#FollowPrecisionSportsTechnology
Meet Emma Meehan founder of Precision Sports Technology, a driven tech entrepreneur and passionate weightlifter from Galway, Ireland. As a member of AwakenHub, Emma brings her innovative spirit and dedication to improving movement health through her startup, Precision Sports Technology. Inspired by her own experiences in weightlifting and fuelled by a desire to reduce injuries and enhance performance, Emma's journey exemplifies resilience and vision in the world of fit-tech entrepreneurship.
Double congratulations to Emma who has recently won Best New Sports Business of the Year at the Irish Sport Industry Awards, driven by Federation of Irish Sport and supported by Sport Ireland and becoming a KMPG finalist!
To get us started - how would you describe yourself in 6 words or less?
Passionate computer scientist and competitive weightlifter!
Tell us about your business and what inspired you to start it:
At Precision Sports Technology, we are developing a software platform for real-time feedback and analysis on exercise technique to reduce the risk of injury, maximize performance, and increase participation in strength & conditioning and physiotherapy. This originated from my own passion and problems when training for weightlifting competitions in the gym - as part of my final year in Computer Science & IT in university, I was thinking of ideas for my thesis project. I observed my technique being incorrect in the gym mirror, a problem I recognized due to spending thousands of hours training and becoming a qualified personal trainer. I realized that many people lack this insight - they either pay for a coach, exchange tedious videos with their coach, lose confidence and give up exercising, or, worst-case scenario, injure themselves. 40% of British people have reported injuring themselves in the gym at some point in their lives.
Exercise requires quality movement technique, regardless of where or how it is conducted, to avoid harming oneself in the short and long term.
I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project and achieved an 85% mark for it. When reviewing my thesis, my supervisors said to me, "Emma, you've proposed some strong business cases in this thesis. Why don't you build a startup from it?" I knew immediately that I wanted to! But most importantly, I knew I wanted to gain industry experience, save some money, and enjoy life a bit - things I wouldn't achieve going straight into a startup out of university.
After working part-time on the business for nearly three years while employed as a Software Engineer in an American multinational company, the 'Aha!' moment came when Apple announced they were launching LiDAR sensors on their iPhone and iPad Pro devices. That's when I knew we had a viable use case, and I haven't looked back since.
Tell us a little bit more about you?
I'm a proud Galway woman! I'm hugely passionate about this city and see myself here long term. I grew up in and still live in Menlo, a village that actually lent its name to Menlo Park in California, so it feels somewhat fated to be building a tech company from a garage in Menlo, Galway!
First and foremost, I am a technologist and a weightlifter. I've always been a massive technology geek, starting with receiving a VTech laptop for Christmas when I was probably only five or six years old. In primary school, I had a fantastic teacher, Dara Mannion, who invited Brendan Smith, an incredible tech advocate in Galway, to speak to our class. We all received mini laptops to begin basic coding-style projects, which ignited my passion further. In secondary school, I was often the one called upon to help teachers with tech issues, so it was a no-brainer for me to study Computer Science in university.
During university, I discovered individual sports like Olympic weightlifting, Muay Thai, and yoga. Previously, I had always assumed sports weren't for me because I wasn't good at soccer or basketball. This was another transformative point in my life - I had no idea how much energy, discipline, and self-fulfillment I would gain from exercise. It's now a core part of my routine, aiming for seven intense exercise sessions per week and daily yoga whenever possible.
Work has always been integral to my life, especially while growing up. My father left the trucking industry to open his own business, a Spar shop, when I was about nine years old. I started stacking shelves at age 10, officially joining the payroll at 12 with a uniform and name badge! I worked in my father's business (now businesses!) until finishing university and beginning my technology career at 21. As a teenager, waking up at 6 am during my summer holidays or Saturdays wasn't exactly thrilling when I wanted to relax or play video games, but it taught me financial responsibility, how to communicate with adults, and how to resolve workplace conflicts. Working closely with my father also gave me a deep understanding of managing business cash flow in a margin-tight business and the complexities of personnel management, where the buck stops with the boss - or his daughter, meaning I was often the first point of contact for a sick day!
Fill us in on your female founder journey:
I can only speak from my own perspective, not knowing if it would be different for a male founder. People often vastly underestimate and misunderstand the workload and self-management required as an early-stage founder. I entered this journey with eyes wide open, knowing it would consume my life for the next 5-10+ years if all goes well.
Overall, I can honestly say I'm having the time of my life. I work incredibly hard and have built substantial mental and physical resilience through this journey. There are many challenging days when certain goals don't materialize as planned. However, I know this is my purpose - building technology and the organization around it to improve movement health globally. I believe I am the best person to build this business, and this intense passion drives me every day. I wouldn't change it for anything (though more customers and investors would certainly be welcome)!
People often ask me, "How many hours a week do you work?" It's a difficult question to answer and interesting to ponder. What constitutes work? Is it just coding, attending meetings, and writing applications? What about less 'work-like' activities, like responding to LinkedIn messages while watching a movie, attending conferences, or studying professional team gym and rehabilitation processes? As a fit-tech founder, does working out and observing others count as market research? If you're asking about weekly working hours because you're uncertain if entrepreneurship is right for you, the answer is unequivocally no. It's all-consuming, and time off is rare.
I haven't felt like I'm missing out by not taking time off, or perhaps I haven't been able to acknowledge it. However, it has been challenging to convey this to my family and friends, whom I am immensely grateful for, as they want to spend time with me and don't want to see me working through Christmas or using the typically quieter business months of July and August to forge ahead.
