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⚽ 𝐈𝐨𝐓-𝐄𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬 When billions watch the FIFA World Cup, they see goals and celebrations. Engineers see a masterpiece of innovation. The modern World Cup football is far more than a ball—it's an intelligent engineering system designed for precision, fairness, and performance. Here's the technology inside: – An embedded motion sensor tracks every movement in real time. – Enables centimeter-level position tracking across the field. – Combines ball data with player tracking for faster and more accurate decisions. – Detects acceleration, rotation, spin, and the exact moment the ball is touched. – Thermally bonded panels and optimized surface design deliver consistent flight, durability, and superior control. – Generates valuable data for referees, broadcasters, coaches, and performance analysts. The future of sports isn't just about athletic performance—it's powered by IoT, AI, sensors, computer vision, and data analytics. 𝐕𝐀𝐑 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐬. 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐈𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚? #Sports     #IoT      #ArtificialIntelligence     #ComputerVision

Robots on the pitch....You better believe it. Will you be able to play with this one? No more standing cones or passive drills. Athletes today are dodging dynamic robots—machines that track, move, and react in real time. These aren’t gimmicks; they’re next-gen training partners. ⚽ In football, systems like SKILLSLAB, Rezzil, and Trailblazer Training Bots are already used by top clubs to simulate high-pressure situations, improve decision-making, and measure milliseconds of reaction time. 🏀 In basketball, robotic arms help perfect shooting arcs, while AI vision tools break down footwork frame by frame. 🎾 In tennis, smart ball machines adjust spin, speed, and placement in unpredictable sequences—training the brain as much as the body. Why it matters: + Athletes improve reaction speed by up to 20% using adaptive robotic drills. + Training bots allow 3x more touches per minute compared to traditional drills. + Machine-learning platforms track thousands of data points per session—customizing feedback instantly. This isn’t just tech—it’s transformation. Robots are helping players train faster, smarter, and with a grin on their face. #Innovation #Tech #Robots

For most of football’s history, much of what we watched on the field went unmeasured. Today, nearly every player and ball movement throughout the game is measured, modeled, and analyzed in real time. This data is improving fan experiences and giving them richer sport insights. It's also changing how professionals approach the game—from improving player safety to unlocking new training environments. The results speak for themselves: a 35% reduction in lower-extremity injuries from the redesigned kickoff format, informed by Next Gen Stats data. Innovations like completion probability and rush yards over expectation that make broadcasts more engaging. And now, pose-tracking technology that captures full skeletal data 60 times per second, is opening doors to VR training that could accelerate player development from years to months. I'm proud of how we've expanded our partnership with the NFL on Next Gen Stats, powered by AI tools like Amazon SageMaker and Amazon Quick. What started as a tracking experiment in 2015 has become a critical part of the NFL’s infrastructure that uses machine learning models on AWS to process data from 22 players, generating 500-1,000 stats per play, instantly. What a win for the Hawks last night! If you're still riding the excitement, take a few minutes to read through this deep dive into the science that powers the complex stats you see on screen throughout the season. Cool look at the history of our partnership with the NFL through Next Gen Stats! https://lnkd.in/gX8Mpe7T

In sports science, player tracking technology is a cornerstone for understanding athlete movement and external load. Modern Global Positioning Systems (GPS) often combine satellite tracking with inertial measurement units (IMUs) like accelerometers and gyroscopes to provide rich movement insights. This allows practitioners to describe, plan, and monitor training and competition demands more effectively. These metrics can be categorised for clarity: 👉🏼 Distance metrics: total distance, velocity zones 👉🏼 Velocity change events: accelerations, decelerations, changes of direction 👉🏼 IMU-derived measures: impacts, stride patterns, 3D motion Collecting these metrics helps sports scientists go beyond simple totals and truly understand movement intensity and load, enabling smarter training decisions. But context matters. Not all metrics are relevant for every sport or athlete. Choose what informs your decisions.

