The Upside Newsletter

Today we have the honor of interviewing Luis Justiniano, a Sales Director - elite sports at Qualisys, a leading provider of precision motion capture and 3D positioning tracking systems. Luis is also joined by Oskar Lindh, Product manager at Qualisys.

Qualisys is the maker of OnTraq by Qualisys, which brings lab-quality, video-based biomechanical analysis to elite sports teams without complexity, helping teams establish and monitor consistent athlete baselines. Built on Qualisys’ proven foundation of biomechanical accuracy, OnTraq makes research-grade movement analysis accessible to any staff member while fitting naturally into regular training routines.

You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page:

Here is a look at OnTraq software:

Here is below a picture of the OnTraq’s dashboard:

Here is a video explaining how OnTraq works:

📝Show Notes: During the interview with Luis Justiniano and Oskar Lindh, we discussed their backgrounds and the evolution of their work at Qualisys, a company with more than 30 years of expertise in motion capture and biomechanics. They explained how their product, OnTrack, translates this legacy into a practical solution for elite sports by combining high-accuracy data with ease of use. Designed to fit seamlessly into training environments, OnTraq enables teams to quickly collect baseline biomechanical data, monitor athletes over time, and generate actionable insights without disrupting workflows. The platform addresses key use cases such as return-to-play decision-making, performance tracking, and even scouting, allowing practitioners to identify movement deviations, track progress, and support data-driven decisions.

We also explored the core benefits and differentiation of their solution, including its speed, accuracy, and ability to deliver immediate feedback, as well as its subscription-based business model that lowers adoption barriers by bundling hardware, software, and support. Luis and Oskar highlighted the rapid growth of the sports biomechanics and markerless tracking market, driven by increasing demand for athlete data and broader adoption beyond academia. Looking ahead, they emphasized their ambition to become the standard for baseline testing in team sports, with a strong focus on continuous product development, deeper integrations, and expanding partnerships with professional teams to scale globally and refine the platform based on real-world feedback.

Here are the best quotes from the interview with Luis and Oskar:

Q1. Tell me about your background

Luis Justiniano explains:

“I’m the Sales Director for Elite Sports in the Americas, where I lead the team responsible for driving adoption of our OnTraq solution across North America. My role focuses on working closely with professional teams and organizations to understand their needs and help them integrate motion capture technology into their performance workflows.”

Oskar Lindh adds:

“I come from a background as a UX designer, where my focus has been on translating user needs and requirements into valuable, intuitive products. Over time, I transitioned into a broader role as product manager, where I now oversee the full lifecycle of the product—from design and development to launch—ensuring everything fits together and delivers real value to users.”

Q2. Tell me about your company and product

“Qualisys has more than 30 years of experience in motion capture technology, particularly within biomechanics, where we’ve built a strong reputation for delivering highly accurate systems. With OnTraq, we’ve taken that deep expertise and transformed it into a product designed specifically for sports environments.”

“OnTraq is built to provide a flexible, practical way to collect baseline biomechanical data and deliver immediate feedback to coaches and practitioners. It allows teams to capture data quickly, accurately, and reliably, while monitoring athletes throughout the season.”

“What we’re really doing is combining the ease of use you’d expect from consumer-grade tools with the high-quality data and precision of advanced motion capture systems. The goal is to make it simple to generate actionable insights without the complexity that traditionally comes with motion capture.”

Q3. What are the main use cases you are addressing in elite sports?

“One of the primary use cases is supporting return-to-play decisions. Teams can use the system to collect objective movement data during rehabilitation, helping them define clearer protocols and make more informed decisions about when an athlete is ready to return.”

“Another major use case is performance tracking—monitoring how athletes progress against their baseline over time. By testing more frequently, teams can identify trends, detect deviations, and better understand how training is impacting performance.”

“We also see applications in scouting and player development, where teams can evaluate athletes across different levels and use the data to help them improve. Ultimately, the goal is to enable regular, efficient testing that provides both immediate feedback and long-term insights.”

Q4. What are the benefits for teams to use your product?

“One of the biggest benefits is speed and efficiency. Teams can test athletes in less than five minutes, often in under a minute per player, without disrupting their regular training workflow.”

“At the same time, they’re getting high-quality, accurate data along with actionable insights. Coaches and practitioners can immediately access key metrics and use them to make faster, more informed decisions.”

“By building baselines and tracking changes over time, teams gain a much clearer understanding of athlete performance and movement patterns. This is particularly valuable for both performance optimization and injury management, as it allows them to detect asymmetries or deviations early and respond accordingly.”

Q5. What are your competitive advantages?

“Our competitive advantage comes from the combination of speed, ease of use, and data quality. We’re able to deliver high-precision biomechanical insights in a way that’s fast and practical for everyday use.”

“We also bring more than 35 years of experience in biomechanics, which gives us a strong foundation in accuracy and credibility. This isn’t just a standalone tool—we provide a complete ecosystem that includes hardware, software, data processing, and trend analysis dashboards.”

“What really differentiates us is our ability to simplify complex motion capture workflows without compromising on quality. We’re making advanced biomechanics accessible to teams in a way that hasn’t been possible before.”

Q6. Tell me about your business model

“Our goal is to make motion capture technology more accessible, which is why we use a subscription-based model. This allows teams to get started without the large upfront investment typically associated with these systems.”

“The subscription includes everything—hardware, software, installation, training, and ongoing support—so teams have a complete solution from day one.”

“We offer different tiers, such as bronze, silver, and gold, depending on the organization’s needs. It’s typically structured as a two-year commitment, but we’ve built flexibility into the model. If circumstances change, teams can return the system, which reduces the risk and makes adoption easier.”

Q7. What is your take on the state of the sports markerless market?

“The market is clearly growing, driven by an increasing demand for player data and a deeper understanding of how athletes move. Biomechanics, in particular, has expanded significantly—it’s no longer limited to academic research but is now widely adopted across sports organizations.”

“We’re seeing a broader trend where data is being collected across the entire athlete lifecycle—from games to training sessions and rehabilitation. This reflects a shift toward more data-driven decision-making in sports.”

“At t…

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Today we have the honor of interviewing again Brijesh Patel, Associate Athletic Director, Director of Athletic Performance at Quinnipiac University (NCAA).

Brijesh Patel is the Associate Athletic Director and Director of Athletic Performance at Quinnipiac University, where he built and now leads the school’s comprehensive strength and conditioning program after becoming its first full-time strength coach in 2008. A University of Connecticut graduate, Patel began his career with early hands-on mentorship under respected strength coaches and gained experience at both major Division I and mid-major programs, shaping a philosophy centered on reducing injury risk, developing better overall athletes, and educating them for long-term growth.

At Quinnipiac, he oversees basketball and ice hockey while managing staff, budget, return-to-play protocols, and department culture. Known for his movement-based training approach, emphasis on stress adaptation and durability, and balance of qualitative coaching with practical performance metrics, Patel has established himself as a respected leader in collegiate athletic performance.

