The Future of Sports: Bryan Finnerty of V1 Sports On The New Emerging Technologies That Are Disrupting The World Of Sports
Building trust — With an attitude of humility, the next obvious step is to build the trust with all of the groups listed above. People that trust you will run through burning buildings and brick walls to get to the North Star with you!
New technologies have changed the way we engage in and watch sports. Sensors, Wearable Tech, Video Assistant Referees (VAR), and Instant Replay, are examples of new technologies that have changed the way we play and watch sports. In this interview series called, “The Future of Sports; New Emerging Technologies That Are Disrupting The World Of Sports,” we are talking to sports leaders, athletes, sports tech experts, and sports equipment companies who can talk about the new technologies that are reshaping the sports world.
As a part of this interview, we had the pleasure of interviewing Bryan Finnerty.
Bryan Finnerty is the Chief Executive Officer of V1 Sports, a Novi, Michigan based technology Company at the forefront of developing leading video and ground pressure analysis technology for coaches and athletes.
In the summer of 2021, Finnerty was instrumental in securing support from Black Cat Ventures, the golf technology fund started by basketball legend Michael Jordan. A former professional soccer player (goalie) for the Detroit Rockers of the MISL, Finnerty is committed to leveraging new technology to help athletes improve performance.
To complement the Company’s successful golf technology suite currently used by 10,000 golf instructors (including some of the most prominent in the sport) and more than 3 million golfers, the Company is strategically expanding applications in baseball through a transformative partnership with Louisville Slugger Hitting Science Center, while delivering new tools and resources for baseball and softball players & coaches to support game improvement.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
Following my professional soccer career, where I played goalkeeper for the Detroit Rockers of the MISL, I applied many of my athletic qualities such as vision, work ethic, constant learning, and team building to other endeavors. I was founding partner and CEO of ProtectCELL, a $125 million mobile device insurance company. I was also a founding partner of a large sports training facility, High Velocity Sports Center, which I still run today. In addition to my role as CEO of V1 Sports, I am chief giving officer of Opportunity Seed Capital, where I seek ways to leverage time, treasure, and talent for community benefit. The common thread through all of my roles in both business and charitable endeavors is a passion for sports and bringing people together, as well as a strong commitment to giving back to the local community.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Meeting Michael Jordan to ask him to invest in V1 Sports would have to be one of the biggest highlights of my career. He immediately recognized our vision, and his Golf Technology Fund, Black Cat Ventures, was in full support our strategic growth plan. Now that he is an investor in V1, it makes it even that much more incredible to me that I have the opportunity to meet and talk with him to discuss the business going forward.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person that I should try to change is me” — John C Maxwell
Whether it’s as a friend, father, husband, CEO, Founder, Investor, etc., I have always firmly believed that if I can’t lead myself then how could I possibly lead others? This one principle is absolutely bedrock for me when it comes to my drive to be a continuous learner with the desire to get better every day. From there my hope is that with a “full cup” I can positively spill over into others’ lives.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Rob Emery is that person. We are best of friends and continue to be business partners to this day. Rob was a very successful business owner when I met him 30 years ago and he pushed me to be the best version of myself in both life and business. When we started our first business together, he encouraged me to focus on what I was good at and minimize what I wasn’t good at. He always said my superpower was the ability to build and grow high performing teams based on a culture of trust, love and a desire to win. He also supported my quest to create a collaborative workplace where everyone could be who they really were — that was amazing!
Is there a particular book, film, or podcast that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Good to Great by Jim Collins
Jim’s ability to simplify the concept of what you can be the best in the world at while getting the right people into the right seat on the bus was transformative for me. It has helped me in every business by creating a North Star that resonates in my bones so I can live and breathe it every day with my employees, partners and investors.
Traction by Gino Wickman
Gino’s EOS system is the backbone operational playbook I’ve used in every successful business I’ve ever run. It’s based on the six principles that make up every SMB which are:
Vision — It all starts at the top and there has to be a Vision everyone in the company understands and believes in!
People — Must have the right people in the right seat on the bus
Data — Do you have the daily info to run the business so you can focus (as a leader) on charting the future?
Issues — Healthy conflict is a great thing (issues) when we can all agree that we’re “fighting” for the better good of the company — not our agendas or egos
Process — You have to have something that’s documented, repeatable and followed by all
Traction — When all of the above are working at 80% or better, you get the traction to move your business forward at a pace that’s never been imaginable
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
I had to pick 4!
Humility — I have always believed that by serving our People, customers, shareholders, partners, etc., first we arrive with a willingness to put others before ourselves. As a leader, this speaks volumes to the people you are able to attract, retain and reward because they know you have their best interest at heart.
Building trust — With an attitude of humility, the next obvious step is to build the trust with all of the groups listed above. People that trust you will run through burning buildings and brick walls to get to the North Star with you!
Passion (for people, product and process) — As a former professional athlete I 100% believe you have to have an undying passion for what you do. No disrespect — but if you’re not passionate about being on my team with a desire to win fueled by a vision that is bigger than yourself — this is the wrong place for you.
