The Upside Newsletter

Today we have the honor of interviewing Barry Slotnick, owner of Varisport, a fitness equipment business, which manufactures and distributes the UltraSlide brand of products. UltraSlide is a performance and rehabilitation equipment company best known for its handcrafted slideboards—a versatile training tool designed to improve lateral movement, agility, balance, and core strength for athletes, fit...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Waldi Hoon, CEO & Co-Founder of Yōjō , a nervous system wellness ecosystem. Yōjō is a nervous system wellness company that has developed an integrated ecosystem designed to make daily autonomic rebalancing simple, measurable, and habit-forming. Its core offering combines a non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation wearable with real-time biofeedback, wearable dat...

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). * Paul Silvestri, Sr director of sports health and performance, University of Florida football (NCAA team). * Drew Lukes, Senior PT at Duke University and the head of sports science, D...

This week we had 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 video interview below or you can listen to the audio interview above: 📝Show Notes: Through this in...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Manfredi San Germano, Founder of Beyond Blood Diagnostics , a spinout of Imperial College in the UK. Beyond Blood Diagnostics is a deep tech startup specialized in blood sensor diagnostics. Beyond Blood Diagnostics is a deep-tech company that has developed a portable, lab-grade blood analysis device designed to bring routine blood testing out of centralized...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Nick Hool, CEO of Hoolest , a leading Nervus system recovery technology company. Hoolest is a neurostimulation company focused on improving recovery, stress regulation, and overall performance by targeting the autonomic nervous system, with a particular emphasis on vagus nerve stimulation. Its flagship product, Hoolest Pro , is a wearable, non-invasive devic...

This week we had the honor to interview again Athanase Kollias, CEO of KINVENT , a company that helps sports and rehab professionals assess progress and build engagement and motivation. Athan is joined by Paul Silvestri, Sr director of sports health and performance at the University of Florida football (NCAA team). Paul, who has been using the Kinvent 3D Deltas force plates for some time, gave us...

Today we have the honor of interviewing David McHugh, the Director of mental performance at the Washington Spirit an NWSL team. David McHugh is the Director of Mental Performance for the Washington Spirit (NWSL), where he supports players and staff through applied sports psychology, mental skills development, and performance planning. Originally an academy soccer player in Ireland, McHugh’s career...

This week we have the honor to interview a group of NHL sports performance executives to talk about the latest trends in the world of sports performance. * Alexi Pianosi, Head S&C coach, Colorado avalanche (NHL Team). * Adam Douglas, Hockey Product Manager, Sportslogiq . Adam is also the former S&C coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL Team). * Chris Stackpole, VP Athlete Care, NJ Devils (NHL Tea...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Sayawni Lassiter , CEO of Complete Sports , a Boston-based sports technology company founded in 2024 that offers an all-in-one platform for athletic departments and professional teams. Sayawni Lassiter is a sports technology founder and entrepreneur whose career is defined by the resilience learned on the court and the operational precision honed in finance....

This week we have the honor to interview again a group of NBA sports performance executives to talk about the latest trends in the world of sports performance and rehabilitation. * Dr Marco Nunez, the former head athletic trainer for the LA Lakers (NBA ). * Derek Millender, the head S&C coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA). * Dr Bill Burgos, a former NBA S&C Coach for the Orlando Magic, NY Knic...

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). * Paul Silvestri, Sr director of sports health and performance, University of Florida football (NCAA team). * Drew Lukes, Senior PT at Duke University and the head of sports science, D...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Dr Wayne Chappelle, Team Psychologist of the OKC Thunder & Founder of PsyOPTIMAL . He is joined by Bryan Fetzer, President & Co-Founder, PsyOPTIMAL. Dr. Wayne Chappelle is a performance psychologist whose career spans Olympic sport, U.S. military special operations, and the NBA. Originally trained in clinical psychology, he shifted his focus toward understan...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Tyler Harris, the director of sports medicine at St Louis CITY SC, an MLS team. Tyler Harris is the Director of Sports Medicine for St. Louis CITY SC of Major League Soccer, where he oversees athlete care, rehabilitation, return-to-play processes, and the medical departments across the first team, second team, and academy. A lifelong soccer enthusiast, Harri...

Here is below the logos of some of the Scrum Ventures’ portfolio startups: Source: Scrum Ventures Scrum Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm with offices in San Francisco and Tokyo. Founded by Tak Miyata, it operates at the intersection of Silicon Valley innovation and Japanese corporate networks, helping founders connect with global customers, strategic partners, and capital. Through i...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Brandon Epstein, a mental performance coach that works with athletes and ceos, entrepreneurs, and high achievers. Brandon Epstein is a leading mental performance coach known for his work with top athletes in the UFC and other professional sports leagues. He has worked closely with high-level fighters such as UFC welterweight contender Sean Brady and former U...

This week we had 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 video interview below or you can listen to the audio interview above: 📝Show Notes: Through this in...

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, Former Head of Rehabilitation, LAFC (MLS). Jason is also the head of business development in North America at OneBase health. * Michael Messer, Head of Rehabilitation, Nashville SC (MLS). * Darcy Norman, Director...

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: * Allison Schmitt, a 10 time Olympic medalist and multiple world champion in swimming (Team USA), and consultant with Orreco a leading sports data company. * Ciara Burgi, Director of he...

This week we have the honor to interview a group of NFL sports performance executives to talk about the latest trends in the world of BFR in the NFL. * John Griffin, Director of player Performance, Atlanta Falcons (NFL). * Dr Josh Nelson (Nelly), Director of Performance Science, Atlanta Falcons (NFL). * Dr Warren Bradley, Founder, Hytro . 📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on the bes...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Mark Strickland, a former NBA player who played for the Miami Heat, Brooklyn nets and now is a coach and founder of Pogoman’s Pop-Up Clinics. Mark Strickland, known as “Pogoman,” is a former American professional basketball player who spent ten seasons in the NBA , most notably with the Miami Heat, and also played for the Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Sac...

This week we have the honor to interview a group of F1/Nascar sports innovation and performance experts. * Clayton Green, an experienced human performance coach that worked in F1. He was at McLaren for 12 years with multiple times F1 champion Lewis Hamilton * Kevin Kidd, a top motor sports executive in NASCAR (Ex RFK Racing ). He now works as the North American motorsports competition director for...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Jeff Ruiz, the Sr Director of rehab and athletic performance for the Miami Heat (NBA). Jeff Ruiz is the Senior Director of Rehab and Athletic Performance for the Miami Heat (NBA), where he leads player rehabilitation, sports science integration, and performance optimization across departments including strength and conditioning, athletic training, and nutrit...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Raphaël Ravet, the Chief Cmmercial Officer of Myocene , a leading Belgian based sports tech company. Myocene is a Belgium based sports technology company revolutionizing how muscle fatigue is measured and managed. Recognizing the need for objective and precise monitoring in athletic performance, Myocene has developed an innovative device that combines a sens...

This week we had 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 read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Ron located at the top of this blog post. You can watc...