Place of residence: Wicklow, Ireland

Position: Founder/CEO

Please describe a day in your life

My days are quite varied. I spend most of them in the office at NovaUCD in Dublin, meeting potential customers, the team, investors, and advisors, and attending events across the country.

When I’m not at work, I will likely train with my local GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) team, do some sea swimming (dipping), or go for a walk.

How many projects are you currently working on? Please describe them

I am currently working on getting my company, Sports Impact Technologies, off the ground. We are developing a sports wearable that detects all head impacts as they happen.

10% of athletes will experience a concussion in any given season, and 5 in 10 concussions go unreported or undetected. The wearable we are developing is a small sensor (about the size of a €2 coin) placed behind a player’s ear.

When the player goes out to train or play a match, the sensor records all impacts and sends them live to the sideline, where a coach, physio, or parent can monitor the recording and, remove the player from play and assess them for a concussion.

We have conducted several on-field pilots to better understand how players interact with the system. We are about three months away from having a version of the sensor that we can use in validation studies.

We are currently working to close a €500k investment round that will enable us to get the product ready for market.

In your opinion, who is the most influential person/company in the world of technology these days?

Although they have fallen out of favour, it is hard to ignore the change that Tesla brought to the automotive world over the past decade. Since EVs are a novelty, now every car maker has an EV offering, and countless new EV car brands are on the market. They were a company I followed closely from my early days in college. Their ability to disrupt by innovating every aspect of the business has made them an outlier for me.

Similarly, Apple made excellent product design an expected standard for all products across many industries.

I think there is a good reason both these companies are now household names.

If you could pick one app/product/project existing now that you wish you were involved in, what would it be?

I am a huge fan of the Ocean Clean Up project. I think what they are doing is a no-brainer, and it seems to be an excellent group of people working on one of the biggest problems our society faces today. It is brilliant to see their solutions develop over time, and they are very good at sharing the failures and successes (thankfully, the latter seem to be more prevalent). Watching their videos that show what rubbish they have gathered from the sea helps my soul; I can only imagine how they feel having done that.

How do you see technology evolving in the next ten years?

Obviously, AI is going to shape our future and our relationship with technology massively. I would like to see it get to a point where it is robust enough to assist people in their everyday lives confidently. In 10 years, it should remove the ‘faffing’ currently present and remove the ‘busy work’ leaving time for the more meaningful elements. Essentially, everyone always has a proper, reliable assistant on hand. As a result of AI advancement, I think in-person interactions will be valued much more.

I think and hope that carbon neutral or positive will be core to all technology and systems in 10 years. Everything from microgrid management to better public infrastructure. That it is not an afterthought but rather central to the design process and hopefully mandatory.

What would you like the industry to look like in ten years?

For the Sports Tech industry, I would love to see sports tech being utilised in every aspect of the game. This is seen professionally, but I’d love to see it adapted broadly to the amateur level. This includes wearable tech and the broader systems that are in use. Suppose information and systems could be exchanged more easily between different sports codes. In that case, it would increase participation and engagement in sports, which is only good. I feel that there is also a willingness to do this, and it is great to see an increase in government investment in sports.

What are the three characteristics you have that make you successful in tech?

Problem-Solving Mindset

I think this has been the most beneficial for me. There have been so many challenges and problems that I have never faced before, and I had to first figure out the best way to find a solution. I developed this through my engineering degrees at University College Dublin and the International Space University, and I have to use it daily. From problems with hardware to strategy, it is great to be able to creatively search for solutions.

Optimistic

I always try to have an optimistic outlook, and I feel you need to when things aren’t going well. It enables you to keep the bigger goals in mind and not get bogged down when a few things aren’t going your way.

Willingness to try new things

I think this is central to a lot of my life, both with projects and personal life. It really broadens your knowledge. My friends would jokingly mock me for “having another new hobby”. But I really feel it keeps things interesting and can give you a new perspective on older stuff.

This attitude of trying new things and seeing where a project goes significantly advanced my career in technology development. It is always interesting, from trying out new technologies to trying new applications.

What is the most challenging thing you had to deal with during your career?

I would say that my current venture is starting Sports Impact Technologies. It would not be one specific thing but rather the volume of new challenges. There are so many elements that I haven’t touched on before, and they come very fast. I am learning a tonne and trying to overcome these many challenges in the best way possible.

What is your greatest achievement up until today?

One of them would be my work in ESA, PA, particularly the retinal diagnostics project.

For some context, this project looked at developing a device for imaging the back of astronauts’ eyes while in space. Our solution weighed only about 30g and could instantly diagnose a condition called SANS using AI.

This was a project that had a small team of 5 people that took the project from concept to flying on the ISS in the space of about a year. There are a few elements here that I am particularly proud of the result (it was a great success and paved the way for a second device to be developed), the timeframe (it was exceptionally fast in the world of space), and the team (Scott Ritter, Dr Aidan Cowley, Dr Claudia Stern, and Dr Juergen Drescher). You can read more about the project here.

What is your next goal?

My next goal is to focus on Sports Impact Technologies. We are about to close our first funding round. Once this is closed, the focus is on getting the product ready for market. There are a few challenges in that, including validation studies, operational tests, and certification, all while building up the software. This will be the focus for the next six months.

What tips do you have for people wanting to start in the tech world?

Use the tools available to you to get started quickly. There are many tools to get you started, whether it be hardware or software. For hardware, get yourself an Arduino Uno starter kit. It is brilliant and a great way to learn electronics and basic programming. As for software, there are many resources to get you going (Code Academy, ChatGPT, and countless YouTube channels). Try taking a project you are interested in on instructables.com/ and build it. It will give you good exposure to all elements of tech development. Also, ChatGPT is your best friend for starting. It is a teacher with infinite patience.

If you could say something to your younger self, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to try new things. It’s a bit cliché, but you won’t know you like something until you try it.

Which famous person would you like to have dinner with and why?

I would love to have dinner with Jurgen Klopp. I am not a Liverpool fan, but what he has done with the team is impressive. He has created a brilliant culture that is loved by his players and fans and recognised by the wider public. With his recent stepping down, it would be fascinating to hear what he learned during his time and how he did what he did.

Where would you like to travel next?

I would love to go to Japan. It seems like such a different culture that I would want to experience it first-hand.

Do you have a person who influences or motivates you?

Over the last 5 years, Chris Hadfield has been a big inspiration, and his book ‘An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth’ is an excellent read for anyone, not just those interested in space. It explains a mindset and examines the power of being prepared and open-minded. He is also a very impressive figure and is a great example of how you can always learn to do more.

What did you dream of creating/inventing/doing as a child?

As a child, I wanted to be an architect or a palaeontologist. As I got older, I felt I always wanted to start my own business, and seeing my parents run their business was a great inspiration for that.