The Human Readiness Platform Winning Championships - Andrew Powell, Ethos #258

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.TakeawaysThe mental side of sport is still the most underserved performance leverEthos started as Duolingo for sports playbooks and has evolved into a full human readiness platform serving the NFL, NCAA, US military and enterprise clientsCoaches spend 95% of their time finding insights and only 5% ensuring players actually understand them - Ethos flips that ratioMichigan credited Ethos insights with a game-changing interception in the national championship gameThe 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 aroundMore data and better tools do not homogenise sport To learn more, visit: https://www.ethossystems.com/companyGet 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 - HEREDownload the latest Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report - HERESign Up for the Sports Tech Weekly Newsletter for more news, features & insights on Sports Tech - HERE Stay Connected and follow for more:LinkedInYouTubeSpotifyApple PodcastChapters00:00 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 Staffs25:06 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