What drives innovation in sports tech?

The sports tech sector is dripping with innovation right now. Sports in general are experiencing a time of swift transformation, driven by technologies that change our ability to understand and enhance human performance. 

Artificial intelligence, wearable tech, and advanced analytics are pushing significant shifts in the way athletes train – and we can track performance (and prevent injuries) more effectively than ever before. From the perspective of sports fans, the experience of supporting sports teams and athletes is also in flux; as venue operations, digital engagement, and sports broadcasters all integrate emerging technologies into their operations. 

We wanted to find out what drives innovators to break new ground in sport. So we asked LEAP 2025 speaker Rodi Basso (CEO at E1 Series) to share his perspective. 

Cross-sport inspiration and the innovation mindset 

Rodi heads up E1 Series, the world’s first completely electric racing boat championship. We asked what it was about water sports tech that first captured his interest, and he said: 

“In general, I passionately believe in the combination of sport and technology as an opportunity to connect what is needed with what is achievable in a sustainable way. Racing offers the platform to test low TRL technologies to empower the commercial solutions of the future.”

“If you combine this aspect with the strong need to protect and regenerate our coastal areas, this is where I close the circle which generated the birth of the UIM E1 World Championship.” 

With a background in motorsports, Rodi has been closely involved in the F1 Ferrari Test Team, Race Team, and the F1 RedBull Race Team. This experience has proved invaluable when it comes to driving the innovation process of water mobility – bringing motorsports concepts and technologies into the water sports space. 

“This goes from the specific components to the system engineering, but also through the new design philosophy that the new technologies require to usher in the energy transition,” he said.

An engineer’s perspective on sports tech development 

One of E1’s recent innovations is the RaceBird: an all-electric hydrofoil racing boat, designed to compete in the UIM E1 World Championship. But what’s special about this particular boat?

“The special appeal is not in the components themselves but in the combination of those,” said Rodi. “Nobody has ever designed a race boat with foils and responsible propulsion. And on top of that, the motorsport processes and approaches have been fundamental to compress the development time and costs.” 

Every engineer has their own personal relationship with innovation. We asked Rodi if he ever thinks he’ll make something and think, ‘this is it – I’m done.’ 

And the short answer was no. 

“The day when I will say ‘this is it, it can’t be improved’ will be the day to retire. Technology and business innovation is my blood. Through racing, I am very excited to find new solutions for high commercially-relevant gaps and frustrations in the mobility and sport tech business.” 

A range of factors all converge to drive innovation in sports tech, including: 

• Performance enhancement – the never-ending pursuit of improved athletic performance.
• Injury prevention and recovery – with innovations designed to reduce injury occurrence and recovery times.
• Fan engagement – the need to enhance spectator experiences so fan loyalty is maintained.
• Sustainability – the sports industry is increasingly focused on achieving key sustainability goals, and tech is a pivotal enabling factor for this.
• Business opportunities – tech innovations in sport offer the potential for financial gains through a range of different channels; including new products, new sports-related services, and revenue streams that allow the sports industry to grow.

Sports engineers are constantly looking for the next possibility for improved performance. And emerging technologies offer a whole new field of exploration – with infinite potential to solve long standing problems and develop new capacities for both humans and machines in sport. 

Finally, we asked Rodi what advice he’d give to his younger self if he could. He said: 

“I would say ‘Rodi, you have got time, be patient. And remember to breathe’.”

Thanks to Rodi Basso at E1 Series. If you want to learn directly from the leading innovators in sports tech, pre-register now for LEAP 2026. We can’t wait to see you there.