You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page:

📝Show Notes: During the interview with Brijesh we discussed his journey into athletic performance and the experiences that shaped his philosophy as a coach and leader. He shared how he discovered his passion for strength and conditioning in high school, created his own pathway through internships and mentorship at the University of Connecticut and Holy Cross, and ultimately became the first full-time strength coach at Quinnipiac University. Over time, he built the program from the ground up and developed a clear performance philosophy centered on three pillars: reducing injury risk, developing better overall athletes, and educating them. He also explained how his role today balances hands-on coaching with department leadership, emphasizing accountability, respect, and work ethic as cultural non-negotiables for both athletes and staff.

We also discussed his movement-based approach to training, his focus on building durable athletes by progressively dosing stress in the offseason, and why he believes resilience comes from systematically increasing an athlete’s capacity to tolerate workload. In the return-to-play process, he highlighted the importance of matching team workload to avoid deconditioning and addressing the psychological component of injury recovery. On the topic of technology, Brijesh shared that while he values data and tools, he prioritizes coaching instincts, relationship-building, and simple volume tracking—such as “time on feet”—to guide decisions. Overall, the conversation highlighted his practical, disciplined, and athlete-centered approach to long-term performance development.

You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Brijesh located at the top of this blog post.

Here are the quotes from the interview with Brijesh:

1️⃣ Background & Career Path

On discovering his passion early:

“I knew I wanted to be a strength coach when I was a senior in high school. Not a lot of people know what they want to do at 17 or 18 years old, but I had a fascination for training. I loved athletics, I loved sports, and I loved the mindset that you can improve — that you can get better. I saw how manipulating exercises and variables throughout an offseason could lead to completely different results, and that just fascinated me.”

On choosing impact over playing:

“I realized I wasn’t the best athlete and probably wasn’t going to compete at the next level. But what I really wanted to do was impact other people — help them reach their dreams. That realization shaped everything for me. If I couldn’t compete at the highest level as an athlete, I could still contribute at a high level by developing others.”

On creating his own path:

“Back then there weren’t formal internships everywhere like there are today. So I had to create my own journey. I would ask questions, observe, look things up if I didn’t know them, and come back with answers. I think the coaches were testing whether I was truly committed. That process built my foundation — not just technically, but mentally.”

On forming his philosophy:

“Through those experiences I started to formulate my philosophy: number one, reduce the chance of injury. Number two, make better athletes. And number three, educate them. How we do that can vary — it depends on the sport, the research, the resources, the technology — but those three pillars stay the same.”

On persistence and leadership mindset:

“If you want to be successful, that’s not normal. You’ve got to be able to do things in an uncommon way if you want to accomplish uncommon things. I don’t think I’m normal in how I think or operate — and I try to teach my athletes that. If you want uncommon results, you have to behave differently.”

2️⃣ Role at Quinnipiac

On building the program:

“I was Quinnipiac’s first full-time strength and conditioning coach. When I started in 2008, I essentially built the program from scratch. It was just me at first. Now we have a staff of four full-time coaches, two weight rooms, and we oversee every team year-round.”

On balancing performance and administration:

“My coaching responsibilities haven’t really changed over time. I still program for basketball and hockey, I’m involved in every return-to-play process, and I work with them offseason and in season. From an administrative standpoint, I manage the staff and the budget, but I’ve built systems in place so that I can still coach at a high level.”

On culture and non-negotiables:

“We talk about having non-negotiables. Our three non-negotiables are accountability, respect, and work ethic. That’s what we expect from student-athletes, but I expect the exact same thing from my staff. If we’re going to hold athletes to a standard, we have to hold ourselves to that same standard first.”

On eliminating excuses:

“We don’t make excuses. We don’t complain about lack of funding, lack of technology, or limitations. If we as leaders start making excuses, it gives the athlete permission to make excuses. And that’s something we can’t allow culturally.”

3️⃣ Training Philosophy & Durability

On movement-based development:

“We take a movement-based approach. Everything we do is designed to enhance the athlete’s ability to move more efficiently. We work primarily with skill-based sports like basketball and hockey, where you can be very skilled without being physically developed. Our job is to enhance their movement capacity so their skill can express itself at a higher level.”

On driving capacity instead of minimal dose:

“I’m not a big fan of the term ‘minimal effective dose,’ especially in the offseason. In the offseason we have to drive stress. We have to raise the athlete’s capacity to tolerate stress so that when the season comes — with school stress, social stress, financial stress, and physical stress — they can handle it.”

On stress and adaptation:

“You can’t tolerate stress unless you dose stress. That’s one of the biggest principles we operate under. We progressively and systematically apply stress in the offseason so athletes can adapt, recover, and build resilience. That way, when it’s time to perform, the physical capacity is already there.”

On resilience during the season:

“Our goal is to drive their capacity to do more work more frequently, so they can perform their skills harder, faster, and longer. If capacity is high enough, durability improves. Resilience improves. And performance improves.”

4️⃣ Rehab & Return-to-Play

On psychological readiness:

“Looking at the research, the biggest component of return to play is psychological. Physically you might be recovered, but being able to get over that mental hurdle — to let yourself compete at the level you were at before — that’s the most challenging part.”

On maintaining workload during r…

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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 interview, we touched on:

* 2026 Super Bowl recap,

* NFL draft in Pittsburgh on April 23-25,

* 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy,

* NBA update,

* NHL update and standings,

* MLB spring training & World Baseball Classic,

* College sports: Football, Basketball March madness coming

* Potential WNBA lockout

You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Ron located at the top of this blog post.

Here are some of the best quotes of our conversation with Ron:

1. Super Bowl Recap

“It did over 124.9 million views, which makes it the second most viewed TV event in history. Only last year’s Super Bowl did better. Obviously it went really well from a ratings standpoint, even if some people thought the game itself was a little boring. From a business perspective, it continues to show the dominance of the NFL.”

“There were 40 brands that advertised, and 32-second ads cost between eight to ten million dollars each — that’s an all-time high. We saw a lot of artificial intelligence commercials, and we saw a lot of pharmaceutical ads. It really highlights how massive the advertising ecosystem around the Super Bowl has become. It’s not just a football game anymore — it’s the biggest marketing platform in America.”

“From player one to player 53, that’s one of the most solid rosters I’ve ever seen. They’re built to be a little bit of a legacy team. I think they’ve got legs — they’ll be competitive again next year and the year after. When you look at how quickly the Patriots turned things around from the fall of ’24 to the fall of ’25, you have to give that coaching staff a lot of credit.”

2. NFL Draft in Pittsburgh (April 23–25)

“The NFL is the number one sport in ratings and number one in revenue in this country — and it’s 12 months a year. The draft coming to Pittsburgh on April 23rd, 24th, and 25th is going to be enormous. We are anticipating over 750,000 people in the city who are normally not here.”

“These are what we call ‘heads in beds.’ Where are these people going to eat? Where are they going to sleep? That’s where the economic impact really comes from. Two years ago, Detroit generated $213 million from hosting the draft. Last year in Green Bay, it created about a $100 million economic impact, even with limited hotel capacity.”

