Open Innovation

Many companies, sporting organisations and clubs have intensified their search for new ideas. This includes looking both inside their organisations as well as sourcing from outside. However, many ideas, both internal as well as externally-sourced, have fallen victim to established processes within existing organisations. Existing management processes, brand value, purchasing and human resources policies can create conflict when established organisations turn to founders in their quest for ideas. This is where a facilitated process, like the ASTN open innovation pathway can help.

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ASTN Open Innovation Pathway Program

Challenge to support wheelchair athletes

The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) in collaboration with the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) seek sportstech startups to pitch their technology to help support wheelchair athletes.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

The Challenge looks to uncover potential solutions that could help effectively and reliably monitor the day-to-day loads of wheelchair athletes, both in and out of training or competition. For many able body sports involving running, cycling, rowing or even strength training there are already technology solutions, tools and programs in the market to monitor the training, competition and day-to-day loads of athletes. However, for wheelchair athletes this is not necessarily the case.

Accordingly, the aim of this challenge is to:

Define (and potentially standardise) what is considered and quantified as ‘load’ for wheelchair athletes and users;
Effectively and reliably monitor loads of wheelchair athletes and users;
Potentially separate and quantify training and competition loads vs day-to-day movement and activity loads of wheelchair athletes.

For further details, please download the VIS Challenge Guidelines.

AT WHAT STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT DOES THE STARTUP NEED TO BE?

The technology will most likely need to be a minimum viable product or in the piloting and testing stage of development. Based on the knowledge of the VIS team it is deemed unlikely that there is an existing commercial solution in the market to address the Challenge.

For further details, please download the VIS Challenge Guidelines.

WHAT IS THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR STARTUPS?

Applying start-ups will need to prepare a pitch document no more than 5 slides covering:

Opening slide including elevator pitch (vision: Problem-Solution-Impact)
Description of product / solution to address the business problem
Market Strategy and Traction (if any)
Founders / Team
Desired outcome from VIS partnership – and what’s needed to make it go live?

Pitches will need to be uploaded onto the Application Form provided.

WHAT ARE THE KEY DATES?

Friday 16th February 2024 – Applications to the Challenge Close
Friday 23rd February 2024 – Candidates Shortlisted
Tuesday 12th, Wednesday 13th or Thursday 14th March 2024 – Pitch to the Project Team
Friday 15th March 2024 – Top Candidate/s selected for discussions and potential pilot
Monday 18th March– 20th March 2024 – Meetings with Top Candidate/s
Wednesday 20th March 2024 – Finalise MoU with Top Candidate.
March 2024 (ongoing) – VIS work with selected Candidate/s to validate / pilot solution.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST?

Please complete the online application form.
Provide URL to your pitch deck via application form or upload to ASTN website.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY

Any startup, researcher, scientist or practitioner that can address the challenge is welcome to submit an expression of interest. Please note that the challenges is not limited to submissions from Australia only and both ASTN and VIS welcome responses from sportstech and adjacent industries.

PITCH DEMO DAY

To be confirmed either 12th, 13th or 14th March 2024

Up to ten selected sports technology startups will pitch for 5 minutes each to the VIS and ASTN executive teams. Another 5 minutes is then available for Q&A. Some selected start-ups may need to prepare a virtual pitch on the day. Each startup will spend 10 minutes with Renegades and ASTN executive teams on feedback, insights & ideas.

WINNERS & TOP CANDIDATES

Top Candidate/s
Meet with VIS executives to explore ways to potentially develop or integrate the solution as a pilot
Complimentary ASTN membership

Going Beyond the Hype and Getting Down to Business

Linking startups and large corporations seems to offer the best of both worlds: Combining ideas and an innovative problem-solution approach with an abundance of resources and access to markets and customers. In a world where most of the knowledge exists outside the walls of any given firm, bringing in ideas promises gaining access to the potential next big thing for corporates. Conversely, many startups fail due to a lack of paying customers and therefore could benefit from the existing channels of the large corporate. However, more often startups are wary of the big corporate stealing their idea and IP, whereas corporate processes, like brand protection, budget considerations and sales execution of core business can kill the new quickly.

About Henry Chesbrough

Henry Chesbrough is Faculty Director of the Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation within the Institute of Business Innovation at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. His research focuses on managing technology and innovation. He is known as the father of open innovation, due to his book, Open Innovation (Harvard Business School Press, 2003). This book was named a Best Business Book by Strategy & Business magazine, and the best book on innovation on NP's All Things Considered. Scientific American magazine named him one of the top 50 technology and business leaders in recognition of his research on industrial innovation. Prior to embarking on an academic career, he spent ten years in various product planning and strategic marketing positions in Silicon Valley companies. He worked for seven of those years at Quantum Corporation, a leading hard disk drive manufacturer and a Fortune 500 company. Previously, he worked at Bain and Company.