An Interview with Gagan Daga, Co-founder & CEO of Str8bat

An unique interview with Mr. Gagan Daga, Co-founder & CEO of str8bat, a Bengaluru-based sports activities know-how firm

In an attractive interview with Mr. Gagan Daga, Co-founder and CEO of Str8bat, a pioneering sports activities know-how firm based mostly in Bengaluru, we delved into the progressive options remodeling the world of cricket.

His imaginative and prescient for integrating know-how into sports activities guarantees to boost participant efficiency and revolutionize the way in which followers expertise the sport.

Are you able to share your journey and what impressed you to co-found str8bat?

Gagan Daga: The thought for str8bat was born from a easy however highly effective aspiration: to democratise sports activities know-how in India. We seen {that a} participant’s ardour for the sport usually deepens when it’s fuelled by measurable progress and insights.

Gamers return to the sector not only for the love of the game, however to know how effectively they’re performing, how a lot they’ve improved, and the place they’ll develop. Actual-time information gives these solutions, constructing each confidence and competence.

What really drove us was the assumption that whereas expertise could also be common, entry to high quality teaching and actionable insights is just not.

With str8bat, we got down to bridge that hole, making high-performance analytics accessible to each athlete, regardless of location, stage and age – empowering them to enhance by significant know-how.

Are you able to clarify how the patented camera-less bat sensor works and what makes it distinctive in comparison with different sports activities know-how?

Gagan Daga: The str8bat sensor is a compact, camera-less system that captures real-time, 360-degree information on the bat’s movement, every part from bat velocity and bat raise angle to impression velocity and even a patented candy spot index.

This information is translated into visible insights which can be immediately accessible on a cellular system. Internet-net we seize movement w/o cameras. This complete tech platform is patented throughout nations like US, Europe, India, Australia and lots of extra

To realize this now we have solved 26 issues, 16 of them belong to areas of movement physics, sign processing, information science and materials science. It’s a deep-tech product in sports activities with cricket as the primary use-case.

We now provide two {hardware} variants: the black sensor and the brand new sticker sensor. Whereas the options, metrics, and app expertise stay equivalent throughout each, they provide totally different worth propositions to our gamers.

The black system gives flexibility for them to share throughout bats and gamers and the sticker sensor gives a seamless, built-in design. It sticks to the bat similar to every other sticker; there’s nothing further to mount or take away.

All a participant must do is cost it earlier than a session, calibrate it(takes 3-4 seconds), they usually’re able to go.

We now have lately launched our innovation know-how referred to as Elev8 by str8bat—a sports activities sensor system enhanced by AI to ship real-time efficiency suggestions.

It tracks key metrics, corresponding to bat velocity, impression velocity, timing index, and candy spot share. Then it makes use of elite-level participant information and biomechanics to ship customized suggestions for enchancment, and offers personalised insights.

With Elev8, we’re not simply offering information—we’re serving to gamers evolve their recreation intelligently.

Who’s your audience, and the way do you intend to achieve and interact with them?

Gagan Daga: Anybody who performs the sport. together with younger sportsmen, coaches, academies, and grassroots packages, company gamers, amateurs and fogeys who need to present high-performance instruments to their kids.

We now have a strategic partnership with one of many greatest cricket manufacturers on the planet – SG. We now have built-in our know-how as a part of the manufacturing facility course of and have launched, together with the world’s first sensible willow.

We have interaction this viewers by strategic partnerships with sports activities academies, digital outreach through social media, and offline activations.

We’re additionally the official skilling companions for the Rajasthan Royals, which enabled us to share the success tales which now we have created in participant improvement and scouting with them for the final 5 years with the world.

Our direct-to-consumer mannequin is supported by a straightforward onboarding expertise, enabling customers to undertake the product and derive worth from day one.

How do you differentiate str8bat from different sports activities know-how corporations available in the market?

Gagan Daga: str8bat is exclusive in itself and stands out by its simplicity, precision, and accessibility. Conventional methods usually depend on complicated video evaluation or costly {hardware}.

In distinction, str8bat delivers high-quality, real-time suggestions utilizing only a single sensor, with out cameras, exterior infrastructure, or technical obstacles.

We deal with insights, not simply information. Gamers don’t have to interpret complicated numbers themselves. The app transforms sensor information into visible suggestions, 3D renders and actionable suggestions, making it straightforward for each gamers and coaches to take significant steps ahead.

With Elev8, which is str8bat’s proprietary AI engine, we tailor suggestions based mostly on a participant’s method and motion patterns, benchmarked towards elite efficiency information.

Whether or not you’re utilizing the sensible sensor or the glossy sticker variant, you’re tapping into the identical clever ecosystem.

We really welcome extra gamers coming to the thrilling house of sports activities tech. Its a inexperienced discipline with many ache level, massive market and large alternatives.

Are there any upcoming options or merchandise that you’re notably enthusiastic about?

Gagan Daga: Sure, lately now we have launched Elev8 and our group has been repeatedly working to introduce new know-how for upcoming gamers.

We’re integrating AI-driven teaching insights, which is able to enable the platform to not solely present efficiency information but in addition counsel particular areas of enchancment based mostly on a participant’s patterns.

We’re additionally enhancing the {hardware} additional to make it lighter and extra strong, and exploring use circumstances in different sports activities corresponding to tennis and baseball.

Moreover, we’re creating group analytics options, which is able to provide a broader efficiency view throughout a number of gamers and classes, opening new avenues for coaches and academies.

What message would you prefer to convey to younger cricketers who aspire to enhance their recreation utilizing know-how?

Gagan Daga: My message to aspiring cricketers is: Practice smarter, not simply tougher. Expertise is nice however you want the precise suggestions on the proper time. Know-how like str8bat provides you the power to know your recreation on a deeper stage.

Embrace it and take your recreation larger; it’s about enhancing your coaching with exact insights that show you how to progress quicker. In the event you’re critical about bettering, information is your ally.

Is there the rest you want to share about str8bat or your imaginative and prescient for the way forward for sports activities?

Gagan Daga: Whereas we began with cricket, a sport we’re deeply captivated with and it additionally occurs to be the second-largest collaborating sport on the planet.

Extra importantly, cricket is performed 360 levels, which compelled us to construct an answer that captures movement from any angle, with out cameras. That’s what gave us our unfair benefit. 

Now, with that core tech, we’re shifting into different sports activities like golf, tennis, and baseball. str8bat isn’t only a product; it’s a movement seize platform that others can construct on.

Unlocking precision insights throughout your complete sports activities ecosystem. It’s the inspiration for the way forward for movement intelligence in sports activities

Mr. Gagan Daga’s insights spotlight the potential of sports activities know-how to reshape the way forward for cricket. As Str8bat continues to push boundaries, his dedication to innovation and excellence evokes a brand new technology of athletes and lovers, paving the way in which for a extra related and data-driven sporting expertise.

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