“You do have to pay a hosting fee — anywhere from one to three million dollars — and the NFL takes a portion on top of that. But obviously for the cities, it’s well worth it to pay that money upfront to get that kind of exposure and additional revenue.”

3. Winter Olympics (Milan & Cortina)

“TV ratings have been incredibly strong. NBC and Peacock are killing it. They’re up 60% compared to 2022 when we were coming out of COVID. That’s a significant bounce-back for the Winter Games.”

“To have five million people and lead the medal count — that’s stunning to me. Norway has about five million residents, roughly the size of a major U.S. city, and yet they’re dominating the medal table. That speaks to how deeply winter sports are embedded in their culture.”

“We have to think about athlete longevity too. We worry about pitchers’ arms, we worry about CTE in the NFL — we hope these athletes live into their seventies, eighties, nineties and above. The long-term health conversation is becoming just as important as the medals.”

4. NBA Update & Standings

“I believe Wemby could potentially be your first $100 million-a-year athlete. We’re already seeing players in the $60 million range annually, and when you look at his talent, his size, and his global appeal, he might be the one to break that barrier.”

“He is incredible. A person that size shouldn’t be that agile. He’s seven-foot-four like Ralph Sampson was, but far more polished offensively at a young age. He’s generational.”

“This is most likely going to be the last year for LeBron. I wouldn’t be surprised if he closes the door behind him after one more run. He’s had an unbelievable career, but the league is clearly transitioning into the next era.”

“All six of those top teams are over a 60% winning percentage. The depth and parity across both conferences is impressive right now.”

5. Potential WNBA Lockout

“I think there’s the Grand Canyon between where the owners are as far as salary and salary cap, and what the players are thinking. That gap is real, and it’s significant.”

“We definitely saw a bump with Caitlin Clark and other star players coming into the league. There’s more visibility, more ticket sales, more media coverage. The league is showing progress in revenue streams.”

“They now don’t have to fly commercial — they can fly charter. That’s a big step forward in professionalism and player treatment, but it’s also much more expensive.”

“I’m all for paying the players. The question is how much — and that’s up for debate. But there’s no doubt the salaries need to reflect the growth we’re seeing.”

6. NHL Season Update

“The best division in the East right now is the Atlantic, and in the West it’s the Central. The Avalanche, at 83 points at this point in the season, are by far the best team in the NHL.”

“What’s stunning to me is the Florida Panthers. They’ve won back-to-back Stanley Cups, beating Edmonton both times, and now they’re sitting right on the precipice of missing the playoffs. That’s a massive swing year-over-year.”

“They have enough talent left from those championship runs, but they’re going to have to make up a lot of ground between now and the end of the season.”

7. MLB Spring Training & World Baseball Classic

“There’s no better time in the world — pitchers and catchers reporting, the smell of the grass, the sound of the ball hitting the glove. Late February, early March — it’s one of the greatest times of the sports calendar.”

“Most people are calling this the best USA baseball team in history. When you look at the pitching depth and the coaching staff they’ve assembled, it’s incredibly impressive.”

“But I want to offer a dark horse — I believe the Dominican Republic could steal this thing. Many of their players have been playing winter ball, and they’re already in Miami for the later rounds. If the U.S. doesn’t win it, people are going to ask: how did the greatest team in history not win it?”

“I hate when politics collide with sports. The fact that Venezuela has a team competing despite everything going on in their country — that in itself is amazing.”

8. College Sports (Football & March Madness)

“Houston has very little NIL money, and it’s amazing how well they’re doing. Meanwhile, some programs that are spending heavily on name, image, and likeness are running $70 million-a-year deficits. That’s not sustainable long term.”

“There are no guardrails in place. I’m all for paying the players, but is the contract enforceable, and who’s enforcing it? Courts are getting involved, judges are making eligibility decisions — and the NCAA seems unsure what to do.”

“Sometimes they don’t necessarily want you at 18. But they’d love to have you at 22 or 23, when you’re physically more mature. The transfer portal has completely changed roster construction.”

“As for March Madness, it’s wide open. I’m not ready to make predictions yet — I’d like to see a few more games — but it feels like one of those years where anything can happen.”

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Dear Colleagues,

This week we are profiling Elevate Ventures, a leading early stage venture capital firm. Elevate Ventures has invested in over 600 startups, backing more than 402 active portfolio companies and deploying $184 million+ in capital since its founding to fuel early-stage innovation and growth across Indiana and beyond, with a robust ecosystem that has supported thousands of entrepreneurs and helped elevate emerging companies toward success. Elevate Ventures is the #1 most active early-stage VC in the Great Lakes Region and top 10 in the United States.

Upside VC profile of the month:

VC name: Elevate VenturesHeadquartered: Indianapolis, Indiana, USAFounded: 2010 (active since 2011 as part of Indiana Economic Development initiatives)

Managing Partners: Christopher “Toph” Day (CEO).

Website: https://elevateventures.com/

Sectors: Cross-sector innovation (software, life sciences, hardtech, healthcare, consumer, and more)

VC type: Venture Capital / Innovation Ecosystem Builder / Venture Development Organization

Typical investment range: ~$350k per round.

Total number of investments: 600+ startups funded since inception (602 funded as of 2024)

Total number of exits: At least ~41+ exits (according to industry data sources)

Elevate Ventures is one of the most active early-stage venture capital investors in the Great Lakes region, focused on investing in high-potential, innovation-driven companies primarily based in Indiana. Alongside providing capital, Elevate supports founders with strategic guidance, network connections, acceleration resources, and community development to help startups grow and scale. Its portfolio spans diverse sectors including technology, life sciences, and hardtech across pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages, with a strong commitment to building a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Midwest and beyond.

For more information visit https://elevateventures.com/

As part of that we interviewed Myles Grote, partner at Elevate Ventures.

You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page:

📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on Myles’ background and his role at Elevate Ventures, what Elevate Ventures is. We also touched on his investment philosophy, the favorite startups he invested in, and so on.

🚀Best Quotes: Here’s some of the key discussion points and best quotes from our conversation with Myles:

Q1. Background & Career Path

“I started in entrepreneurship. Before college, I witnessed my parents start companies — third generation entrepreneur. Building is in the DNA, if you will. But I was super passionate about finance. I started doing public investing when I was 14 years old — and mind you, this is when we had dial-up internet. We didn’t even really have easy ways to execute on investing in public markets at that point.”

“In college, I started to build a not-for-profit with my future business partner, Kevin McCauley. We created the first ever collegiate-hosted half marathon in the country, which was a fundraising vehicle for the largest scholarship for cancer survivors in the country. That was really like my first actual thing that we built — and we had a lot of success with it.”

“Eventually, I left and started a company with Kevin — one of the early sports tech companies back in 2011–2012 called Book a Coach. We pivoted to a more sustainable business model, rebranded to Upper Hand, and became the first cloud-based software in sports facilities around 2013–14. We exited in 2019, and I stayed on for a couple more years.”

“At that point, I always knew I wanted to get into early-stage investing. I was an Entrepreneur in Residence at Techstars Sports, started my own syndicate, closed on 11 different companies across 15 deals, and then ultimately joined Elevate Ventures as a partner and chair of the investment committee.”

