Local law firm Shakespeare Martineau has been revealed as the legal team behind double Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee’s investment in Leicester-based triathlon analytics company, INCUS Performance.
Head of the Nottingham office and partner at Shakespeare Martineau Roger Harcourt led the investment deal with the support of Sam Naunton, advising the company on the investment and its future collaboration with Brownlee.
The INCUS platform is a data driven tool that is able to provide minute detail and analytics for every training session. It’s pioneering a new way of using data in training by not just reporting numbers, but also providing a detailed analysis that is easy to understand and apply in order to improve performance and athlete experience.
Brownlee is well known for winning gold in the triathlon event in both 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and has previously championed the INCUS platform prior to investing.
Corporate finance specialist and advisor to the company, Roger Harcourt said: “Alistair Brownlee is a national sporting hero and, for many, the most recognisable name in triathlon, so his investment represents a particularly exciting moment for INCUS and a vindication of its market leading products. We have a longstanding relationship with the company and were delighted to support the investment and advise on its future strategic partnership with Alastair.
“It’s fantastic to see investments being made into East Midlands based tech businesses.
“Technology and sport are key specialisms of ours and we’re excited to see how the partnership between INCUS and Alistair develops.”
In addition to his investment Brownlee will be using his experience to help INCUS Performance develop its platform and product offering in a strategic role within the company.
Chris Ruddock, managing director at INCUS said: “To be working closely with someone as experienced as Alistair, not only as a professional athlete, but one that has successfully competed across both Olympic and Ironman distances, is amazing. At INCUS, we’re all about taking a new approach, bringing innovation and creativity to endurance sports where there hasn’t been before. We’re proud to work with those who similarly push boundaries in sport, and are looking forward to integrating Alistair’s experiences in our upcoming insights, and the wider INCUS experience.
“Having the right partnerships has been really important for INCUS. A focus on team excellence, both internally and externally, is what has driven our successes to date. The Shakespeare Martineau team are a valued extension of the INCUS team, and have supported us since the beginning. We look forward to continuing our work with Roger and the team as we further INCUS development and growth in the years to come.”
Alistair Brownlee said: "I’m fascinated by how technology can be used to help improve athletic performance.
"Two of the most important factors in training are efficiency and training load management.
"Through technology we have the ability to collect so much data, but the important and interesting part is how we distil that data into useful insights.
"I’ve really enjoyed working with the INCUS team to produce accurate and useful information that can add something to everyone’s training.
"Whether you’re a beginner wanting to track your fitness or an elite professional athlete there are novel and relevant insights for you."