What Hiring Managers Look For Beyond Technicals: A Practical Checklist You mastered DCFs, comps, and built financial models in your sleep. But technical skills alone do not seal the deal in an IB interview. After guiding hundreds of students into top-tier investment banks, I've noticed a clear pattern: Hiring managers aren’t just looking at your Excel shortcuts. They’re watching how you carry yourself, how you handle pressure, and how quickly you think on your feet. Here’s a real-world, practical checklist of what they silently assess: 1. Body Language and Presence - Maintain confident eye contact—don't stare nervously at your notes or the ceiling. - Sit up straight, lean in slightly, and speak with calm authority. Your posture says more than your resume ever could. - Mirror subtly: match their speaking pace and energy to quickly build rapport. 2. Clarity Under Pressure - When asked something tricky, pause briefly to gather your thoughts—it's a sign of composure, not uncertainty. - Clearly structure your answers: Start with the main point first, then explain. - If you're unsure, calmly walk through your logic aloud instead of freezing or guessing. 3. Quick Thinking & Mental Agility - Expect trick questions, managers intentionally ask unexpected questions ("Estimate Starbucks’ daily revenue"). They're testing your mental flexibility, not your math. - Show your thinking process clearly—managers care more about your approach than a perfect answer. 4. Genuine Curiosity & Insight - Move beyond scripted questions. Instead of asking, “What’s your favorite part about working here?” try insightful queries like: “How has rising interest rate volatility affected recent deals?” - Managers remember candidates who spark thoughtful conversations, not just check the interview box. 5. Confident Humility - Confidence doesn’t mean arrogance. Own your achievements proudly—but always acknowledge team efforts and stay humble. - Admit openly if you don't know something. Confident humility earns trust and credibility. 6. Ability to Connect Personally (The Airport Test) - Interviews test if managers would genuinely enjoy working alongside you through long nights. - Be yourself, share small genuine insights about your interests outside work, and find common ground. Your presence, composure, quick thinking, and authentic curiosity decide the direction of your interview. Follow Pratik for investment banking careers and education

𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 I've been asked this at least 3 times in the last two months. "How do I know that my leaders are improving?" This is where we distinguish knowing from application. 10% of capability comes from learning from formal sources. 20% comes from networks and interactions. 70% comes from application to portfolios and projects. One thing that sets this all apart are data points. Even if I apply skills to my projects, how do I know I did it well? Most large companies have a 360-degree or leadership assessment process in place. So, I'll share my thought process for this in case you are attempting to develop this for your own organization. Step 1: Determine organizational strategy and business outcomes. This is necessary to align expectations of desired behaviors. This is where a Balanced Scorecard can come in handy. Step 2: Assess expectations of leaders. You'll then assess them across leadership behaviors for new, mid and even senior managers. Granularity of differences supports focus and clarity. Often, a list of pre-existing behaviors/competencies are used to make the exercise easier. Validated psychometric tools such as the 16PF help to anchor it to scientific rigor. Organizational psychologists like me conduct surveys to gather insights. Then, focus groups are used to drill down to details information. After that, we'll create categories basedon the information and produce working behavior-based definitions. Step 3: Prioritize the list Now, the leadership team decides which behaviors are more important by way of ratings. Step 4: Build the 360 We then build a 360-degree feedback survey questions. These questions are reviewed for validity. Step 5: Allocate the survey A system specializing in the 360 (there are many) can be used. Feedback Recipient selects 6 to 12 people to rate them. In organizations, to avoid selection bias, leaders of the feedback recipient can review and veto the people doing the rating. Then, the participant does the survey too (self-rating) Step 6: Debrief of survey Usually, participants need guidance from a trained coach who understands feedback requirements. This is to provide grounding and objective input. Often, 360 surveys tend to be met with resistance unless the coach is skilled in facilitating the reflection conversation. Step 7: Action Planning The participant then produces a set of actions for improvement. This plan and the priority of focus should be made known to the feedback givers. Step 8: Pulse Surveys After a designated time (within 6 to 12 month period) a validated pulse survey is set up for the observers to rate improvement in specific behaviors. Step 9: Continued Leadership Coaching, Mentoring and Peer Support A combination of these can be used to enhance development. Step 10: Final Comparison Survey Toward the end of the year, a comparison survey is done to see how the key areas have improved or not. ---

