A new company called Avelo is preparing to release what it’s calling the world’s first “smart running shoe.”
The product, set to launch in May 2025, combines a traditional performance trainer with embedded sensors and app-based coaching, aiming to help runners improve performance and reduce injuries through real-time feedback and data analysis.
A Personal Start
The idea for Avelo began with Royi Metser, who founded the company after a health scare in 2021 prompted him to take up long-distance running.
During his training, Metser—who previously worked in business development at InsideTracker, a health analytics company—noticed a gap between the data runners get from wearables like watches and the lack of feedback from their most important piece of gear: their shoes.
Although runners can monitor heart rate, sleep, recovery scores, and stress levels, there’s little insight into how they actually move. This is especially relevant when it comes to common overuse injuries like plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendon issues, which are often caused or worsened by inefficient form and repetitive stress.
The Technology
The super trainer aims to fill that gap. Built with integrated sensors inside the shoe’s midsole, the Avelo tracks impact, running form, and other mechanical data throughout a run. These metrics are analyzed and delivered to runners via an accompanying app, which offers audio feedback in real time as well as post-run summaries and coaching suggestions.
Avelo’s system is based on three primary metrics:
- Resiliency Score – Assesses the mechanical load on the runner’s body and provides insights on recovery readiness.
- Efficiency Score – Evaluates the runner’s form and economy to help improve performance.
- Form Radar – Detects deviations in running mechanics that could signal fatigue or potential injury risk.
These scores are used to generate customized coaching, including recommended mileage, pacing suggestions, and longer-term training guidance. Unlike many wearables, Avelo’s shoe sensors do not require charging.
Design and Performance
While the smart technology is central to the product, Avelo is also positioning the super trainer as a versatile, high-performance shoe.
The shoe uses a lightweight TPEE foam midsole, a PEBA plate for added propulsion, and has an 8 mm drop with a 36 mm heel stack height. At around 8 ounces (men’s size 9), the super trainer is designed for a range of runs—from long efforts to tempo workouts and even race days.
In terms of looks, the design is deliberately minimal. Avelo describes the aesthetic as “functional first,” with an emphasis on simplicity and efficiency.
Building the Brand
To develop the product, Metser assembled a team that includes biomechanists, sports scientists, and industry veterans from brands like Nike, Under Armour, and Columbia. Co-founder Peter Ruppe, a former Nike footwear executive, played a key role in shaping both the product and the company’s direction.
Avelo’s leadership says the team now includes over 150 years of collective footwear experience, with contributions from designers and researchers involved in several major running innovations over the past few decades.
Early Feedback and Next Steps
The super trainer has gone through internal testing over the past year, with early reviews from testers reportedly positive in both tech functionality and overall performance. Still, the product has yet to hit the broader market, and its reception among the general running community remains to be seen.
According to Avelo, the long-term goal is to create not just a smart shoe, but a broader platform for personalized, data-driven running guidance. The company is currently building out its app features and planning future product updates based on user feedback and continued research.
Avelo is now accepting early sign-ups for product access ahead of its May launch.
