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Two young visionaries from different corners of academic circles were independently tackling the same catastrophic issues affecting millions of athletes around the world. At Case Western Reserve University, 19-year-old computer science student Sanjay Agarajan witnessed fellow athletes suffering from preventable injuries, while at Purdue University, mechanical engineering graduate Arnesh Raja analyzed biomechanical failures that disrupt a promising sports career.
Despite advances in sports science, over 80% of sports injuries remain preventable through proper form and technique. However, traditional training methods that rely on human observations consistently overlook the important details that lead to these career-ending set-offs.
When these two minds converged, a spark of Smartan.ai was born. With Chiyagarajan's AI expertise and a deep understanding of Raja's biomechanics and three years of family legacy in the Indian fitness industry, he builds technology that can change the global fitness industry and save athletes from the devastating effects of preventable injuries.
“AI can recognize the faces of crowds and the power of self-driving cars navigate complex traffic, but we realized that there was no technology to monitor athletes and provide immediate feedback to prevent dream-destroying injuries.”
Quiet trends
Each year, 8.6 million sports-related injuries occur, with medical costs exceeding $33 billion a year. Numbers draw harsh pictures. A slight misalignment of the knees of a basketball player on landing is an over-mission of a runner who gradually develops on stress fractures, unnoticed, or a weightlifting spine inconsistency that leads to chronic back problems.
These microscopic defects that are invisible to the human eye are precisely what causes ACL tears, stress fractures and chronic injuries, protecting athletes for months and ending promising careers before they truly begin.
Traditional approaches to sports training have remained essentially unchanged for decades. Coaches rely on their own experiences and visual observations, but the human eye can only process a limited amount of information in real time. Even the most experienced coaches can overlook the important biomechanical details that occur in minutes per second.
Where technology fills biomechanics
Smartan.ai's breakthrough is transforming a regular camera into an intelligent coaching system. Using proprietary computer vision algorithms and machine learning models trained with thousands of hours of professional athlete footage, the system processes video feeds in real time to simultaneously analyze over 30 biomechanical parameters.
How does this work: The AI system captures videos through standard cameras located in the gym or at home, and processes images via advanced pose estimation algorithms. Within milliseconds, identify joint angles, motion patterns, force distributions, and timing sequences and compare them with the best biomechanical model for each particular exercise.
result? Accurate and instant coaching available only to elite athletes with dedicated biomechanics teams.
“Adjusting the angle of your hips 12 degrees, shifting the weight by 15% to your left foot, and delaying the descent by 0.3 seconds.” – Examples of real-time AI feedback from Smartan.ai.
“Our technology not only prevents injuries, but also helps athletes unlock real possibilities by providing biomechanical insights that can only be used previously by Olympic-level performers.
Supporting the legendary cricket
What sets Smartan apart is not just the innovative technology, but the leadership caliber it attracts. Cricket legend Rabbi Shastri, the former head coach of the Indian cricket team who led India to historic series victory in Australia and the UK, has served as both an investor and an executive.
Shastri's involvement has a deep understanding of decades of elite sports experience and what athletes need at the highest level of competition. His experience provides valuable insight into the real-world applications of Smartan technology by coaching under pressure and managing players who are prone to injury.
“Having Ravi Sir as a board member provides incredible insight into what athletes really need. From pressure situations to understanding the psychology of injury, the experience of coaching in the highest level of professional sports ensures that athletes, coaches and health professionals tackle the real-world challenges faced by athletes, coaches and health professionals.”
Aggressive expansion of India
Smartan.ai has set an ambitious goal of implementing technology in 100 sports academies within the next two years, with a major focus on the Indian market. The expansion will begin with pilot programs for major Indian cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai before expanding to Tier-2 cities.
