Cycling enthusiast Stuart Johnson is the perfect person to test out his company’s first product, a high-performance helmet with all the features of a smartphone. “Last night while I was riding, I answered two phone calls from my girlfriend and turned on my GPS because I got freaking lost, all using my helmet,” says Johnson. “And I got a flat, but I had to deal with that on my own.” Johnson has been passionate about endurance sports since his days at the University of Colorado, when he unwittingly joined a 30-mile run through the backcountry around Denver. It was tough going, but he was hooked.
I’ve always been into endurance sports. My dream at one point was to be CEO of Patagonia.
Johnson went on to lead the marketing departments at Reebok and Newton Running, giving him plenty of experience in the industry when four guys approached him about joining a sports-meets-tech startup called Coros Wearables. “I always had a fantasy about being in a startup,” says the 49-year-old Johnson, “but I never thought I was ready.” The WeWork South Lake Union member is psyched about the first release, the LINX Smart Cycling Helmet. It connects wirelessly to your smartphone, so it can do everything your smartphone can do. And forget the earbuds—it transmits the sound directly into your inner ear. “And there’s more to come,” says Johnson. “We’re all about finding sports where we can make a difference by applying technology.”
Photos: Ana Raab