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Several times during the mens final of the Madrid Open tennis tournament between Casper Ruud and Jack Draper last spring, TV viewers were treated to a remarkable camera perspective. They watched the match from just behind the baseline, effortlessly following the players movement step for step and glimpsing his perfect angle on the ball with every shot. With no discernible blur or delays, the smoothly flowing live footage had the hyper-real feel of a video game. [Video: Tennis TV] I love the footwork by the cameraman, wrote one YouTube commenter. The company now uses the comment in its investor pitch deck. In reality, these uncanny tracking shots didnt involve any human camera operators at all. No robotic cameras or drones, either. Instead they were generated, in real time, with a software-based camera system developed by startup Muybridge, based in Oslo. Founded by Hkon Espeland and Anders Tomren in 2020, Muybridge has spent nearly five years developing real-time computer vision technology that uses software to create a weightless camera, with no moving parts, that captures the speed and motion of live sports in a way that our eyes arent accustomed to. In the coming year, viewers of televised sports will get to see many more of these revelatory perspectivesboth in tennis and beyond. [Photo: courtesy Muybridge] Muybridge has shifted the paradigmtwice “Four hundred years of camera history is ending here, explains Espeland, standing beside a framed black-and-white portrait of motion-picture pioneer Eadweard Muybridge, the companys namesake, at the companys headquarters in Oslos hip Grünerlkka neighborhood during Oslo Innovation Week last fall. I see a lot of resemblance [in what were doing] to what he did with sequenced triggers to actually create motion says Espeland. To create his groundbreaking images of a galloping white horse in the 1870s, the English American photographer set up a line of cameras that were triggered by a trip wire as the horse ran past them, creating multiple images that each captured a different phase of the horses stride; by overlapping the images, he made a picture that appeared to move. Its a similar way of thinking, says Espeland. How can you distribute sensors and use that data in a smart way? Espeland had a long history with automated systems; he started working on them as a 16-year-old apprentice on oil and gas rigs in the North Sea. After getting a masters degree in cybernetics and robotics, he joined a Norwegian company building robotic camera systems for live TV production. While there, he had an epiphany. With computational photography, we could get rid of 300 kilos of metal and robots, he says. It was like removing gravity. Were not covered by any physical limitation. Instead of using big, expensive cameras that you move to chase whatevers happening on the court or sports field, Muybridge puts hundreds of small, inexpensive video sensors all over the placeand uses software to create smooth tracking shots and conjure any angle on demand. [Photo: courtesy Muybridge] In practice, this looks like extra-long speaker bars packed with a row of oversize smartphone camera lenses. These arrays come in two-meter lengths that can be connected to form what amounts to a single continuous camera of virtually any length. We’re going to build future digital stadiums full-360, says Espeland. And unlike traditional cameras, which can obstruct spectators views at live events, Muybridges clamp unobtrusively to any wall or structure, capturing the action on the court, field, or rink unnoticed. Our biggest issue at the U.S. Open was that the coaches of the athletes sat on it, Espeland says. They didnt realize it was a camera along the ad boards. Made from commodity electronics components, the sensors themselves are relatively inexpensive. We are lucky that the consumer [electronics] and mobile industry consume so [many] cameras, says Espeland. Theyve taken the costs down. There’s a reason why there are three cameras on an iPhone now. Mobile phone makers have also advanced the capacity of computational photography, keeping the sensors largely unchanged while improving algorithms to create better pictures. Were piggybacking on that. To meet the demands of live broadcast, Muybridge brings an updated approach to the reconstruction of 3D images. The rest of the world has been throwing more and more compute at the problem, running math on the GPU layer to try to fill in the blanks, explains Espeland. Thats led to something much faster than it was 20 years ago, but it can still take eight minutes to process the images for a replay. Our focus has always been [doing it] in real time, and we wanted it to be able to run on a laptop, in the cloud, or on a mobile phone. Thats where all of those little cameras come in. We have more pixels, more angles, more overlap, says Espeland. That allows us to have a cleaner mathematical approach to determine exact color, perspective, and all of those things. Everything is backed by pixel datawe dont do any approximation. [Photo: courtesy Muybridge] Finding the camera angle Tennis has been an effective launchpad for the companys technology. When we lowered [the cameras] all the way down to the lowest ad boards, social media just exploded, says Espeland. Muybridge systems were deployed last year at the Miami Open, the Madrid Open, and the U.S. Open. The company has an exclusive partnership with Sony, through its live sports subsidiary Hawk-Eye Innovations, to power all of the ATP Masters tournaments in 2026 (which kick off March 4 with the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California). I guess I can say that we will be seen in nearly every tennis tournament [this] year. Now the company is targeting additional sports. The key is finding unique perspectives where the technologys value proposition becomes obvious, providing a vantage point that makes the sport better when you watch it at home than in the arena. For soccerMuybridge recently ran a test that went live on air with Sky Sports in Germanythat could mean behind the goal and even in the goalposts. For Nascar or Formula 1, producers might actually ring the entire track with sensors (though early discussions have focused on capturing critical turns and pit stops). For baseball, viewers could look out on the field from the dugout. For hockeyMuybridge is currently working with the NHL and Fox Sportscameras could be set in the dasher boards, along the ad boards, or up in the concourse to create a virtual drone that appears to zoom around the rink from above. Crucially, theres no speed limitation with Muybridge, Espeland says. You can instantly move to wherever you want, and we’re creating all of the millions of pictures in between, just like our eyes do. [Photo: courtesy Muybridge] Muybridge inside Sports, for Muybridge, could just be the start. The company is currently involved in a pilot program that installs its cameras on the ceiling and walls of ambulances, allowing a remote ER doctor with a VR headset to virtually move around a patient to evaluate them. Security and surveillance represent additional avenues for potential VR expansion, as does an IRL version of the metaverse. “VR headsets never really took off because we always have to visit this virtual world, Espeland says. We jump into a room, you’re an avatar, I’m an avatar, but we want to interact with real people. News broadcasting and other live studio productions are another developing use case. The CBS Morning Show ran a test of Muybridges technology on its New York set in December 2025. Moving forward, says Espeland, he has an Intel inside philosophy: We have the core technology, and we look for partners who can represent the next strategic product and bring it into the market.
