The Upside Newsletter

This week we have the honor to interview a group of experts in the science of movements in elite sports. * Abdul Sillah, experienced performance coach. Abdul has worked with Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka. * Brijesh Patel, Associate Athletic Director, Director of Athletic Performance at Quinnipiac University (NCAA). * Dr Ryan Ting, founder of RNA Sports . He is also an MD, MPH, and Medical Director...

Today as part of our continued effort on AI and the impact on elite sports, we have the honor to interview a interviewing a group of experts in AI and elite sports: * Dr Bill Burgos, the CEO of LONU a next generation AI based nutrition platform. Bill is also a highly accomplished strength and conditioning expert with extensive experience in the NBA , having served as the Head of Strength and Condi...

This week we have the honor to interview again a group of sports performance executives to talk about the latest trends in the world of sports performance and rehabilitation. * Jason Han, the former head of rehabilitation at LAFC (MLS). Jason is also the head of business development in North America at OneBase health. * Michael Messer, the head of rehabilitation, Nashville SC (MLS). You can watch...

Dear colleague,This week I sat down with David Daoud , CEO of Compliance Standards to share my thoughts on on how elite teams vet sports tech startups, on the common mistakes made by startups. We also discussed the world of elite sports which is based on relationships. We also touched on the tech budget side of teams, and the need to get internal champions to successfully do pilots with teams. We...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Ralph Pethica , the CEO of Genetrainer , a data & personalization platform for professional sports teams. Genetrainer builds bespoke performance software systems for professional sports teams with feature rich platforms that extend from administrative and planning functionalities, to load management and medical. * Communication: The Genetrainer platform faci...

Today we have the honor of interviewing a group of MLB practitioners that are experts in mental performance and preparation. * Lindsay Shaw, Director of Sport psychology for the Guardians, an MLB team. * Zach Brandon, Head of Mental Performance and Coach Development, for the Arizona Diamondbacks, an MLB team. * Josh Kozuch, Mental Performance Coach for the Baltimore Orioles, an MLB team. You can w...

Today we have the honor of interviewing David Dunne, the CEO of Hexis , an intelligence nutrition platform to enhance performance. Hexis is an AI-driven personalized nutrition platform designed to optimize athletic performance through its proprietary "Carb Coding™" system. Developed by experts in sports nutrition, exercise physiology, and data science, Hexis creates individualized fueling plans th...

This week we have the honor to interview a group of NFL Top practitioners to talk about the latest trends in the world of sports performance in the NFL. * Ryan Juarez, Director of rehabilitation, Washington Commanders (NFL team). * Roderick Moore Jr, coordinator of sports science, Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL team). 📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on the following topics: * What major...

Today as part of our continued effort to bring more awareness on female athletes, teams and associated trends related to female athletes, we have the honor to interview a group of female sports performance experts: * Megan Rottler Hattori, Associate Director of Sports Performance for Olympic Sports at Duke University. She is also the primary sports performance coach for the women’s soccer and voll...

This week we had the honor to interview a group of ATP/WTA sports performance experts in pro tennis. * Al Murphy, senior S&C coach at Tennis Australia . Al works with tennis players such as Rinky Hijikata, Emerson Jones and Aleks Vukic. He is also the head of sports science at Tennis Australia. * Abdul Sillah, an experienced performance coach. Abdul has worked with top players such as Serena Willi...

Dear colleague,This week I sat down with David Daoud , CEO of Compliance Standards to share my thoughts on the impact of trade tariffs on sports tech companies and products, on companies’ innovation and R&D. We also discussed the main hubs for sports tech startups are located, what the most innovative sports tech startups are coming from. We also touched on what the revenue and profitability profi...

This week we have the honor to interview again Dr. Ron Dick, associate professor of sports marketing at Duquesne University in the school of business. Ron also worked for 20 years in sports, including 15 years in the NBA with the Sixers and the Nets, and then five years in the NCAA. You can watch the full video interview by clicking on the link above or by listen to the audio podcast link above. Y...

