In this episode of the Sports Tech AllStars Podcast, we present Andrew Powell, CEO and Co-Founder of Ethos.
The conversation explores how two college roommates built a human readiness platform out of a dorm room at UNC, why the mental side of sport remains the most underinvested edge in elite performance, and how the same technology that helped the Seattle Seahawks win a Super Bowl is now training US Air Force fighter pilots.
Takeaways
The mental side of sport is still the most underserved performance lever
Ethos started as Duolingo for sports playbooks and has evolved into a full human readiness platform serving the NFL, NCAA, US military and enterprise clients
Coaches spend 95% of their time finding insights and only 5% ensuring players actually understand them - Ethos flips that ratio
Michigan credited Ethos insights with a game-changing interception in the national championship game
The translation from NFL playbook training to fighter pilot combat tactics was more direct than expected
The majority of Ethos revenue now comes from the US Department of Defense, with sports and commercial clients each representing around 20%
AI agent workflows for coaching staffs are the next frontier
NIL and the professionalization of college sports are creating new commercial opportunities that the industry is still structuring around
More data and better tools do not homogenise sport
To learn more, visit:https://www.ethossystems.com/company
Get in touch with Andrew Powell at:linkedin.com/in/andrew-powell-15180731
Hosted by Rohn Malhotra from SportsTechX - Leading source of Investment and Innovation insights in sports.
As promised, here's your small surprise:
Unlock your 30-day growth plan (worth €49) on the SportsTechX Intelligence Hub for free!
Simply verify your company details and you get access to 1,500+ investors, programmes, initiatives and events in the sportstech ecosystem.
Here's how to get set up and if you'd like a walkthrough of the platform, feel free to book a call here.
More from SportsTechX:
Explore the SportsTechX Intelligence Hub, an interactive database of over 8,000 sports tech companies, 8,000+ deals, 1,000+ investors, programs and events - HERE
Download the latest Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report - HERE
Sign Up for the Sports Tech Weekly Newsletter for more news, features & insights on Sports Tech - HERE
Stay Connected and follow for more:
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:28 The Dorm Room Origin Story of Ethos
04:16 Why Athletes Are Drowning in Data But Starving for Clarity
05:09 The Learning Science Behind the Platform
06:45 How Coach Insight Data Changes Everything
08:37 Why Mental Readiness Is the Last Untapped Edge in Elite Sport
09:12 Working With the Seattle Seahawks on Their Super Bowl Run
11:55 Cognitive Development, Memory and the Underplayed Mental Game
12:45 From NCAA Basketball to NFL - The Sports Portfolio
14:49 Human Readiness Beyond Sport - The Rebrand From Learn to Win to Ethos
15:45 How NFL Playbook Training Translates to Fighter Pilot Combat Tactics
20:02 What Makes Ethos Different From Corporate Learning Management Platforms
21:23 Revenue Split: Military, Sports and Commercial
22:24 AI Agents for Coaching Staffs
25:06 Does More Data Make Sport Less Exciting?
27:39 Formula One, Adrian Newey and Why Better Baselines Create More Innovation
28:27 What the Next 12–18 Months Look Like for Ethos
29:55 Favourite Sporting Moment