Category:
E-Commerce
It’s Friday afternoon, and a potential client just emailed, asking about your services. You scramble to find your pricing. (Where did you save that document?) You dig through old emails for a proposal you sent six months ago that you could adapt. You piece something together and curse your past self for not being more organized. This scenario plays out constantly for solopreneurs. Most chalk it up to the chaos of running a business alone. But constantly scrambling will start to cost you as your business growsand eventually hold you back. Most solopreneurs think that “operations” is something only real companies need: businesses with employees, office managers, and HR departments. But the absence of basic systems wastes your time, causes unnecessary stress, and makes you look amateurish to potential clients. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-1.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-mobile-1.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Work Better\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn\u0027t suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.workbetter.media\/\u0022\u003Eworkbetter.media\u003C\/a\u003E.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457605,"imageMobileId":91457608,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} 3 systems that make a difference You don’t need the same complex software or complicated workflows that teams rely on. But you do need systems and processes for the core functions of your business. 1. Sales and pipeline management If you dont have a way to track potential clients or deals, youre potentially losing money. You need a system to store contact names and email addresses, along with information about the person/company and why theyre interested in working with you. To avoid feeling frantic when you put together a proposal, make a template (and a few variations, if you have different bundles of services). I have three PDFs stored on my computer to easily retrieve whenever needed. Or if you offer more complex packages, software can make it easy for you to drag-and-drop different options into a proposal. You also need a way to track follow-ups. Potential clients say theyll get back to you within a week, and they dont. You need to know when to email againeven following up on deals that may have gone cold months before. 2. Project templates Theres no reason to reinvent the wheel with every project. Project templates might include Google or Word docs you use repeatedly, an onboarding questionnaire, or a project management tool with a list of specific tasks. Every one of my clients has the exact same set of folders in my Google Drive, and the same setup in my project management tool. Even though each project is slightly different, I know, at a glance, what I need to work on and when its due. 3. Income and expense tracking Lastly, you need a way to keep track of your income and expenses. You dont want to be reconstructing a years worth of finances come tax time in April. You should know how much each client paid you, and how much you spend on different categories of expenses like software, insurance, and marketing. In addition to tracking, your system should include a way to invoice clients and make it easy for them to pay in their preferred method. Payment friction can be a huge headache for solopreneurs (e.g., the client wants to pay via credit card, but you dont have a way of processing credit cards). Payment-processing tools like Stripe or QuickBooks can handle multiple payment methods for you. They can also send automatic payment reminders to help you stay on top of outstanding invoices. Build systems earlybefore you need them When you don’t have basic operational infrastructure, you’re constantly rebuilding the parts of your business. Every proposal, every client interaction, and every project takes more time than it should. In addition to your time, the other cost is mental load. Without established systems, you’re making dozens of mini-decisions throughout the day. Where do I save this file? How do I structure this kickoff call? How can I collect project feedback? Each decision requires some of your energy that could be better spent in your business. When you’re figuring things out as you go, it shows up in delayed responses, inconsistent communication, and forgotten details. Its better to build systems earlybefore you feel like you need them. Its much easier to build when your workload feels manageable than when youre drowning. Operations will multiply your effectiveness. Every template you create will get reused dozens of times. Every workflow you document makes future decisions easier. Well-run solo businesses have invested time in systems that make smooth possible. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-1.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/11\/work-better-mobile-1.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Work Better\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldn\u0027t suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.workbetter.media\/\u0022\u003Eworkbetter.media\u003C\/a\u003E.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"SIGN UP","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/www.workbetter.media","theme":{"bg":"#f5f5f5","text":"#000000","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#000000","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91457605,"imageMobileId":91457608,"shareable":false,"slug":""}}
Category:
E-Commerce
