Wellness Wonders delves into the stories and innovations driving the UK’s thriving landscape of health, wellbeing, fitness, and nutrition. Join City A.M. as we meet the visionary minds and passionate entrepreneurs behind leading brands and the impact they’re making on the pursuit of wellness.
For this feature, we sit down with Alvina Chen, founder of Feldspar, the world’s first sensor-enabled performance-running track, who is revolutionising track athletics with cutting-edge technology.
When was Feldspar founded?
Feldspar was founded with the vision of radically innovating the running track to help athletes run faster. Despite advances in footwear and apparel, the synthetic running track has remained largely unchanged since 1968.
What inspired you to start Feldspar?
As a former professional track runner, I was inspired during my international racing career. Although I can no longer compete due to an auto-immune condition, creating Feldspar and modernising the track is more thrilling than sprinting to the finish line. My team and I aim to empower athletes to reach their fullest potential.
What is Feldspar’s vision?
We aim to transform athletics with the world’s first integrated smart flooring system. Our goal is to enable athletes to analyse their performance, make adjustments, and achieve faster speeds. We also want to enhance fan experiences at live sports events globally.
How has Feldspar been funded?
We’ve received significant investment from Hong Kong-based private investors. This funding kick-started our major R&D phase, focusing on building and testing our performance track prototype and preparing it for market launch.
What makes Feldspar’s technology unique?
Our technology includes advanced sensing technologies that track athletes’ footsteps in real time on the modular digital track. This data will revolutionise performance analysis. Our patent-pending technologies will enable faster running speeds, and our AI-driven analytics will enhance coaching and training.
How will technology and AI shape athletics’ future?
Technology, particularly AI, has the potential to elevate athletics significantly. Our advanced AI capabilities will turn sensor data into valuable insights and create engaging live fan experiences. AI will also help identify injury risks and allow for strategic adjustments in training and racing.
How will tech improve fan experiences at sports events?
We envision a future where our digital track enables tech-driven, high-energy live events. It will provide real-time data on stride length, acceleration, and max velocity, taking fan experiences to new heights.
What are the current team size and challenges?
Our fast-growing London-based team consists of nearly 20 multicultural colleagues. Our biggest challenge has been managing critical work streams in a short time, including hiring, office setup, building company culture, and launching our first campaign.
What are Feldspar’s ambitions?
This year, our priority is to build and test the performance track’s prototype. Next year, we plan to trial it with elite athletes in the UK and eventually start manufacturing the modules.
Who are the target customers for Feldspar’s track?
Our digital running track will appeal to athletes, coaches, sports data scientists, and fans of live sports events.
What is your long-term vision?
We aim to transform the industry and bring the sport into the digital age with bold and ambitious goals.