Name: Alec Skriloff
Year/major: Freshman studying Computer Science and specializing in Artificial Intelligence; Minors in Business and Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management
Product/service/etc: I have a motion-capture app on my phone (Apple or Android) that tracks the movement of athletes to aid in player development. All the user has to do is simply record a video themselves — performing a deadlift in the gym, throwing a baseball on a baseball field, any type of movement — and then the app analyzes their movement and tells the user what they can do better. Down the road, I want the app to have meal plans, workouts, and specific drills towards different types of athletes. Right now, I am just working on the fundamental pose estimation, which is essentially guessing where the user is in 3D space with their different joints.
When did you get started?
I started working on the pose estimation first, which took about two months to do. I got that to work well and am trying to put that within an app now and release an MVP hopefully early next semester.
I grew up playing baseball, starting when I was three. I have a strong network in that field. In terms of getting the app in the hands of baseball players, coaches, organizations, etc – it will be very easy for me to do. I already have people waiting for me that want to try my software. I am planning to start with baseball and reiterate the product to make sure it is good to go and eventually try to branch out ideally to other sports.
For example, the app could take a video of someone pitching, fielding a ground ball, catching a pop fly, or hitting. From there it would track the bat and the angles of different joints and perform other calculations to give feedback to the user.
What is your story?
So I have been playing baseball ever since I was 3 years old. I tried playing at the college level and had a little success, but it was not exactly what I was looking for. My high school lacked a strong coaching staff, and one of my high school teammates could have played at a higher level if he had received more coaching support. I thought about how many other people are not able to reach their full potential because they don’t have access to great coaching. From there, I decided I wanted to use my computer science skills to build something for them so that everyone has an amazing coach any time that they want.
I joined the Shoebox after my first semester on campus and then came up with this venture idea soon after.
What is your favorite failure or most valuable learning experience?
I’m pretty early on, but just navigating how to code different parts of the app has been difficult. There are many moving parts that all rely on each other to work properly and efficiently. On top of all that, I am being very strict on protecting the user’s data.
What is the best advice you have ever received as an entrepreneur?
Micah, another student in the Shoebox, has always said “Just Keep Swimming” and that has really stuck with me as I have been working on this.
What has been the most useful entrepreneurial resource or experience at the university?
1. Being a student manager for the baseball team, I have a great network and people who I can speak with and are excited to see my startup come to life.
2. The Shoebox has been really helpful with all of the resources it has provided to me. Between the legal services, mentors, speakers, and the community, I certainly can’t ask for anything more. Everyone in the Shoebox is working toward something special and we are all supporting and helping each other in any way we can. It is truly something special.
What has been the most useful entrepreneurial resource or experience outside the University? I have a friend back home that runs a successful baseball organization. He’s helped provide me data / videos and given me a lot of feedback on my idea.
Are you open to connecting with other students if they are interested? Where can people find you?
I am looking to have beta testers for my app that will be coming out soon, so keep an eye out for that!
People can reach me via LinkedIn or askrilof@iu.edu.