URKO PARDO - FROM CYPRUS TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD FOOTBALL WITH THE SUPPORT OF ''THALYA2021-2027'' - HOW THE SPANISH NATIONAL TEAM USED TECHNOLOGY AT THE WORLD CUP - Filenews 2/8
The innovation developed in Cyprus with co-financing from the European Union, through the Cohesion Policy Program “THALYA2021-2027”, has reached the highest level of world football. MentisVR, a Cypriot startup that has invested a total of more than €1.2 million in the development of Virtual Reality technology for the cognitive training of athletes, saw its solution used by the Spanish National Team on its way to winning the World Cup. In an interview with “Fileleftheros”, Urko Pardo, co-founder and CEO of MentisVR, a former professional goalkeeper and graduate of Barcelona’s La Masía academy, explains how a research idea succeeded in evolving into an internationally competitive product, highlights the decisive role of European co-financing through “THALEIA2021-2027” and outlines the company’s next steps in international markets.
–How was the idea of MentisVR born and who is it aimed at?
-MentisVR was founded by an interdisciplinary team with a common vision of bridging science, sports and technology, with the aim of developing new methods of assessing and practicing cognitive functions that meet the demands of modern sports. As a former professional goalkeeper and a graduate of Barcelona’s La Masía academy, I had the opportunity to bring to the team and the product my competitive experience and understanding of the demands of high-level football. In 2018, we began experimenting with Virtual Reality as a means of training the mind, recognizing that sports traditionally invest mainly in physical preparation and technical training, while there is limited emphasis on the systematic development of critical mental skills, such as attention, perception and memory. These skills play a decisive role in rapid and quality decision-making under time pressure, a skill that is a key feature of modern football. The company targets professional teams, academies and individual athletes. Although its current focus is football, MentisVR has already developed applications and research collaborations with the prospect of expanding to other sports, such as basketball, volleyball, handball, badminton and martial arts.
–What was the total cost of developing the idea and what was the contribution of the Cohesion Policy Programme “THALEIA2021-2027”? How decisive was the funding?
-The company’s total investment in the development of the technology to date exceeds €1.2 million, as we continue to systematically invest in its evolution, responding to the growing needs and opportunities created in this sector.
A defining point for the development of MentisVR was the co-funded project MENTIS, with a budget of €588,000, which was implemented within the framework of the SEED Business Innovation Program of the Research and Innovation Foundation. Through co-financing from the European Union and the Republic of Cyprus, within the framework of the Cohesion Policy Program “THALEIA2021-2027”, the transition from a research idea to a commercially viable and internationally competitive product was made possible.
This support substantially contributed to covering part of the costs and business risk associated with the Research and Development (R&D) stage, which a start-up company could hardly undertake entirely with its own resources. It also gave us the opportunity to create the technological base on which we continue to invest and develop our product in international markets to this day.
–What innovation does it introduce to professional sports and what problem does it solve?
-MentisVR's innovation lies in the combination of science (Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience) with Virtual Reality technology, in order to simulate real-life competition conditions and train the athlete's brain to make faster and better decisions under time pressure. The problem it solves is that, until now, the mental preparation of athletes has been either non-existent or fragmented and difficult to measure. MentisVR makes it systematic, objectively measurable, based on scientific data and designed so that its benefits are effectively transferred to competitive performance.
–How does MentisVR work commercially? What else does it include besides the purchase of equipment?
-MentisVR's commercial model is based on providing services through an integrated digital platform. Its applications include multiple levels of cognitive and tactical training, a cloud-based performance data analysis platform, accessible to coaches and athletes, as well as the ability to create personalized tactical scenarios, adapted to the competitive system and the needs of each coach. At the same time, the company provides research and scientific support through its partnerships with universities and research institutions.
–What is MentisVR’s main clientele today and where are you aiming for in the coming years?
-Today, MentisVR collaborates with professional teams and academies in Europe, the USA and other countries, while maintaining partnerships with clubs participating in leading European competitions, which cannot be made public due to confidentiality agreements. The company’s development strategy focuses on the international market, aiming to further expand its presence in both professional sports and the consumer market, through applications that will make cognitive training accessible to every athlete. The aim is for the know-how developed in Cyprus to be utilized by athletes and teams worldwide, contributing to the modernization of mental training in sports.