Q2. Role at Elevate Ventures

“My main focus is due diligence. From the time that we say, ‘Yes, let’s take a closer look at this company,’ I oversee that process until we move into closing.”

“Elevate Ventures is a unique beast. We are a venture development organization — not your standard VC. We have kind of a dual mandate: economic development in the state of Indiana and returns. So we have to balance those, similar to how the Fed balances job stability and inflation.”

“We’re super active — historically eclipsing over 100 deals per year and deploying approximately $20 million annually. That’s a unique element.”

“Because of our dual mandate, we’re encouraged by our LPs to spend more time with founders — especially if they have messy situations, messy cap tables, or mistakes that have compounded. We’re able to spend the time to help them clean that up, right-size their structure, and get ready to raise a strong round.”

Q3. Investment Philosophy

“My personal investing philosophy is really around, first and foremost, there has to be some sort of secular growth story — some sort of multi-decade tailwind, some new technology that’s been introduced.”

“Secondarily — and probably equally as important — is just an amazing founder building on top of that technology.”

“The thing I always notice with amazing founders is that they consistently stay on your radar. They’re super effective at creating momentum and using that momentum to engage investors and keep them excited about what they’re building.”

“Whenever they’re pinned in the corner, they always find a way out. They’re super scrappy and always right in front of your face.”

“At Elevate, we also look closely at market sizing dynamics and competitive moats — which is a really hot topic right now, especially as it relates to artificial intelligence.”

Q4. What He Looks for in Startups

“Founders who can really see around corners — they’re always a couple steps ahead.”

“The most impressive ones are really effective at communicating how they’re going to execute on the opportunities they’re seeing around the corner.”

“Really describing the big vision and doing it in a very simple and effective way — that’s a really hard skill set to have.”

“For us, it’s got to be a big TAM — over a $500 million addressable market — and a really tight founding team that has really clear swim lanes in terms of what they’re focused on.”

Q5. Advice for Entrepreneurs Raising Capital

“Especially with AI tools these days, you don’t really have to raise that much capital to get a working prototype to validate or invalidate your concept.”

“Be as efficient as possible. Leverage a hell out of AI tools. It’s to the point where even if you’re not technical, you can still contribute to the code base in a meaningful way.”

“Be scrappy and get something to market as quickly as possible. Don’t be afraid that your baby’s ugly when it goes out there. I’ve launched some pretty ugly products that turned into something really beautiful.”

“Validate the demand for the product first before making it pretty. You don’t want to waste too much money or too much time until you really know you have something.”

“Have a great story. Start with the outline, move to some doodles — that’s what I typically do — and then pay a designer $500 to make it look respectable so you have a great storyline to anchor investors around the big vision.”

Q6. Fund Size

“We have about $225 million AUM.”

“We kind of operate more like an evergreen fund — we’re constantly deploying.”

Q7. Average Investment Size

“Typical investment size is around $350,000 from our seed and seed-plus fund.”

“With our pre-seed fund, we can invest as low as $20,000 and up to $100K — usually milestone-based and tranched.”

Q8. Favorite / Notable Portfolio Companies

“Lessonly was a pretty big win for us — they sold to Seismic for around $300 million. We were a seed investor in that company.”

“Sochi is another one — that was a big exit for us.”

“Endur purchased a company that spun out of Purdue — that was a really meaningful exit, and we still have a stake.”

“In sports tech, Upper Hand was a good e…

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Today we have the honor of interviewing again Ciara Burgi, the director of health and performance at the Las Vegas Aces, a top WNBA team.

You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page:

📝Show Notes: During this interview with Ciara, we discussed how true athlete-centered performance starts with intentional individualization. She explained that in a WNBA environment, where roster sizes are small, individualization should be the standard—not a luxury. That means deeply understanding each athlete’s history, goals, recovery preferences, and role within the team, then aligning that with coaching objectives. Ciara emphasized adapting structure to environment, breaking down silos, and continually refining plans as relationships deepen over time. The conversation also explored the evolution of rehab and return-to-play, highlighting the shift from time-based protocols to more criteria-driven approaches that balance objective data with the human side of performance—confidence, fear, and function.

We also discussed innovation, technology, and leadership in high-performance environments. Ciara stressed that technology should enhance clearly defined values and systems—not replace them—and that teams must first identify the key questions they are trying to answer before collecting data. She underscored the importance of honest off-season reflection, resisting hype, and adopting solutions aligned with long-term goals. From a leadership perspective, she described curiosity as the foundation of trust—serving athletes and coaches through open dialogue, vulnerability, and follow-through. Ultimately, she highlighted that sustained success requires accountability and self-awareness, noting that “winning masks everything and losing magnifies everything,” and that elite organizations must remain honest even in victory.

You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Ciara located at the top of this blog post.

Here are the quotes from the interview with Ciara:

Q1. Individualization & Athlete-Centered Performance

* “When we have 11 or 12 women, individualization should be the expectation—and if we’re not meeting that, I think that’s way below the bar.”

* “Taking each athlete as an individual—getting to know them, their needs, what’s worked for them in the past, their goals, and the coach’s goals for them.”

* “Us as practitioners taking what we know, combining that with what they know about themselves, and coming up with an individualized plan based on individual and team goals.”

* “You just have to adapt the shape of your structure to the needs of your environment—and roster size plays a big factor in that.”

* “Each year we should be dialing down and individualizing things better… because we know them better.”

* “During the playoffs, we did a phenomenal job individualizing recovery recommendations during the most important time of the year.”

Q2. Rehab, Return-to-Play & Long-Term Athlete Health

* “When I first started my career… I’m not sure I knew what a force plate was back then. I didn’t know what load management was back then.”

* “We don’t want to go all objective and only based on data and forget about the human being in front of us.”

* “At the same time, we can’t fully go based on feeling and ignore the technology.”

* “What are our questions that we’re trying to answer? Not just collecting a bunch of data and then creating the question after.”

* “ACL return to sport used to just be time-based… but time and quad strength measure impairment, not necessarily function on the field.”

* “We need to define our values, define our principles, and figure out how to objectively evaluate those.”

* “Those conversations are challenging because they require vulnerability—and not all staffs have safe spaces for vulnerability.”

Q3. Innovation, Technology & Smarter Decision-Making

* “We can’t ignore creating values, principles, and systems—and then using technology to enhance and inform those systems as opposed to starting with technology to create the system.”

* “If you don’t have your values strongly defined, you can look at a bunch of data and get overwhelmed.”

* “What’s our biggest question? What’s our lowest hanging fruit that’s going to lead to the highest yield improvement?”

* “Just because another team adopts something doesn’t mean it fits what we need.”

* “Explore new technologies with a broad lens… maybe it doesn’t fit now, but three years from now it might be our lowest hanging fruit.”

* “It’s taking an honest look at everything—does this align with our values?”

* “The off-season is about reflection, being open to new things, and then dialing back into what you really need to make a big impact.”

Q4. Leadership, Communication & Trust

* “Curiosity is at the foundation of everything.”