Max 1000 FTE — Focus (10) x Time (10) x Energy (10) = 1000 Basically if you rate each of those components on a scale from 1–10 (one being dismal to 10 being the best I could ever imagine) you’ll get a rating of where you are in the three disciplines of life. The goal is to weekly monitor where you’re at to be consciously aware of your “number” and make plans to keep driving at a higher one (with balance) every week!
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Upon the sale of one of my previous businesses (ProtectCELL) my wife Denise and I started Opportunity Seed Foundation (OSF). At OSF we believe that sports serve a vital role in giving our youth a fun and safe environment where they can learn valuable life lessons. OSF invests the time, treasure and talent of our partners, volunteers and donors to provide kids in need with the resources to play, grow and achieve their dreams.
OSF uses the proceeds from the growth and sales of our invested companies to fund future impact opportunities around the globe.
We encourage our partners (whom we’re invested with) to do the same. We provide them with the framework of how to set up a foundation along with the funding model that supports future impact (as the company grows, the fund grows at a commensurate level) in order to support the founder vision.
Can you tell us about the sports technologies that most excite you at the moment? Can you explain why you are passionate about it?
Ground pressure and Vision AI
V1 Sports delivers leading video and ground pressure analysis, game and stat tracking technology for coaches and athletes in golf and baseball. A growing trend in sports today is the study of ground force, and the integration of V1’s portable pressure mats offer a solution to capture data on athlete’s interaction with the ground. These measurements sync with high-speed video and proprietary software to create a powerful combination of motion and ground force analysis, enabling coaches to more accurately evaluate and assess athlete movements, then provide immediate feedback to help improve performance.
Our golf technology suite has been validated by consistent usage from the most accomplished PGA Professionals, PGA TOUR players, teachers and golfers of all levels over the past 25 years. Now, we’ve adapted our technology to baseball, and this partnership with the Louisville Slugger Hitting Science Center represents a true innovation for the sport.
The evolution of this technology is a performance gamechanger for athletes and coaches. In fact, Chad Miller, Founder, Louisville Slugger Hitting Science Center recently informed us that V1 Sports technology is exponentially expediting his ability to assess, evaluate and help fix hitting, pitching, and fielding mechanics of baseball and softball players.
How do you think this might change the world of sports?
As we introduce new ways of learning (visual, tactile, kinesthetic) without having to put a device on your body or equipment — in other words, just go play — the ability to learn will happen quicker which in turn leads to more enjoyment of a certain activity of sport. The more enjoyment, the more fun, the more participation. More participation means that the world is impacted with better equipped future leaders!
Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
No, I’m confident and optimistic that V1 Sports technology will continue to serve as a valuable asset for coaches and athletes seeking to improve performance.
What are the 3 things that concern you about the sports industry today? Can you explain? What can be done to address or correct those concerns?
The cost of “pay to play” sports is keeping many kids off the playground. I believe as business owners we can step in to redefine the model of what it takes to support our children on the playfields.
The lack of free play in sports for kids. Safe access to areas for free play (unsupervised by parents and or coaches) could be set up in urban and suburban areas central to schools and city centers. The lack of freestyle play is showing up in almost every organized sport in the form of uncreative, robotic athletes who are scared to death to take chances and fail (which is where we learn).
I’m also concerned with the lack of training (and certifications) for coaches on the mental side of sports. Far too many organizations are waving the magic wand over any individual that is willing to step inside the lines to coach kids without requiring them to complete training on the psychological aspects that affect their happiness and mental health. A nationwide and unified training protocol would probably mean a few less coaches in the short term (which may mean more free play) but in the long run, we’ll have a more rounded coaching consortium that helps to raise happier (and more engaged) kids/athletes.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a brief story or example for each.)
Understand math at its core level. I believe Math has three foundational pillars:
Math has no emotion
Math never lies
Math always tells a story.
If you believe 1 and 2 to be true then you can look for the answers in number 3 which makes for a solid decision making formula.
Take more calculated risks
Take copious notes on 2 above and course correct if/when failure
Get at least three mentors and give them ALL of your attention when you are with them
Learn how to say NO fast. Protect your time by saying no to the things that don’t bring you joy, love and the time to be with others
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Democratize the cost and access to sports so all kids around the world, wherever they are could play. Sports is the greatest teacher in life (IMO) and if more kids were playing without the financial and logistical pressures that currently exist; more lives would be impacted for good, more leaders would be growing and more lives would be changing for the better regardless of race, religion, sex or socioeconomic position.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why?
John Maxwell
John has impacted some of the world’s greatest leaders and I’d love to get time with him to get his advice and thoughts on my journey as I come out of halftime and enter the second half.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
https://www.facebook.com/V1Sports
https://www.instagram.com/v1sports/
https://www.youtube.com/user/v1professional
Thank you so much for these excellent stories and insights. We wish you continued success on your great work!
