Sport Technology Validation Sprint

Applied pilot testing and validation support for emerging sport technology companies.

Fall 2026

Register 
Validation Sprint

TheoryEx is launching a validation testing cohort in partnership with Seton Hall University. The program helps sport technology companies generate pilot data while providing exercise and sport science students with applied research experience.

WHAT WE CAN TEST

Answer the questions
your data hasn't yet.

Each sprint centers on one clear research question that can be answered in 10–12 weeks.

❋ Metric validation

Test your output against a gold-standard comparator in a college-aged population.

❋ Feasibility & pilot testing

Run expedited implementation and user studies before your next product or funding milestone.

❋ Applied use cases

Explore how athletes, recreationally active adults, or coaches engage with your technology or product in a real training environment.

❋ Performance & health outcomes

Investigate relationships between your metrics and established markers of performance or recovery.

Example questions:

  • How accurate is our technology compared with a gold-standard reference measure?

  • Can our technology detect meaningful changes in fatigue, recovery, or performance following exercise?

  • How do end users interact with our technology in a real training environment?

  • Does our device produce consistent measurements across repeated testing sessions?

  • How do athletes perceive our technology in terms of usability, trust, and overall user experience?

Is your project a good fit?

The Validation Sprint is designed for companies that need focused evidence before investing in larger validation studies.

  • We welcome projects involving wearable devices, athlete monitoring platforms, recovery technologies, biomechanics and movement analysis tools, training equipment, AI-powered performance software, and other sport and human performance technologies.

  • Each sprint is designed around a single, clearly defined research question that can be completed within one academic semester. Examples include:

    • Can our jump metric be validated against force plates?

    • Does our readiness score reflect changes in fatigue?

    • How do athletes use our technology during training?

    • Is our product feasible to implement in a recreational active adults?

    • How accurate is our heart rate or movement algorithm?

  • Each sprint is designed around one focused research question that can be answered within a college semester. Projects may involve validating a specific metric, evaluating feasibility or usability, exploring how athletes interact with a technology, or examining relationships between your outputs and established measures of performance, recovery, or health.

HOW IT WORKS

A structured process, start to finish.

Submit your company overview, technology description, and the core question you want answered. Projects are selected based on feasibility, educational fit, and strategic alignment.

01

APPLY

TheoryEx designs a tailored study protocol in collaboration with your team. Research associates coordinate study logistics, ethics review (if applicable), participant recruitment, and data collection through Seton Hall University.

02

PROTOCOL DESIGN

Exercise and sport science students execute testing under RA oversight. You stay informed with regular check-ins throughout the sprint.

03

DATA COLLECTION

You receive an executive summary, findings report, methodology overview, and forward recommendations. Research abstracts are submitted for conference presentation.

04

FINAL REPORT 
Scientific Leadership

The Validation Sprint is directed by Susie Reiner, PhD, Founder of TheoryEx and Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at Seton Hall University. Projects are designed and overseen by TheoryEx, with data collection conducted through Seton Hall University's Exercise Science program under university research oversight and ethics review where applicable.

Deliverables that move
your work forward.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Each selected company receives the following at no research cost. Optional expanded deliverables and follow-on studies are available through TheoryEx.

✔️ TheoryEx research management

✔️ Student-led data collection

✔️ Research planning & study design

✔️ Executive summary & findings report

✔️ IRB/ ethics oversight via Seton Hall University

✔️ Conference abstract submission

Confidentiality & Publication

We understand many participating companies are developing proprietary technologies. Company intellectual property remains the company's property, and project details and findings may remain confidential upon request. Conference abstracts or publications are pursued only with mutual agreement, and all results are shared privately with participating companies, regardless of the study outcome.

We're selecting up to six companies for the inaugural Fall 2026 Validation Sprint. If you have a focused research question and are looking for practical evidence to support product development, implementation, or future validation efforts, we'd love to hear about your project. Participating companies provide the hardware or software required for testing. Selected projects receive pilot research support at no cost, with optional follow-on validation studies and scientific communication services available through TheoryEx.

Ready to explore a validation project?

Submit an Expression of Interest