It all started in 2015—a conversation over a podcast question, “Can we combine technology with exercise science to reduce coaching friction?” In that moment, Paul Laursen and Steve Brown planted the seed that would become Athletica AI. A passionate team of scientists, coaches, and engineers came together to answer the same question every athlete asks: “What training should I do today?”
Every athlete deserves training that works for life. Athletica’s mission is clear: revolutionize athletic training using AI-powered coaching grounded in first-principle sports science to support athletes and coaches alike in making smart, responsive decisions.
Paul (a.k.a The Prof) has more than 30 years of experience as an athlete, coach, and scientist. He’s published over 200 refereed manuscripts, has more than 20000 citations, and is co-founder of the parent company HIIT Science. Paul remains active in research through both Athletica, as well as basic science research through his Adjunct Professor roles at University of Agder (Kristiansand, Norway) and AUT University (New Zealand). He was the former lead Performance Physiologist for High Performance Sport New Zealand for London and Rio Olympic cycles, and is a lifelong athlete, having now completed 18 Ironman triathlons.
From co-founding Carmichael Training Systems in the early 2000s, to introducing SRM power meters to the U.S. market, to leading SaaS businesses at scale, Simon has a deep understanding of both performance sport and technology.
Steve has lead development of Athletica from day 1. Steve has the perfect blend of practical and technical skills, which has allowed us to bring this technology to life. He knows modern exercise physiology from a practical standpoint, having used the technology to his advantage to help him to perform a sub-10h Kona Ironman. His history as a web development expert extends 15 years, with particular experience in modern PHP frameworks. Steve has quarterbacked the task of linking the HIIT Science principles to Andrea’s backend mathematical formulations to bring Athletica to life.
Mark brings over 30 years’ experience in business, technology, and start-ups to Athletica. His background in growing consumer and B2B subscriber businesses along with building commercial partnerships will help Athletica reach its goal to become the leading training intelligence platform. In addition to being a passionate amateur triathlete, Mark loves the data, be it his own training data on Athletica or the company performance data: you have to measure and interpret in order to improve!
Andrea leads the backend logic development of Athletica. Are you wondering why Athletica is changing its recommendations for your next training session? The answer stems from Andrea’s work. Andrea currently holds a post-doc position at the University of Trento, where he investigates human movement using a modelling approach. His models are derived using a blend of first-principle logic, the HIIT Science principles, along with a pinch of modern machine learning methods.
MJ leads Athletica’s day-to-day heartbeat - overseeing customer experience, marketing, partnerships and operational excellence. Her unique blend of athletic grit, coaching empathy and strategic leadership ensures Athletica delivers not just cutting edge AI Coaching, but also reliable, human-centered experience for every athlete and coach in our community. MJ brings over 20 years of experience as an endurance athlete, coach, and sport scientist. A former Finnish high-level XC skier and Ironman World Championship finisher, she holds a master’s in sports science and certifications in HIIT Science, NASM CPT, and women’s coaching. Host of The Athlete’s Compass and creator of Velocity sessions, MJ has coached hundreds of athletes while helping grow Athletica’s global voice.
Stefano works across both backend and frontend at Athletica, helping turn complex performance data into clear, actionable features. With a PhD in theoretical physics and a strong problem-solving mindset, he bridges data science and UXI design. He’s also a passionate triathlete, bringing athlete-first insight to his work.
Harrison is a sport scientist, leveraging a diverse AI toolkit at Athletica. He drives the adoption of low- and no-code AI tools across business functions and contributes to web UI/X and marketing. He holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology, has published research on physiological durability, and is an Ironman World Championship qualifier.
Maria drives Athletica’s digital voice, blending creativity, strategy, and athlete-first insight. She creates engaging content, manages social media, and helps shape how Athletica connects with its community.With a background in medical research and a degree in Medicine, her passion lies in translating complex scientific concepts into relatable, digestible media that speaks directly to the endurance athlete community.
Alistair is a Double Olympic Triathlon champion and lifelong endurance athlete who is passionate about the role technology can play in making all of us lead fitter, healthier and faster lives. He has spent a career trying to maximise his own performance and is excited by the opportunity Athletica has to bring world class coaching know-how to everyone; athletes and coaches alike.
Co-founder of HIIT Science, Martin is a sport scientist, strength and conditioning coach, and formerly head of performance for the Paris Saint-Germain Football (Soccer) Club. With over 200 scientific publications and more than 16,000 citations, Martin’s work with HIIT Science has massively contributed to the foundation principles applied by Athletica today. Martin is the current Director of Elite Performance at Óptimo Sport, is founder of Sport Performance & Science Reports, and is an endurance athlete himself with a personal best time of 2:54 in the marathon.