–What stage of commercial development is the company currently at?
-The company has surpassed the prototype development and validation stage and now has a complete commercial product, which has been tested and evaluated in practice in demanding conditions of the international sports market, in collaboration with leading professional organizations. MentisVR is currently in the active commercial development phase, aiming to scale its presence through the establishment of more long-term partnerships with professional teams and academies, but also through the expansion towards the individual athlete market and the consumer market. The company is already generating revenue from sales and is focused on accelerating its growth, leveraging the technology, know-how and commercial validation it has achieved to date.
–What is the biggest challenge for a Cypriot startup attempting to make technology available to top European sports organizations?
-The biggest challenge is not so much about the top sports organizations, but rather the general adoption of innovative technologies by the market. Organizations that already have a culture of investment in human factor development and systematic training of the mind, such as La Liga, but also leading professional teams, recognize the importance of cognitive training and are more open to utilizing new scientifically proven solutions. The challenge for a Cypriot startup is mainly to create trust and change the mindset in organizations that traditionally invest more in physical and technical preparation, but less in new forms of training. In these cases, the adoption of innovative products requires time and market education. Credibility is built through scientific results, partnerships with leading organizations and concrete application examples, which prove the value of the technology in practice.
–What is the main competitive advantage of MentisVR compared to other sports technology companies?
-The main competitive advantage of MentisVR is the combination of science, technology and practical application in real sports. The company does not just offer a digital tool, but a comprehensive mental training platform, designed on the principles of Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience and validated through partnerships with leading sports organizations. The development of the technology is based on stable research partnerships with the Department of Psychology of the University of Cyprus, the CYENS Centre of Excellence, the Sports Lab of UCLan Cyprus, as well as international academic institutions such as Masaryk University and Brno University of Technology in the Czech Republic and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium. At the same time, the use of Virtual Reality allows the creation of realistic simulations of competitive conditions, where athletes can practice and evaluate cognitive skills, such as attention, perception and decision-making under time pressure. This creates a strong connection between training and the demands of the real game, something that is difficult to achieve with traditional methods. MentisVR's competitive advantage is, therefore, that it combines scientific validity, advanced VR technology and proven application at the highest level of sport, offering a solution that is simultaneously measurable, personalized and immediately applicable.
How the Spanish National Team utilized technology at the World Championship
–How did the collaboration with the Spanish National Team come about and how long did it take from the first contact to the integration of technology into their preparation team?
-The collaboration with the Spanish National Team was the result of a process based on trust, building strong relationships and demonstrating the value of our technology in practice. The initial contact began through Juanjo Roa, then goalkeeping coach at Getafe CF, who learned about MentisVR through our acquaintance and quickly recognized the added value it could bring to the development of his goalkeepers. A few months later, Juanjo introduced us to Miguel Ángel España, goalkeeping coach of the Spanish National Team. In March, I traveled to Madrid, where I personally presented the technology and vision of MentisVR to the technical staff of the National Team. After experiencing the technology and understanding its potential, the team decided to integrate it into their preparation for the FIFA World Cup. This collaboration was an important milestone for MentisVR, as it confirmed the value of our approach at the highest level of world football and opened new prospects for collaborations with leading sports organizations internationally.
–Are there any contacts or agreements for the exploitation of the platform by other teams, federations or sports organizations?
-In addition to the already known collaborations, MentisVR has developed additional collaborations and is in discussions with large teams participating in European and international competitions, as well as with academies (mainly in the USA) and individual professional football players. Due to confidentiality agreements, the names of several of these organizations cannot be made public. Particularly important was the collaboration with the Spanish National Team in view of the World Cup, which was an important milestone for the company and further strengthened its credibility internationally. The trust of one of the world’s leading football organizations in the MentisVR solution served as a strong confirmation of the value of the technology and created new opportunities for contacts and collaborations with other teams and organizations.
At the same time, the company also maintains an active presence in Cyprus, where it collaborates for research purposes with academies and sports organizations, such as the Digenis Akritas Morphou academy and the THI Lakatamias club. These collaborations contribute to the collection of data, the evaluation of the technology at different levels of athletes and the continuous improvement of MentisVR applications.
We also collaborate with the Brazilian Paralympic Committee, expanding the application of the technology and our research activity to special populations of athletes.
