GPTI: Setting a new standard in sports and health data analytics

In 2007, Dudley saw this intersection start to evolve with increasing adoption of technology among health practitioners and sports coaches in their daily work. This inspired Dudley’s mission to help navigate and address the gap between the practitioners, their customers (ie. athletes and patients) and emerging technology providers.

Founded in 2011, GPTI is a professional service provider for many leading sporting bodies, institutes and clubs, focussed on educating organisations to capture and use performance and health data in a reliable, consistent and valid way. GPTI also helps health innovators bring new technologies to market by providing validation, testing and user experience expertise in pre-launch phases.

The GPTI team has over a decade of international experience in applying health and sport performance technologies. They are world leading technologists that prioritise understanding clients' needs and crucial environmental factors pivotal for product and brand success in the market.

Participation in ASTN’s growth-stage Accelerator Program in 2018, and direct mentorship from Craig Hill, ASTN’s Sports Tech Start-up Advisor and Industry Analyst, played a pivotal role in GPTI’s early development. This guidance provided GPTI with invaluable support and expertise in business strategy, which translated into success both locally and globally.

GPTQA: Realising validity, consistency and reliability

From performance testing and health assessments to product validation and evaluation on new technologies to data analytics and protection, GPTI’s primary goal is to increase validity and consistency in the sport and health industry.

“At GPTI, we help companies to make informed decisions by separating the inaccurate or ‘dirty’ data from the trustworthy or ‘clean’ data to create the best possible results,” said Dudley, Founder, GPTI.

GPTI has developed an education framework, Global Performance Testing Quality Assurance (GPTQA), which is an online resource based on global curriculum models that helps educate individuals on the skills and knowledge required to understand the rationale and outcomes of performance testing on athletes and patients. Aimed at targeting the education problem in the sporting industry, GPTQA Level 1 is integrated into schools, academic institutes, sporting organisations and allied health professions.

The GPTQA team provides virtual and on-site training, deep learning resources with assessment, real-world trials and market research to ensure consistent and valid practice, delivering confidence to the end client. In addition to Level 1 are two further accreditations, Level 2, which is aimed at further enhancing the skills and knowledge required to perform reliable field testing, and Level 3, which focuses on implementing management skills.

Using empathy to improve technology applications

With a background in sports and having played and coached soccer for many years, Dudley has a passion for the intersection between health, both physical and mental, well-being, sports and technology.

“We often describe technology as ‘empty’ because if you think about the way it’s often marketed, technological development often lacks empathy when it is implemented at scale,” said Dudley.

GPTI advises clients on how to limit the gap between simply taking a piece of protocol or technology and implementing it in the real-world. Without the right tools and information, trainers, coaches and practitioners are unable to translate their intention into successful, practical outcomes.

“Many companies lose the human aspect in delivering technology and that’s where we come in. GPTI helps to ensure that the product has an instruction protocol, eliminating the confusion and misdirection,” said Dudley.

GPTI advises on connecting human and artificial intelligence in health and sports performance by providing confidence that a product is fit for purpose and that the end-user experience is smooth and effective.

Dudley says that by providing an understanding of all the different nuances that go on in the user’s life, GPTI ensures that the human element isn’t lost. “With a little help from GPTI, a company can use cutting-edge technology exceptionally well to provide outstanding outcomes,” added Dudley.

Australian Sports Technologies Network’s (ASTN) impact on GPTI

“ASTN’s support allowed us to refine the business model and international strategy over time with very influential experiences across two trade missions to the US and UK. ASTN has also made many invaluable introductions to partners, tech companies and clients around the world, particularly in India where we have just launched our inaugural export license,” said Dudley.

Dudley believes that ASTN’s leadership and reputation internationally has helped GPTI to gain traction in a sector where knowledge of applied health and sportstech has been minimal or misunderstood.

“ASTN has created a bow-wave of education and transparency, specifically in the sports sector, that has enabled GPTI to be positively disruptive from an early stage and easily integrate into new sectors due to ASTN’s growing local and global impact,” added Dudley.

Breaking down global barriers and the next step of the GPTQA voyage

GPTI has established a foothold in Australia and India directly with licensee partners that are applying sport and health technologies into areas such as sports talent identification and development as well as injury prevention in general population. A recent research trip across Europe has allowed Dudley to now focus on opportunities and EOI’s in the EU, UK and Middle East as the next phase of growth.

As the world increasingly embraces the value of integrating empathy with technology, both internationally and within the Australian market, there is no doubt Dudley and the team will continue to drive meaningful and genuine outcomes through GPTI.

For more information on GPTI visit globalperformancetesting.com

Listen to Graham Dudley’s interview on ASTN’s ‘Sport’s Cutting Edge’ podcast.