In the midst of economic uncertainty, polarizing politics, global conflict and a future that is largely out of focus, many consumers are continuing to fight the good fight when it comes to using their dollars to drive positive change. It’s the 13th year that I have helped run an annual survey on the momentum of socially responsible spending, nonprofit giving, and earth friendly practices, called the Conscious Consumer Spending Index. This year we found that despite a worsening view of the state of the world, consumers are holding firm in their support of conscious brands: A majority of respondents said they were actively supporting purposeful companies, while roughly a third plan to increase the amount they spend on socially responsible products and services in 2026. Digging deeper into the data, we identified several questions that are worth serious consideration. Below are four mission critical issues that purpose-driven individuals and organizations should meditate on as we enter a new year. 1: Is being socially responsible an all or nothing proposition? In our study, one third of consumers reported boycotting specific companies or brands because they were not socially responsible, and 31% said they had encouraged family or friends to avoid a company or product because it was not socially responsible. In spirit, this enthusiasm is a positive. However, it is important to evaluate where we are setting the bar for brands. While there are examples of companies who have clearly crossed lines and are easily categorized as not socially responsible, there are many organizations who are on a journey toward being a good company and experiencing setbacks and growing pains along the way. There is a big difference between a company who has no moral compass and no regard for whats best for its people, the community and the environment, compared with a company who is pure in its intentions to be more purposeful but not yet perfect in its execution. As a result, we must strike a balance: holding companies accountable to a set of meaningful standards without being elitist and too quick to cancel a brand for not yet checking all the boxes when it comes to being socially responsible. Set the bar too low, and the bar means nothing. Set the bar too high, and many organizations might decide being a good brand is out of their reach. 2: Should we separate politics from purchases when it comes to socially responsible brands? Consumers want good brands to take stands. When asked if socially responsible brands should weigh in on cultural and political issues, 36% said yes. Another 34% said it depends on the specific situation. Only 21% percent of respondents said no, while 9% had no opinion on the matter. Those who want brands to choose sides represent the most conscious of consumers. More than half (55%) plan to increase their spending on socially responsible goods and services in 2026. This mindset is potentially polarizing and counterproductive when it comes to advancing the conscious consumerism movement. Showing preference to brands who prioritize their community, their workers, the environment and society at large is different from aligning with these same brands based on their activism on specific issues. We are experiencing an unprecedented divide when it comes to politics in this country. It is worth debating whether it is wise to mix political leanings with mission and purpose when evaluating whether a company is socially responsible. At the end of the day, should socially responsible behaviors be a partisan issue? 3: Are we doing enough to raise awareness and understanding of brands doing good? On the whole, awareness remains a key issue when it comes to socially responsible brands. Collectively, those who are a part of this movement should consider doubling down on efforts to spread the word and educate consumers. As an example, our research shows that 75% of Americans still arent familiar with the concept of a B Corp. While weve made progress on this front in the last decade, we are still falling far short of where we need to be to advance the overall movement and reinforce the right behaviors. In addition to raising general awareness, we also need to help consumers identify specific brands to support. Most consumers can accurately articulate what makes a company socially responsible, but when they find themselves in real world consumption scenarios, the good choice is not obvious enough. When we ask consumers to name a company or organization that is socially responsible, Amazon and Walmart continue to dominate responses. Brands like Patagonia and Ben & Jerrys are also popular answers, but overall this data point reinforces the fact that most consumers do not have a working filter for separating purposeful brands from those who are not actually mission driven. The most frequent way consumers make this decision is by reading packaging labels. We need to equip them with better tools and encourage them to be more proactive if they are serious about being purposeful when shopping. 4: Is increasing interest in conscious consumerism bad news for nonprofits? When comparing nonprofit giving trends with the trajectory of conscious consumerism, the CCSIndex data shows that charitable donations have lagged behind socially responsible spending since 2017. The gap is widening, driven by a youth movement that is more likely to do good by shopping responsibly versus making financial contributions to causes. For Americans ages 18-34, 31% prefer to give back by buying socially responsible products and services instead of donating to charity, compared to 27% of those who are 35-54, and 17% of Americans who are 55 or older. The youngest cohort was the least likely to have contributed financially to a charity in the previous year. While some of this can be chalked up to financial constraints for younger individuals, that likely isnt the entire story. Historically, giving levels have increased as individuals move into older age brackets and are more financially able to give. Evidence suggests a shift is occurring among Millennials and Gen Z toward alternative giving channels, and that this shift might just stick as they age. Specifically, it seems clear that younger Americans favor conscious consumerism over charitable donations. Its less clear what should be done about this trend. Regardless, charities should be paying close attention to where things are headed and how their fundraising strategies can evolve.
Category:
E-Commerce
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