Projected impacts by 2026:
- 60% reduction in preventable sports injuries across Partner Academy
- 25% improvement in measurable athletic performance metrics
- 16 crores for prevention of injuries-related medical costs per 1,000 athletes
- Specialized coaching insights available to athletes across the economic segment
The early results of the pilot program already show promise. Selected training facilities report a 42% reduction in form-related injuries and an 18% improvement in output metrics for athletes participating within just three months.
Beyond Prevention: The Rehabilitation Revolution
Smartan.ai is not just about preventing injuries. The company is pioneering a new approach to sports rehabilitation, attracting attention from orthopedic specialists and physical therapists across India.
AI systems work seamlessly with healthcare professionals and provide quantitative data that converts rehabilitation from guessing problems to precision medicine. Physiotherapists can now track recovery progress with unprecedented accuracy and measure improvements in range of motion, intensity, and exercise quality.
“When athletes get injured, our technology becomes a powerful diagnostic and recovery tool. It can monitor rehabilitation exercises with medical grade accuracy, ensure proper morphology during recovery, and provide data-driven insights that help healthcare professionals return athletes to performance 30% faster than traditional methods.”
Consider this real application. Football players recovering from ACL reconstruction traditionally rely on subjective evaluations and regular inspections. Smartan's AI tracks all rehabilitation sessions, measures knee stability, walking patterns, and force distribution, and alerts of potential retreats before medical teams are reexamined.
The advantages of India
What particularly relates to Smartan's approach to India is its ability to democratize elite-level training insights. In countries where access to high-quality coaching is often dependent on geography and economic status, Smartan technology can level the arena.
Key differentiators for the system include:
- Multisport neural networks trained for cricket, soccer, badminton, hockey and other 11+ sports
- Personalized biomechanical modeling adapts to individual body types
- Real-time processing without cloud dependencies – important for various internet connections in India
- Medical grade accuracy for healthcare applications
- A scalable architecture that grows from individual athletes to the entire academy network
“We are not just building a company, we are creating a movement. A move that allows young athletes in rural India to access the same biomechanical insights as Mumbai experts. Preventing injuries is not a luxury, but a fundamental right for all people who love sports.”
Entrepreneurs Behind the Vision
Arunesh Raja brings a unique combination of engineering accuracy and industry heritage. Purdue University alumni are advancing their three-year family legacy in shaping the Indian fitness industry. His journey from training underprivileged youth to major innovations in AI-driven fitness represents the evolution of Indian entrepreneurship.
Sanjay Thiyagarajan embodies a new generation of academically excelling but commercially sharp. At just 19 years old, he maintains his recognition of Dean's honor list at Case Western Reserve University, but he has an intuitive understanding of how AI can solve complex human problems.
Together, they represent a new kind of Indian entrepreneurs. While being globally educated, technologically refined and rooted in the value of accessibility and inclusion in India, we are committed to solving problems affecting millions of people around the world.
Market Opportunities
The global sports technology market is projected to reach US$31 billion by 2028, with injury prevention and performance optimization representing the fastest growing segment. In India, particularly, the focus on athlete success on sports infrastructure and international platforms creates an unprecedented demand for advanced training techniques.
Smartan has now gained significant market share by addressing three key gaps.
- Accessibility: Bring professional grade insights to the grassroots level
- Affordable prices: Previously, democratization technology available only to elite athletes
- Adaptability: Customizing solutions for Indian sports and training environments
“The combination of cutting-edge technology and passionate expertise can unlock performance levels that we previously thought were impossible. In an industry based on human possibilities, it proves that AI can become a great equalizer,” says Arunesh Raja.
Looking ahead
As Smartan.ai prepares for the next phase of growth, the founders continue to focus on their core missions. Prevents injuries and optimizes performance for athletes of all levels. With strong support, proven technology and a clear vision of expansion, they are suited to have a major impact on the Indian sports ecosystem.
The company is actively seeking partnerships with sports academies, healthcare providers and technology distributors across India. For young athletes and their families, Smartan represents hope and hopes that preventable injuries will not derail their dreams. Sports excellence is limited only by dedication, not by access to world-class coaching.
