Asensei & The Future of Connected Coaching - Steven Webster

Today, I have Steven Webster as a guest, and together we will dig into the future of technologically advanced training and coaching. 

Steven is the CEO of Asensei, a mobile app that allows athletes to get guidance and coaching from professional individuals. 

Give us some insight into your story; the story of Asensei and the development thereof (01:17)

• Steven says Asensai was brought together from three of his passions; sports, technology and being an entrepreneur. He was fortunate to have been working with big companies like Adobe, Microsoft and many more. 
• Growing up, he played every sport imaginable. He was already a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu when he went to university and before long, he became the coach for the Edinburgh University karate club - leading them to 10 national championships. 
• One problem he always wanted to solve was how to coach effectively using digital technology. 
• He saw the pieces fall into place. He felt that there had to be a way to make human movement; to create something that a machine can understand and teach. 
• Finally, he put together a team to solve that problem.

Give us insight into Asensei; what are the qualities, what pieces are involved? (24:21)

• It's essentially a mobile app that allows you to pair with your apparel over Bluetooth.
• He says the app lets you subscribe to coaching plans and programs, allowing you to be guided and coached in your choice of sport with the help of the apparel sensors.
• Asensei has manufactured its own brand of compression gear, allowing a new brand to pilot the technology. 
• The goal for Asensei is to market; they want technical apparel companies to approach them with questions as to how they can implement sensors in their clothing. 

Over the past five years, what are some of the biggest challenges you faced in building Asensei? (25:45)

• He believes the biggest challenge most companies face is timing. 
• You have to ensure that you don’t raise too much money too fast, as the market won't be ready. 
• With a complex product like Asensei, you can’t just drop your whole idea into the market, you have to present it piece by piece so that people understand what they’re getting into. 
• In addition, he says that you have to get investors on board. Although investors pride themselves on being risk-takers, initially it’s difficult to get people to imagine the future you have in mind. 

What mouth-watering markets are you looking into right now? (31:25)

• Steven thinks the market they can have an impact on first is sports coaching. 
• Too much focus is placed on rehabilitation, rather than pre-habilitation. How do people know if they are in the shape they’re supposed to be in for the sport they want to practice?
• He refers to the industrial athlete; people whose job is to perform tasks that require skill and coordination. The idea that their movement can be continuously monitored and coached into the correct movement is a huge market opportunity. 
• Correct movement is vital, just like vital signs are critical to our health and well-being. 

What do you think is the biggest need within your business right now? (35:19)

• Steven believes all entrepreneurs are frustrated with the pace of progress. So the ultimate goal is getting to the future faster. 
• He wants people to be compelled to use the app; even if you’re not a professional athlete of any kind, this app can help you train with professionals. 
• He uses rowing as an example and adds that you don’t even need the compression apparel, they will use data from the rowing machine and they’ll assist you with the right posture, technique and movements. Once you do get the apparel, you can get even more advanced coaching. 
• Fitness shouldn’t become something you have to be able to afford. He wants people to use the app so that everyone can get the most out of their training by using their ordinary equipment while implementing the sensors to monitor movement. 

Resources

Connect with Steven on LinkedIn

Visit Asensei Website