* “We don’t know how to best serve if we don’t know how to serve.”

* “If I’m just pushing my own agenda because that’s what I think is best, that’s honestly a pretty self-centered way to go about leadership.”

* “As a leader, we’re here to serve.”

* “How do I know how to serve you best if you and I can’t have an honest relationship and conversation about what your needs are?”

* “There’s a lot of trust built up in following through with what you heard—because that means you’re listening.”

* “Winning masks everything and losing magnifies everything—and neither are fully honest.”

* “We’ll sit in victory and feel proud, and then we’re also going to have an honest look at what can be better.”

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Today we have the honor of interviewing Kevin Wu, Co-founder & Chief Business Officer at Fitasy, a leading Personalized 3D Printed footwear company.

Today, as illustrated in the graph below, the footwear industry is facing a number of challenges:

* Footwear sizing has remained largely unchanged since the 1800s. We still rely on standardized measurements that overlook the true diversity of human feet. Not surprisingly, 68% of people still wear ill-fitted shoes.

* Incorrectly fitted footwear is uncomfortable, costly, and contributes to pain, deformity, and poor foot mechanics. As a result of that, 20% of people suffer from foot problems.

* While we have personalized our physical training, nutrition, and sleep through technology for more optimal well being, our shoes remain mass-produced and standard-fit. But 77% of people expect customizable products in general, according to McKinsey.

Fitasy, which aims at addressing those challenges, is a personalized footwear company focused on redefining how shoes are designed, fitted, and manufactured through data-driven customization and 3D printing. By combining mobile foot scanning technology with advanced software and engineering, Fitasy creates footwear tailored to each individual’s unique foot profile rather than relying on traditional, one-dimensional sizing systems. The brand places a strong emphasis on comfort, performance, and foot health, making its products particularly relevant for athletes and active consumers. Through a direct-to-consumer model and rapid iteration enabled by 3D printing, Fitasy aims to make high-quality, custom-fitted footwear more accessible while continuously improving fit, recovery, and long-term wearability. The company is rolling out its scan-to-print app this spring, with standard-size footwear already available for purchase via its website

Picture: Fitasy’ 3D printed shoes

You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page:

Here is an interview at CES explaining their technology and product:

📝Show Notes: During the interview with Kevin, we discussed his background as a lifelong athlete and how years of frustration with ill-fitting footwear led him to co-found Fitasy, a personalized 3D-printed footwear company. Kevin shared how his experience in finance and venture capital, combined with exposure to cutting-edge research from his MIT-trained co-founder, shaped his belief that footwear should be custom-fitted for every individual. He explained how Fitasy uses mobile foot scanning and data-driven 3D printing to create shoes tailored to each person’s unique foot profile, addressing long-standing limitations in traditional footwear sizing and manufacturing.

During the interview with Kevin, we also explored Fitasy’s application in elite sports, particularly as a recovery solution for athletes. Kevin highlighted the benefits of 3D-printed footwear for teams and practitioners, including improved cushioning, shock absorption, arch support, and breathability, all of which contribute to recovery, comfort, and long-term foot health. He outlined Fitasy’s competitive advantages in software, scanning accuracy, and rapid iteration, as well as its direct-to-consumer business model and current pricing. Looking ahead, Kevin shared his plans to deepen engagement with professional athletes and teams, expand product offerings, and continue refining customization through fast, athlete-driven innovation.

You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Kevin located at the top of this blog post.

Here are the quotes from the interview with Kevin:

1. Your background and what led you to your company

“I grew up playing a lot of sports, so I’ve always considered myself an athlete. I played national-level soccer growing up, university-level basketball, and nowadays it’s mostly club-level tennis. Over the past two decades of playing sports, footwear has always been something that troubled me. Finding the right shoe has always been difficult—different sizing systems, different brands, styles going out of line—and I think that challenge may have even hindered my ability to progress as an athlete.”

“Outside of sports, I studied finance and computer science and later worked in finance and venture capital. I saw a lot of examples where technology was reshaping very traditional industries, and that really stuck with me. When I met my co-founder Yujun, who comes from a team of research scientists at MIT, he pitched the idea of using a phone as a scanner to reduce online footwear returns caused by poor fit. That was the moment I realized that in the future, every shoe should be custom-fitted for the customer.”

2. Overview of the product

“At its core, Fitasy is a 3D-printed footwear company. We use 3D printing because it allows for a much more data-driven approach and a much higher level of customization. On paper, we make footwear that can come in standard sizes, but more importantly, it can also be custom-fitted for each individual based on their unique foot profile.”

“The process starts with mobile scanning. Any user with an iPhone can scan their foot using our app, and the whole process takes about two minutes. We analyze that data to create a foot profile, feed those parameters into our system, and then send it to production. The printing itself takes about four to five hours, and with post-processing and packaging, the shoe is typically ready to ship within three to four days.”

3. Main use cases for elite sports

“The fundamental philosophy behind our brand is that the foot is incredibly unique and very complex, but in today’s world it’s mostly treated as a single factor—length. That’s essentially how footwear sizing has worked since the 19th century. In elite sports, athletes exert so much energy on the court or on the field, but off the court we often neglect how they treat their feet.”

“What we’ve found is that 3D printing allows us to create an excellent recovery shoe. We can design superior cushioning compared to traditional foam materials, while also embedding breathability and arch support directly into the structure of the shoe. That combination is particularly valuable for elite athletes.”

4. Benefits for practitioners and teams

“A good recovery shoe needs a few core features. First is cushioning, because all the impact from the ground shouldn’t transfer directly into the muscles and joints. Then there’s arch support, which helps create a more balanced pressure distribution across the foot so muscles don’t fatigue as quickly.”

“Breathability is also critical. Feet sweat a lot, and in unbreathable environments fungus can grow, which is why problems like athlete’s foot are so common. Because of the 3D-printed structure, our shoes naturally provide excellent shock absorption, airflow, and support, making them especially effective for recovery in high-performance environments.”

5. Competitive advantages

“3D printing itself isn’t proprietary—anyone with a printer can print something. Our competitive advantage really comes down to two things. The first is mobile scanning. Customization only works if the foot data is accurate. If you can’t scan the foot accurately, everything else becomes pointless.”

“We developed our own scanning solution and algorithms to ensure high accuracy, currently within about two to four millimeters. The second advantage is what we do once we have that data—how we build the 3D model, design the lattice structure, and customize the shoe specifically for each foot profile. That software-first approach is what really sets us apart.”

6. Current business and pricing model

“Our business model is direct-to-consumer. Everything happens through our website. Customers choose a product, select the custom-fit option, and once they place an order, we send them an invitation link to download the app and submit their foot scan. After that, they just wait for their shoes to be produced and delivered.”

“…

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Today we have the honor of interviewing Mauricio Elizondo, the director of sports medicine, at Austin FC, an MLS team. Mauricio discussed his background, approach towards training, rehab and how he uses a cutting edge technology such as ThermoHuman.