Last week, in almost every coaching conversation, the role of the immediate manager in shaping (or not) my clients’ career trajectory came up. Direct managers have the most significant impact on employees’ learning, growth, fulfilment, and job satisfaction. Therefore, if you are looking for a new job, ensure that you find the right manager for yourself. You want to feel confident that your direct manager will support you and your ambitions. Author 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝 offers the ‘𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓’ framework to evaluate your prospective immediate manager even before you take up the job. ‘START’ stands for Style, Thoughtfulness, Attitude, Responsiveness, and Transparency that you receive during the interview process. Let us double-click on these factors – 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 – Observe your prospective manager’s communication style - is it friendly, informal, or formal? Pay attention to how they think and make decisions. This is not about finding the right style but looking for compatibility and understanding differences before you sign up for the role. 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 – One sign of thoughtfulness is ‘being present’. If someone keeps texting or responding to emails while interviewing you, they are not present with you. Other signs of thoughtfulness include respecting your time, listening to you, and valuing your thoughts and perspectives. It is a red flag if these aspects are missing. 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞 – Does your prospective manager come across as optimistic, and excited, or depleted and burned out? Note their body language and word choice. Are they looking forward to the future with excitement, or does their head hang heavy with the burden of challenges? If they are disenchanted or burned out themselves, they are not likely to be able to help you put your arms around your new role. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 – How fast do you get responses to your queries from your future boss? This is a likely indicator of the support you will get if you are stuck and need help, after you have joined. A responsive boss is likely to support you and remove roadblocks to help you succeed. You might struggle with someone who does not make themselves available. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 – Your manager’s feedback helps you evolve into your next role. If you do not get actionable feedback and acknowledgement of your strengths, you will struggle to grow in the organization. You can gauge this by the level of transparency in your interactions during the interview phase. Do you feel your questions were answered, or did you get treated with word play, or were you brushed aside? You want to be intentional in choosing your next job. You want to choose a role that stretches you, helps you grow further, and fulfils you. Choosing the right boss is a crucial element of that journey because your boss determines the culture of the team, the support and resources you receive to do your job, and your career path. Be diligent in this quest.

Marketers are skeptical of attribution models. And honestly, they should be. Most are built on shaky assumptions, like giving all the credit to the last ad someone clicked before buying. Many are black box. I'm always in search of research on better ways to measure marketing's impact. So this week on The Marketing Architects Podcast we covered a study titled, "Bayesian Modeling of Marketing Attribution" by Ritwik Sinha and David Arbour from Adobe Research and Aahlad Manas Puli from NYU. The researchers modeled customer journeys probabilistically, looking at things like ad decay, exposures across different channels, and purchase probability. All of that came together to change the chance of a sale over time. One finding: When users saw more than 20 ads in a short window, the chance of a sale went down. Another takeaway: Search and display ads had extremely short half-lives. Their influence faded fast. The model also assigned strong credit to owned and offline channels, which traditional digital attribution methods often ignore. (❤️📺) The Bayesian model doesn't just assign credit, it gives us a sense of how much a channel mattered, how long its effect lasted, and how confident you should be in the results. Even if your brand isn’t ready to adopt a model like this, it's interesting to learn about. And backs up why it's important to invest in multiple models and perspectives. Links in the comments to listen to the podcast + read the study.

I spent over $3M on Meta ads in January. And I use 3 attribution models: Ad platforms are notorious for taking credit for view-through conversions they didn't drive. They do it to bait you into spending more. The issue is that your top 1-2% of ads should drive ~50% of your spend and revenue. If you're relying on bad attribution, you won’t be able to find them. This is why 8-9 figure brands (that NEED their tracking to be faultless), use 3 attribution models: 1. Multi-touch attribution (MTA) - for ad and campaign level optimization. This is your Triple Whale. Great for knowing which ads are performing best, which ones to scale, which to cut. Not as good for comparing channel to channel. It also will overcount total revenue, which you need to be careful about. To make sure your account is well optimized, plot CPA vs Spend on a scatter plot. The top ads should be in the low CPA, high spend zone. 2. Post-purchase survey - for channel level allocation. Get a 35%+ response rate, extrapolate to all new customers, and calculate your cost per new customer response per channel. This tells you which channel to push into. Click-based attribution overvalues lower-funnel performance by up to 250%. Post-purchase surveys catch what click attribution misses - top-of-funnel creative can drive 13X more incremental acquisitions than bottom-of-funnel. 3. Marketing Mix Model (MMM) - for validating direction. You can't use this daily, but it confirms your post-purchase survey is sending you the right way. Then you use post-purchase on a daily basis to optimize channel allocation. Some channels drive low-quality customers that look good on ROAS but don't stick around. MMM helps you optimize for 12-month profit as opposed to just immediate return. The other thing to know is that view-through attribution is poor signal. Make sure your attribution is set up for 7 or 14 day click, depending on your purchase funnel. One day view will overcount. Here's what this gives you: When performance drops, you know exactly where to pull budget to create the smallest impact on revenue while keeping the company profitable. When things are going well, you know exactly where to push budget to scale effectively. Bottom line: -> Use MTA for ads and campaigns.  -> Use post-purchase surveys for channel allocation.  -> Use MMM to validate you're heading the right direction. This is how 8-9 figure brands figure out where every dollar should go.