The Upside Newsletter

Today we have the honor of interviewing Jacob Buffa, the senior director of player development and performance science for the Houston Astros , a top MLB team. 📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on his background, his role for the Houston Astros. And then we discussed his approach towards innovation, injury reduction, as well as his favorite technologies. Lastly we touched on what wh...

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). * Rick Co...

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. Here are som...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Jennifer Brisman CEO of VOW , a leading edge event management technology company for sports, media and entertainment. Over the past 20 years, she has proudly orchestrated over 600 live events, managing about $60 million in contracts. Her events have been featured in CNN, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NBC, BizBash and Forbes, just to name a few. No...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Jack Marucci, the director of performance and innovation at LSU football (NCAA). Jack has been with LSU for 25 years and uses his expertise in sports science to develop new ways for all of LSU’s student-athletes to prosper in competition. His position is believed to be the first of its kind in college athletics. In Marucci’s 25 years leading LSU ’s athletic...

This week we have the honor to interview again a group of NBA/WNBA sports performance executives to talk about the team behind the team and what it is like to work with athletes privately.   * Dr Bill Burgos, a former NBA head strength coach (ex Timberwolves / NY Knicks / Orlando Magic ) who is now founder of his own nutrition app. * Dr. Marco Nunez, the Former Head Athletic Trainer at the LA Lake...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Martin Jaglin, the Digital Growth Director at the LFP (Ligue de Football Professionnel) . Martin is also the co-founder of MPG - MonPetitGazon , one of Europe's largest fantasy games, recently acquired by LFP,   where he’s now in charge of Digital Growth, solidifying Martin's reputation as an influential figure in the French Tech industry. Martin is a Tech e...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Allain Roy, NHL agent and President of NRX RSG Hockey. A member of the 1994 silver medal Canadian Olympic team and NRX RSG Hockey’s president, Allain Roy serves as the personal representative of clients, responsible for enhancing their professional careers as well as their life after professional sports. NRX RSG Hockey currently manages 75 NHL players’ contr...

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. 📝Show Notes...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Kim Brouzes, CEO of Kinmetrix , a company that built a neck strengthening machine called the Kinmetrix Arc which collects data.  As illustrated below, Kinmetrix Arc is revolutionizing athletic performance with cutting-edge technology designed to enhance training and recovery. Their innovative equipment offers comprehensive monitoring and precise analytics, e...

Upside VC profile of the month: VC name: APEX Headquartered : Caxias, Lisbon (Portugal) Founded: 2020 Managing Partners : Antonio Cacorino & Koen Bosma Website: https://apex-cp.com/ Sectors: Sports, Entertainment & Fitness  VC type: Venture Capital Typical investment range : early stage: $250k. Seed/A: $500-$1.5M Total number of investments: 7 investments from their Elite Performance Fund Total nu...

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. 📝Show Notes...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Pawel Osterreicher, the CEO of Respo. Vision , a leading 3D optical tracking provider. ReSpo. Vision is revolutionizing sports with the help of AI & Computer Vision. Their state-of-the-art single camera 3D tracking system enables them to create immersive 3D experiences for fans and provide data & insights to sports organizations. As illustrated below, Respo....

This week we have the honor to interview again a group of MLS rehab executives: * Chris Wolbert, the Director of rehabilitation at Sporting KC (MLS). * Jason Han, the Former head of rehabilitation at LAFC (MLS). Jason is also the head of business development in North America at OneBase health. * Mike Messer, the Head of rehabilitation, Nashville SC (MLS) 📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we to...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Joe Rogowski, a former NBA strength coach athletic trainer. Joe is also the former Chief Medical Officer of the NBA Player Association. Joe is currently working with a number of organizations, including the NBA Retired Player Association and other industry players in the sports medicine area. 📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on his background...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Stephen Smith CEO of Kitman Labs , the world's leading sports science and performance intelligence company with an established track record of working with top governing bodies, leagues, teams and athletes in some of the world's most elite sports organizations and universities including the NFL, NBA, Premier League, MLS, NWSL, and NCAA.  Stephen founded Kitm...

This week we have the honor to interview again a group of MLS rehab executives: * Chris Wolbert, the Director of rehabilitation at Sporting KC (MLS). * Jason Han, the Former head of rehabilitation at LAFC (MLS). Jason is also the head of business development in North America at OneBase health. * Mike Messer, the Head of rehabilitation, Nashville SC (MLS) 📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we to...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Konrad von Moltke and Elliott Mack. Konrad is the principal of WISE Ventures , the investment arm of the Wilf family who are the owners of the Minnesota Vikings (NFL) and Orlando City SC and Pride (MLS, NWSL), among other holdings. Elliott Mack is an investor at Techstars Sports and Techstars NYC Accelerators . 📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touche...

This week we have the honor to interview again a group of NBA sports performance executives: * Chris Chase, Head of Performance at the Memphis Grizzlies (NBA) * Dr. Marco Nunez, the Former Head Athletic Trainer at the LA Lakers (NBA). * Dr Andy Barr, Founder of Quantum Performance . Andy has worked for NBA teams over the years such as the NY Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets. * Derek Millender, the cur...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Lutz Klein, and Logan Crook, from CURREX , a leading insole brand in sports. Lutz is the founder of CURREX and Logan is the head of sales in sports at the company. CURREX LLC was founded 2013 as the North American Subsidiary of currex GmbH, Germany. CURREX provides award-winning, innovative insoles for a variety of activities including running, soccer, cycli...

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. 📝Show Notes...

Accelerator name: MLS Innovation Lab Website: https://www.mlssoccer.com/innovationlab/ Sectors: Sports, Entertainment & Fitness  VC type: Accelerator, Venture Capital Here is the list of the sports tech startups selected by the MLS Innovation Lab: * Reeplayer : Premium AI camera empowering teams and organizations to automatically record, live stream, share, and monetize soccer footage. * Fabric :...

Upside VC profile of the month: VC name: WISE Ventures Headquartered : New York, NY Founded: 2017 Team : Konrad von Moltke (Principal) Website: https://wiseventuresllc.com/ Sectors: Sports, Media, Entertainment, Real Estate and Adjacent Industries VC type: Strategic Venture Capital and Growth Equity Typical investment range : $500K to $3M, with capital reserved for potential follow-on investments....

Today we have the honor of interviewing André Cunha, he is the CEO & Head of Performance of VOLT SPORTSCIENCE . André is also the former performance manager for Brazilian national soccer player and Arsenal fc striker Gabriel Jesus, where he managed his day by day completely integrated with Manchester City and Arsenal to optimize health and performance from 2018 to 2022. VOLT SPORTSCIENCE work with...

Today we have the honor of interviewing Adam Moreau, MBA, CSCS, President of Baseball at FlexPro Grip , a new tech and sports performance training company with the mission to help athletes overcome elbow and forearm issues. Founded in 2019, FlexPro Grip is a grip testing and training device that pairs with a mobile app designed to strengthen the muscles within the flexor-pronator mass, the first r...