Mauricio Elizondo, DPT, ATC, CSCS, CPSS, is the Director of Sports Medicine for Austin FC, the Major League Soccer club based in Austin, Texas, where he leads the team’s medical and performance support for the first team. With more than 15 years of experience in elite sports medicine and athletic training, Mauricio’s background includes work with professional organizations such as the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, and the ATP tennis tour, as well as owning a high-performance clinic prior to joining Austin FC.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from Oregon State University, a Master’s in Exercise Science from the University of Idaho, and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, and is certified in strength and conditioning and performance sports science. In his role, Mauricio integrates injury prevention, rehabilitation, and advanced monitoring strategies to optimize athlete health and performance throughout the MLS season.

Picture: Mauricio Elizondo

You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page:

📝Show Notes: During the interview with Mauricio, we discussed his background and path to becoming Director of Sports Medicine at Austin FC, including his experience in professional baseball, tennis, and private practice. He explained how working daily within a team environment allows for a more structured and proactive approach to injury prevention, with consistent monitoring, preseason testing, and long-term athlete management throughout the MLS season.

Picture: ThermoHuman

During the interview with Mauricio, we also discussed how Austin FC uses ThermoHuman as part of its injury prevention and load management strategy. He emphasized the importance of establishing individual baselines, monitoring temperature changes weekly, and interpreting results within context. Mauricio highlighted that thermography is a practical and efficient tool that provides actionable insights to guide recovery, adjust training loads, and help reduce injury risk.

You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Mauricio located at the top of this blog post.

Here are the quotes from the interview with Mauricio:

Q1. His Background

“I’m the Director of Sports Medicine here at Austin FC, and this is my third full season with the club. Before this, I had a pretty eclectic background. I owned a private practice in Florida for six years, traveled on the tennis tour for six years, and spent 11 seasons in professional baseball with organizations like the Red Sox, Dodgers, and Blue Jays. I’ve been fortunate to learn from a lot of great people along the way, but soccer has always been my passion. When the opportunity came with Austin FC, it was a no-brainer.”

“Injury prevention becomes much more effective when you’re with a team every single day. When you’re embedded with a team for 10 or 11 months straight, you can manage an injury from beginning to end. You can establish preseason testing, create protocols, monitor progress, adjust treatments, and truly build a philosophy around prevention. That daily consistency makes a big difference compared to more episodic environments like tennis.”

Q2. How He Has Been Using ThermoHuman

“We’ve been using ThermoHuman for two years now, and it’s been a great tool for us. From an injury prevention standpoint, we already measure the external side — strength, range of motion, movement patterns — but we also need to understand what’s happening internally. Thermography allows us to look at temperature changes, which give us insight into inflammation and fatigue that we otherwise can’t see.”

“We establish baseline measurements during preseason because every player is different. Even though we think everyone has the same core temperature, there are variations — especially in specific muscles or joints that may have had prior injuries. Once we know what’s normal for each athlete, we monitor them weekly and compare new data to their baseline.”

“If a player’s temperature is higher than normal after a game, we interpret that as an inflammatory response and shift toward anti-inflammatory treatments and recovery strategies. If the temperature is lower than normal, that usually indicates fatigue, and we may adjust load, reduce intensity, or modify training sessions. It gives us direction for decision-making.”

“Context is everything. ThermoHuman doesn’t tell you what the problem is — it tells you there’s a temperature change. It’s our job to interpret why that change is happening and connect it to training load, injury history, or match demands.”

“It’s also very practical. It takes about a minute per player. We can run the whole team through in 30 to 60 minutes, usually first thing in the morning before any treatments that could affect temperature. That makes it easy to integrate into our weekly routine.”

Q3. Why He Likes Thermography

“What I value most about ThermoHuman is that it’s practical and it gives you a treatment direction. It’s not just data for the sake of data — it helps guide interventions. You still have to interpret it properly, but it provides meaningful information that we can act on.”

“The biggest advantage is that it shows you something you can’t see. Players don’t know if their right hamstring is warmer than their left. They don’t feel small asymmetries in temperature. We can test strength and flexibility, but we can’t visually assess internal temperature without technology like this.”

“It adds another layer to our clinical evaluation. We can see tightness, weakness, or movement deficits with other tools, but temperature gives us insight into inflammation and tissue readiness in a way that complements everything else.”

“There really isn’t another tool that gives you this type of global thermal perspective. It fills a gap that other monitoring systems don’t address.”

Q4. Why He Would Recommend Thermography

“I think it’s worth the investment. There are many monitoring tools and wearables on the market, but when you look at the amount of information you get relative to the cost, ThermoHuman provides significant value. It gives you insight that you simply can’t obtain through other methods.”

“We often assume that after a hard session or a game, a player’s body temperature and inflammation return to normal by the next day. In reality, that’s not always the case. Thermography helps you see that objectively, and it allows you to educate coaches and staff on what’s actually happening internally.”

“There’s growing research around temperature changes and injury potential, and I think the field is continuing to evolve. From my experience, if you’re willing to interpret the data properly and apply it in context, it can be a very powerful tool for reducing injury risk and managing load.”

Q5. Advice for Teams Looking to Adopt Thermography

“My biggest advice is: don’t just look at the results and blindly follow what the system says. In today’s AI world, we sometimes rely too much on automated outputs. That’s a mistake. You have to interpret the data in context — the athlete’s history, their workload, their baseline profile.”

“Create strong baselines in preseason and be consistent with your measurements. The more consistent you are — same time of day, same conditions, same weekly routine — the more meaningful your data becomes.”

“Understand that players are different. For example, we have some Northern European players whose normal body temperature runs lower than others. If you don’t establish that baseline and interpret the context, you could misread the data.”

“If you implement it properly, analyze it carefully, and apply the re…

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Today we have the honor of interviewing Bram Swinnen, the founder of Integrated Performance Training and a renowned expert in sports science, performance training and rehabilitation. Bram discussed his background, approach towards training, rehab and how he uses a cutting edge technology such as Myocene.

With over 25 years of experience working with elite athletes, Bram has collaborated with some of the most prestigious sports teams and organizations around the world in the NBA, EuroLeague, and European soccer. His innovative approach blends velocity-based training, neuromuscular control and neuroscience into the training process, ensuring optimal performance while minimizing injury risks.

Bram is the author of the international bestseller “Strength Training for Soccer,” which is widely recognized for its practical insights on enhancing athletic performance. He has also authored several scientific publications and is regularly invited as a speaker at international conferences.

Bram earned a master’s degree in kinesiology and a master’s degree in physical therapy, and he highly values continuing education to stay at the forefront of his field.

Pictures: Bram Swinnen

You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page:

📝Show Notes: During the interview with Bram, we discussed his background in sports science and rehabilitation and his belief that there should be no clear separation between rehab and performance. He shared his experience working across elite sports, including basketball, football, and track and field, and explained how this integrated approach led him to focus on return-to-play, injury prevention, and long-term performance development. Bram also outlined how his work at Integrated Performance Training supports professional teams and federations through consulting, education, and applied sports science.

