Page 12 - The Indian EYE 070326

Op-Ed JULY 03, 2026 | The Indian Eye 12

Inside the U.S. Sports-

Tech Ecosystem Turning

Innovation into Opportunity

Discover how the U.S. sports-tech ecosystem turns start-up innovation into commercial

opportunities, strategic partnerships, and business growth.

CHARVI ARORA, SPAN MAGAZINE,
U.S. Embassy New Delhi

ehind every faster sprint,
safer recovery, and smarter
Bgame-day decision is a grow-
ing network of technologies that is
reshaping the sports industry. Yet
technology alone does not explain
why the United States has become a
leading market for sports innovation.
According to David Steele, di-
rector of Plug and Play Tech Cen-
ter ’s Sportstech vertical in Frisco,
Texas, the country’s advantage lies
in the connections it has built among
teams, start-ups, healthcare providers,
investors, and global brands. Those
relationships help new ideas move
from testing and pilot programs to
commercial products and businesses.
Under the U.S. State Depart-
ment’s Speaker Program, Steele re-
cently visited Delhi, Chandigarh, and
Mumbai to discuss how sports-tech
ecosystems create opportunities for The U.S. sports-tech ecosystem creates opportunities for companies to develop products for athletes at different levels of participation and
innovation, investment, and growth. competition. (Photograph courtesy David Steele)
His message was that the strength of
the U.S. model comes not from any
single technology, but from the scale ties for companies to develop prod- development. marketplace.
of its market and the partnerships ucts for athletes at different levels of Steele also points to efforts At Plug and Play, that process be-
that help innovations reach users. participation and competition. Some by organizations such as U.S. Soc- gins by identifying challenges faced
companies begin with elite athletes cer to identify and develop athletes by teams, brands, and other organi-
Market scale as a catalyst for and adapt technologies for broader earlier in their careers through tools zations. Drawing on its network of
sports innovation markets. Others start at the grass- such as field cameras and perfor- 70 offices worldwide, Plug and Play
For Steele, one of the biggest roots level and scale upward. mance data collected during practic- connects organizations with start-ups
strengths of the U.S. sports-tech eco- The result is a large testing envi- es, games, and post-game analysis. working on relevant solutions.
system is the sheer size of the market. ronment where technologies can be These systems allow organiza- Steele says the process in-
“When you look at the U.S. mar- refined across multiple sports and tions to evaluate athletes at a much volves identifying specific challeng-
ket as a whole, the size and the scope levels of competition. larger scale than traditional scouting es, evaluating potential solutions
of it is massive,” he notes. “When you Technologies such as artificial methods. through a structured review process,
look at everything from youth sports, intelligence (AI) are helping sports and connecting selected companies
which we consider grassroots sports in- organizations take advantage of that Corporate partnerships and with organizations for pilot projects.
volving 30 to 40 million kids, all the way scale. Teams, coaches, and governing commercialization strategies Successful pilots can validate tech-
up to our professional, high-level elite bodies increasingly use AI-enabled While scale creates opportu- nologies, opening the door to com-
athletes, that is a tremendous span.” systems to identify talent, analyze nities, Steele says partnerships are mercialization, investment, and
That breadth creates opportuni- performance, and support athlete what help technologies move into the Continued on next page... >>

www.TheIndianEYE.com