Victoria's sportstech ecosystem.

Over that time, POD has taken part in a broad range of ASTN initiatives, including industry networking events, international trade missions, business delegation programs, Global Gateway Grants, Business Growth Grants, UCLA GAP programs, and workshops focused on commercialisation, international expansion and innovation. Beyond the formal programs, ASTN has consistently provided opportunities to connect with experienced founders, government representatives, investors and industry experts, relationships that, the team says, broadened their thinking, accelerated their capability, and provided access to opportunities that would otherwise have taken years to establish. As POD Active expanded into more than 60 countries, ASTN remained a valuable partner, helping strengthen the company's commercial capability while reinforcing Victoria's position as a global sportstech hub.

"One of ASTN's greatest strengths is its willingness to bring people together," says the POD Active team. "Throughout our journey we've benefited from introductions, trade missions, mentoring and countless conversations with people who genuinely wanted to help Victorian businesses succeed. As we've grown into a global brand, ASTN has remained an important part of that journey, helping showcase what's possible when innovation, government and industry work together."

Looking ahead

POD Active's story is, at its heart, proof that a globally successful sportstech company can be built from regional Victoria. Beyond protecting athletes and reducing injury risk, the company sees its innovation contributing to longer sporting careers, increased participation and improved confidence, from elite competitors to weekend warriors, while its technology is also finding applications beyond traditional sport, in medical rehabilitation, workplace safety and everyday mobility.

That broader ambition is shaping what comes next. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience navigating the complexities of the human body, POD is working to create a new suite of joint protection products built around natural human motion, with plans to expand within the medical market and enter the workwear, team sports and lifestyle segments, extending and prolonging the activities of the people who wear POD. As it does, the company remains proud to represent Victorian innovation on the global stage, and to contribute to the reputation of Australia's sportstech industry.

Find out more

For more information on POD Active visit https://www.podactive.com.