Picture: Myocene solution

During the interview with Bram, we also explored how he uses Myocene in both performance and rehabilitation settings to objectively assess neuromuscular fatigue. He explained how daily microdosing allows him to embed testing into training, adapt workloads in real time, and avoid the accumulation of unmanaged fatigue. A key theme of the discussion was Myocene’s value in rehabilitation, particularly after serious injuries such as ACL reconstruction, where neuromuscular inhibition can limit progress. Bram emphasized that having an objective, motivation-independent measure helps ensure training and rehab sessions are truly effective and better aligned with the athlete’s underlying neuromuscular needs.

You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Bram located at the top of this blog post.

Here are the quotes from the interview with Bram:

Q1. Can you briefly introduce yourself, your background, and the work your company does in performance and recovery?

“My background is in sports science and rehabilitation. I studied a Master’s in Sports Science and also a Master’s in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation because I really wanted to understand everything about the body. Over time, I realized that I love rehab, I love performance, and especially blending the two. For me, there is no clear separation between rehab and performance — it’s all about return to play, prevention, and long-term development.”

“I started my career in professional basketball, working with several EuroLeague teams and NBA players during the off-season. Later I moved into professional football, as well as track and field, cycling, and other sports. About four years ago, we founded Integrated Performance Training, where we provide consulting, education, and in-house courses for professional teams and Olympic federations around the world.”

Q2. How and when did you start using Myocene, and what role does it play in your training and rehabilitation today?

“I’ve been using Myocene for almost a year now, both in performance and in rehabilitation. In performance, its value is quite obvious — it’s widely used to monitor neuromuscular fatigue, which is a major limiter of performance and also increases the risk of injury.”

“In rehabilitation, it’s less commonly used, but for me it has a lot of value. After serious injuries like ACL reconstruction, there is often a corticospinal inhibition, meaning the brain is no longer able to activate the muscles the way it used to. With Myocene, I can measure before and after rehab sessions and see whether the exercises are actually effective in activating the muscles.”

Q3. You regularly use Myocene through microdosing—can you explain how you apply this during training sessions and why this approach works for you?

“One of the biggest advantages of microdosing is that you gather data on a daily basis. Everything we do in training becomes testing — we don’t need to schedule separate testing sessions. That means the data is always current and always relevant.”

“Athletes or patients come into my facility, and before they even get dressed, I run a Myocene test. It takes about one and a half minutes, and it already gives me a clear idea of their neuromuscular status. I then use that information as part of an autoregulated periodization approach, where the plan can be adapted based on recovery and fatigue from previous days.”

Q4. How does Myocene support neuromuscular performance and help reduce or prevent neuromuscular fatigue from your experience?

“Because neuromuscular fatigue is measured on a regular basis, you can detect it earlier and adjust training or rehabilitation loads accordingly. This allows you to prevent the athlete or patient from going deeper and deeper into neuromuscular fatigue.”

“What I see very often, especially in rehab, is that fatigue accumulates over weeks without being noticed. At a certain point, you lose control of the situation. Myocene gives me a clear overview and helps me decide when it’s necessary to adapt the training plan or periodization to stay in control.”

Q5. What makes Myocene different or unique compared to other supplements or recovery strategies you’ve used?

“The method behind Myocene is based on decades of scientific research, so it’s reliable and accurate. That’s extremely important when you’re making decisions about load management and rehabilitation.”

“What really makes it stand out for me is that it’s fast, simple, and objective. It takes one and a half minutes, requires no warm-up, and it doesn’t rely on motivation or intent from the athlete. That makes it a very strong complement to other performance metrics, which often depend on how motivated or fresh the athlete feels that day.”

Q6. Who do you think Myocene is most useful for, and how would you recommend athletes or practitioners start using it?

“We see more and more evidence that after injuries like ACL reconstruction, tendinopathies, or muscle injuries, there is a significant inhibition from the nervous system. Even two years after an ACL reconstruction, many professional athletes are still unable to fully activate the quadriceps, which compromises strength and rate of force development.”

“For me, the biggest value of Myocene is that it allows me to evaluate whether a rehab workout is actually effective — whether it truly activates the muscles and addresses the underlying problem. That’s why it’s extremely useful in rehabilitation, but also for athletes where load management and neuromuscular fatigue are critical.”

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Today we have the honor of interviewing Brian Windell, President of Falcon Pursuit, a leading company scanning elite athletes for use in digital analytics.

Falcon Pursuit is a human performance optimization technology company that uses patented, advanced anthropometric infrared scanning and 3D avatar technology to capture highly detailed digital representations of the human body, enabling precise measurement of biomechanics, movement patterns, and physical form for real-time performance analysis and improvement. The platform delivers actionable data to optimize athletic performance, track progress, and inform personalized training and health decisions, and its technology has been applied with professional athletes, world-class companies, and elite sports organizations.

Picture: Falcon Pursuit’s AVA, body scan machine.

You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page:

📝Show Notes: During this interview with Brian, we discussed his background and the experiences that led him to Falcon Pursuit, including his early work in custom equipment fitting and motion capture, as well as the foundational role of the company’s patented technology. Brian provided an overview of Falcon Pursuit’s core product, the AVA system, explaining how its rapid full-body scanning creates fully rigged, anatomically accurate digital avatars. We explored how these avatars are used in elite sports to support motion analysis, real-time simulation, and performance evaluation across a wide range of sports and organizations.

We also covered the benefits Falcon Pursuit delivers to practitioners and teams, particularly through more precise, repeatable, and longitudinal athlete data that supports individualized training and development. Brian highlighted the company’s competitive advantages, including real-world simulation capabilities and career-long athlete tracking, before outlining Falcon Pursuit’s business model centered on hardware, platform access, and collaborative innovation. The conversation concluded with a look ahead at the company’s plans for the next 12 months, including scaling the AVA platform, launching new products, and expanding applications such as equilibrium testing and on-site 3D-printed performance solutions.

You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Brian located at the top of this blog post.

Here are the quotes from the interview with Brian:

His background and what led him to Falcon Pursuit

“What really led me to the company begins with our CTO, Jay White. This is all his brainchild. He’s been in custom-fitting equipment like shoes and helmets for decades, and his first patent actually goes back to 1982. What drew me in personally was my background working with a group at TaylorMade Golf in the early 2000s, where we were custom-fitting golf clubs using motion capture. That was really my first exposure to the avatar world, and it became clear that this technology could fundamentally change how we understand athletes and performance.”

Overview of their product

“Our main product is the avatar, and while that’s a term that gets thrown around a lot, ours is very different from what people usually think of. We scan athletes using our AVA kiosk, and that scanning session takes about 27 seconds. When it’s complete, you don’t just get a lifelike image—you get a fully rigged avatar that moves just like the human body. That’s where our patents sit, in the ability to automatically create a movable, anatomically accurate digital human.”

“We’re taking 360-degree dimensional measurements every millimeter from head to toe—each leg, each arm, every phalange, even facial structure. All of that data is captured in one-millimeter slices and converted into a rigged point cloud, which gives us a digital human that’s ready to be used in real-world simulations.”