One of my biggest learnings, and challenges, has been messaging. I feel that women, particularly Irish female introverts like myself, struggle with overselling themselves. I've built an incredible team and technology on a shoestring budget, achieving significant commercial traction with my bare hands and a laptop keyboard. In pitches with my mentors, I often get called out for underselling the business and my own accomplishments. I perceive that US male extroverts are naturally adept at this, likely contributing to the disparity between male and female founders and differing attitudes towards risk and entrepreneurship in Ireland versus the US.
How has being part of the AwakenHub community helped your business?
Female entrepreneurship events come and go, and while Enterprise Ireland and NDRC deserve commendation for their specific focus areas, having a consistent community of female founders across stages and industries has been more valuable than we could have imagined. It's a community where you can participate as much or as little as you like, from weekly drop-ins for a chat to technical workshops like the recent legal series. What was most important to me in joining this community was accessing the knowledge and insights of successful women who have gone before me in their careers. However, what has truly been invaluable is forming meaningful friendships with other women through in-person events like SheVentures and the US trade mission.
We want to foster collaboration and support within our community. If you have a specific need or request, let us know so we can help each other out! Have you an ‘ask’ which we can share with fellow #Awakenhubbers?
I would love to connect with people to bounce ideas off on developing our strategy for raising our seed round and ensuring the business continues to operate effectively and achieve its milestones in my absence.
As a founder, what are your non-negotiables?
The non-negotiables in my week are:
Exercise and physical readiness to perform - If I don't train, my energy drops, and I'm significantly less productive. I've learned firsthand the truth of 'movement as medicine'. Being a founder is like a high-performance sport - you need physical readiness to seize each day. Burnout isn't an option, so finding an activity that invigorates, challenges, and recharges is crucial.
Sleep and nutrition - These are essential for physical readiness and high performance. You won't find me answering emails at 11 pm; I aim for a 10 pm bedtime most nights. Nutrition is key, and dedicating a few hours each weekend to meal prep makes a world of difference when work runs late and a solid meal is needed upon returning home.
What values or principles do you live by?
I've witnessed how greed devastates economies, plunges millions into poverty, and creates a generation of highly skilled millennials unable to afford homeownership. Documentaries on corporate greed and firsthand exposure to the exploitation of supply chain workers have shaped my views. I want to build a successful business that isn't just financially rewarding for founders, executives, and investors but ensures everyone contributing along the way receives a fair share and is treated with dignity and respect. Social equity is a major reason I ventured into business - not just to critique corporate greed but to lead by example.
Who or what inspires you?
From one of my esteemed advisors: "What's the most important number every founder needs to remember? 168." That's the number of hours in a week. We all get the same amount - time can't be bought or sold. Each hour is precious as an entrepreneur, demanding relentless time management to make the most of those 168 hours. It's not about spending 100 hours at your computer but about maximizing non-work time with mindful movement, self-care, nature, loved ones, or pets.
Where do you see yourself in 12 months and 5 years' time?
In 12 months, if all goes well, I envision moving to the US to propel Precision Sports Technology to its next stage. With our seed round secured, we'll focus on expanding into the US, the largest sports market globally, encompassing both professional and collegiate sports.
In 5 years, I see myself as the CEO of a globally scaled technology business, enhancing movement health accessibility across continents and industries, enabling high-quality remote healthcare, boosting gym fitness engagement, and accelerating high-performance sports. Ideally, I'll also be a homeowner with my partner and hopefully a dog!
You attended our USA Trade Mission - how did you find it? How has it added to your founder or AwakenHub Journey?
The USA Trade Mission presented an opportunity that arose just weeks before, unsure of its worth in time and financial investment. It turned out to be incredibly worthwhile. If I had to share one takeaway, it's the networking workshops - learning effective room navigation and networking skills. I sometimes hesitate to join ongoing conversations or find the right moment to end a discussion, but the New York mentality, especially in networking, has greatly benefited my approach to events back in Ireland.
You attended SheVentures - how did you find this? How has it added to your founder or AwakenHub journey?
SheVentures was a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with many incredible women I've met over the past year, sharing challenges, celebrating victories, and enjoying the island's beautiful scenery. Investing those two days in myself was truly valuable.
What are your top three tips for other women founders?
Physical readiness is critical - see my non-negotiables!
Know when to say no - time vampires are everywhere.
Find a non-work-related passion - something not bound by time or dependent on others. Despite being immersed in exercise and centring my business around it, I find immense joy in astronomy and nurturing my green thumb with indoor plants. Two favourites are a 21-year-old ficus bonsai and a >2 metre tall monstera deliciosa! Astronomy depends on weather, but nothing clears my mind more than sitting under a dark sky, absorbing light that travelled millions of years to reach us.
To finish up, what are six words to live by?
In the words of my guilty pleasure show's host, RuPaul, "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else!?" Whether in love or business, looking after yourself comes first.
Any question you would like to add or any comments on any of the above?
I think I've written enough 😂
Top startup book: Zero to One by Peter Thiel
Best podcast: Lex Fridman
Personal LinkedIn: Emma Meehan on LinkedIn
Company LinkedIn: Precision Sports Tech on LinkedIn
Twitter: Precision Sports Tech on Twitter
Instagram: Precision Sports Tech on Instagram
