A former professional sprinter is looking to help athletes set world records with her tech business after disease cut her career short.
The potential of technology to reach new heights of athletic performance often focuses on equipment such as footwear. However Chen has identified the need to revolutionise another area: the track itself.
“Despite vast technological strides in footwear, apparel and training methods that enabled athletes to run faster, the modern synthetic running track had remained largely unchanged since the 1968 Summer Olympics,” the Feldspar founder tells BusinessCloud.
“The idea struck me: could we redefine athletics and enable a faster running speed by reinventing the running track?”
The London startup’s high-performance sports flooring solution integrates tech and advanced sensors to track athletes’ footsteps in real time.
Its modular digital track allows them to maximise training regimes, optimise performance and potentially reduce the risk of injury. It may also pave the way for elevated fan engagement at global sports events.
“The technology will offer AI-driven analytics and insights for fans and coaches alike, with the aim of providing a deeper level of understanding around the sport whilst informing day-to-day racing strategies,” explains Chen.
The UK athlete competed professionally as a sprinter for a decade before disaster struck in 2020.
“Life threw me an unexpected curveball. Totally out of the blue, I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, a chronic autoimmune disease causing extreme muscle weakness,” she says.
“This sudden twist halted my career and shattered my dreams. For three years, even simple things like speaking and getting out of bed were a struggle as I suffered from muscle weakness in my whole body.”
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She continued: “The transition from the thrill of running to the discomfort of undergoing surgeries was a significant turning point in my life.
“I found resilience, fearlessness, and the courage to dream bigger and bolder in this adversity. It was also fuel to my imagination and creativity, pushing me to find a new path to pursue my passion for track and field.
“This is when I came up with the idea of reinventing the running track.”
Chen says the biggest lesson she’s learned to date is that, although it’s important to have a clear vision or your own personal ‘North Star’, “the path to success often looks a lot different to how you initially expected it to”.
“You must be adaptable, flexible, and willing to pivot, especially when it comes to listening to your closest stakeholders – this is absolutely critical. You’ll need to evolve your original idea to ensure it continuously excites and benefits your key users, rather than sticking rigidly to your initial concept.
“I’d suggest always asking yourself ‘is my product still serving the customer’s needs?’. It’s very easy to get caught up in chasing personal ambitions or in pursuit of a compelling vision, but the core purpose of your product is to fill a gap and provide value to customers. Keep customer-benefit front-and-centre of everything you do!
“If your product ever stops serving this purpose, it’s time to reassess and try something new. Stay focussed on this and you’ll avoid the trap of being distracted by your own ego or other non-essential factors.”
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