Main use cases for elite sports

“We’ve been doing this for many years and have worked with hundreds of elite athletes across a wide range of sports—swimming, soccer, football, cycling, skiing. We’ve worked with organizations like the U.S. Ski Team, Auburn Football, and Red Bull. What’s powerful is that once you have the avatar, you can place that athlete into any digital environment—wind tunnels, aerodynamic testing, hydrodynamic testing—whatever parameters a coach or performance staff needs to evaluate in real time.”

Benefits for practitioners and teams

“When you really start to think about what you can do with a digital human being, it opens up a lot of possibilities. Teams can build databases of their athletes and use that information to optimize training on a daily basis. Strength and conditioning coaches can track very small changes in body shape, growth, and adaptation over time, which helps them make better, more individualized decisions for each athlete.”

“With our motion capture human tracker module, you’re not guessing where joints are based on AI assumptions. We already know exactly what that body looks like in motion, so we can calculate force, rotation, speed, and other key metrics with much higher accuracy. That’s qualitative data that practitioners can trust.”

Their competitive advantages

“Our main competitive advantage is the ability to place an athlete in real-world situations and get data in real time. This is head-to-toe, repeatable analytics that allow teams to track body changes across seasons and even entire careers. If an athlete joins a program as a freshman, you can follow their development all the way through to a professional level.”

“Programs like Auburn have had the system for several years, which means they can go back in time and compare incoming recruits to past high performers at the same position. That kind of historical context is incredibly valuable for evaluation and development.”

Current business model

“Our business model really wraps around the athlete avatar and the AVA system. We don’t just sell hardware—we provide simulation services, platform access, database building, training, and ongoing collaboration. All of the hardware is designed and built by us, and we work closely with teams to continue evolving the product based on how they’re using it in real performance environments.”

Plans and aspirations for the next 12 months

“The next year is a pretty exciting one for us. We’re launching AVA and scaling it to a much broader audience, and we also have new products that have been in beta testing for several years. One of those is our Equilibrium Protocol Program, where we take baseline data on an athlete and can identify whether their equilibrium has been affected after a significant hit.”

“We’re also already doing foot analysis and 3D-printing insoles on site for athletes, which saves teams both time and money. We’ve done this in soccer and skiing, and we’re expanding into braces and other equipment that can be customized and printed directly for the athlete.”

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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, fitness enthusiasts, and physical therapy patients alike. Its core product line includes adjustable slideboards in various sizes, made sustainably in the USA with reclaimed hardwood bumpers and recycled materials, and complemented by accessories like slide slippers and polish to enhance training outcomes. Trusted by professional and collegiate teams, strength coaches, therapists, and home gyms worldwide, UltraSlide moves beyond conventional fitness gear to offer a durable, low-impact solution that supports dynamic conditioning, sport-specific drills, and rehabilitative routines in one integrated tool.

Picture: UltraSlide product.

You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page:

Here is a video explaining how the product works:

📝Show Notes: During this interview with Barry, we discussed his background and how UltraSlide began more than 30 years ago as a simple cross-training solution while he was a competitive cyclist in college. He shared how the slide board’s skating-based, lateral movement evolved into a versatile training and rehabilitation tool now used across professional sports, fitness, and physical therapy for full-body, functional movement and core stability.

During this interview with Barry, we also discussed UltraSlide’s benefits for practitioners, its competitive advantages—including USA manufacturing, sustainability, durability, and customization—and the company’s business model driven by direct sales and repeat customers. Barry closed by outlining plans for international growth and the development of a smart bumper system that will add performance tracking and data to elevate the product’s impact.

You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Barry located at the top of this blog post.

Here are the quotes from the interview with Barry:

His background and what led you to your company

“UltraSlide really almost happened by accident. About 33 years ago when I was in college, I made a slide board to use when I couldn’t ride my bike. I was a competitive bike racer at the time, and having grown up around speed skaters—who really invented and used slide boards—I knew it was an effective cross-training tool. Cycling and speed skating are very complementary sports, quad-dominant and using many of the same muscles, so I knew it would help my cycling during Midwest winters when I couldn’t ride outside.”

“After graduation in the fall of 1993, the men’s tennis coach at my university reached out and said he’d heard I made a slide board and that they really could use one for the team. I made him one, and then a few days later another call came in from someone else connected to the university who wanted one as well. At that point, I thought, maybe we’re onto something—and here we are all these years later.”

Overview of their product

“A slide board, as the name implies, is a rectangular, slippery surface with a bumper on each end that you push off of. The fundamental movement mimics skating—you’re moving laterally side to side—which is where it originated, but over time it’s proven beneficial for virtually every sport imaginable.”

“It’s really a core stability tool at its foundation. It engages the core, works the quads, glutes, abductors, adductors, hamstrings, and over the last 15 to 20 years it’s evolved into a full-body functional training device. That’s why it’s used not just by athletes, but by fitness users and people simply looking for a unique, effective workout.”

Benefits they’re seeing for practitioners

“One of the unique things about UltraSlide is that it’s used not only for conditioning but also for rehabilitation, and that makes it very valuable for practitioners. It engages the core and lower body in a way that directly translates to real-world movement, balance, and stability.”

“If you think about general population or even older adults, extended use of the slide board improves stability. I’m sitting here in Chicago where it’s icy outside—using our product can help people maintain control when they hit a slippery surface. That lateral stability is something you just don’t train with traditional straight-line exercises.”

Your competitive advantages

“We’ve been around for 33 years, and that longevity really matters. The reputation of the brand is strong, and I’m very proud that all of our products are made entirely in the USA using sustainable materials—recycled rubber, reclaimed wood, recycled plastics, and sustainable packaging.”

“We’re really the only true slide board on a large scale. A lot of products you see online are roll-ups, and while they’re convenient, they don’t provide the same effectiveness, stability, or safety. We believe a slide board should actually be a board, and that philosophy has guided everything we make.”

“Customization is another advantage. We can add team or clinic logos, even for a single unit, and that personal touch really resonates with professional organizations and practitioners.”

Their current business model

“We sell through a combination of direct sales on our website, distributors, and Amazon, where we offer our smaller boards and accessories. Amazon has really opened up a consumer market for us that we weren’t fully accessing until a couple of years ago.”

“A big part of our business comes from repeat customers—coaches, trainers, and practitioners who move teams and reorder our products because they trust them and know the value they bring. That kind of loyalty means everything to us.”

“We focus on value, not being the cheapest option. When someone buys from us, the relationship doesn’t end when the product arrives—we want it to be ongoing.”

Their plans and aspirations for the next 12 months, and taking the product to the next level

“The biggest development we have coming is a smart bumper that retrofits onto our existing boards. Through an app, it will track reps, timing, number of laps, and bumper contact time, which is a very important metric for teams measuring quickness and performance.”

“This is a way to finally take a product that’s been analog for decades and make it smart—adding measurement, engagement, and even competition—without forcing existing customers to buy an entirely new board.”

“We’re also focused on expanding internationally, particularly in Europe, by improving access through Amazon. The demand is there; we just need to remove the friction and make it easier for people to get the product.”

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