This week we have the honor to interview a group of rehab and performance experts across the NFL and NHL. We discussed concussion assessment and management, their approach to this topic, the various modalities, best practices and trends that they are seeing in the market. * Alexi Pianosi, Head S&C coach at the Colorado Avalanche , an NHL team. * Kim Brouzes, an experienced Canadian sports therapis...

This week we had the honor to interview a group of NCAA sports performance experts. * Dr. John DeWitt, director of applied sports science in the athletic department and a faculty member, Rice University (NCAA team). * Eric Renaghan, Executive Director of Sport Performance, University of Miami (NCAA team). * Drew Lukes, Senior PT at Duke University and the head of sports science, Duke university’s...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Megan Rottler Hattori, the Associate Director of Sports Performance for Olympic Sports at Duke University (NCAA). She is also the primary sports performance coach for the women’s soccer and volleyball teams. Before her tenure at Duke, Rottler Hattori was the Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning at Harvard University. There, she was responsible for...

Today we have the honor of interviewing C.J. Watson, a former NBA player (Chicago Bulls, Warriors, Broolyn Nets) turned investor and author of children books. C.J. Watson is a former professional basketball player who transitioned into a successful career as a children's book author and philanthropist. Born on April 17, 1984, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Watson played college basketball at the University...

Today we have the honor of interviewing José María Oliva Lozano, the Director of Research and Innovation at the US Soccer Federation . José María Oliva Lozano serves as the Director of Research and Innovation at the U.S. Soccer Federation, a role he has held since November 2023. In this position, he leads initiatives that integrate advanced technologies and data-driven methodologies to enhance pla...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Jeff Hintz, executive director of Sports tech HQ, a sports tech ecosystem builder based in the state of Indiana. With over two decades of experience in the sports industry, Jeff has held leadership roles with the PGA of America and major events like the Ryder Cup. He was recognized as the 2016 Sportsperson of the Year by the Star Tribune for his work with th...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Dr. Stefan Valdes, a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Board-Certified Sports Specialist (SCS), and Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach (CSCS). A Miami native, he founded Movement Lab in 2019 to bridge the gap between rehab and performance. Dr. Stefan specializes in sports and orthopedic rehab, bringing experience from the collegiate level, private secto...

Today we have the honor of interviewing André Antonelli, CEO of Machina Sports , a leading AI agent platform for sports. Machina Sports is an AI infrastructure platform designed specifically for the sports industry, enabling teams, media companies, and sportsbooks to build and deploy intelligent AI agents that automate content creation, fan engagement, and data analysis workflows. Their platform c...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Dr Richard Albright, CEO of Summus Medical Laser , a leading class 4 laser therapy device company. Richard was joined by Dr Phil Harrington, the Chief Medical Officer of the company. Summus Medical Laser develops and manufactures Class IV laser therapy devices utilized across medical, dental, and veterinary fields. These devices deliver specific red and near...

This week we have the honor to interview a group of rehab and performance experts across the NFL and F1. We discussed neck training, their approach to neck training, the various modalities, best practices and trends that they are seeing in the market. * Pieter Bulsink, the CEO of Maverick Training , a sports performance company focused on elite athletes in F1 and other sports. Pieter has worked wi...

Cartan Capital is a private investment firm specializing in growth-oriented partnerships with businesses across a range of sectors, including technology, healthcare, and financial services. The firm takes a long-term, research-driven approach to investing, combining deep industry expertise with a commitment to operational excellence. Cartan Capital collaborates closely with management teams to sup...

This week we have the honor to interview again a group of sports performance executives to talk about the latest trends in the world of sports performance and rehabilitation. * Jason Han, the former head of rehabilitation at LAFC (MLS). Jason is also the head of business development in North America at OneBase health. * Michael Messer, the head of rehabilitation at Nashville SC (MLS). * Chris Wolb...

This week we had the honor to interview a group of ATP/WTA sports performance experts in pro tennis. * Al Murphy, senior S&C coach at Tennis Australia. Al works with tennis players such as Rinky Hijikata, Emerson Jones and Aleks Vukic. He is also the head of sports science at Tennis Australia. * Zack Evenden, an experienced performance coach. Zack has worked with top tennis players like Frances Ti...