Mar 26 • 23M

⭐Upside Chat with Lutz Klein & Logan Crook, from CURREX, A Leading Insole Brand in Sports

 
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Julien Blin

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, cycling, hiking, hockey, golf, skiing and work. They concentrate on designing insoles that deliver flexible, dynamic arch support with the right level of rigidity and offer three different arch profiles for each of their different types of insoles. CURREX insoles are the leading over-the-counter insoles in Europe and North America, with RunPro insoles being the #1 selling insole in run-specialty retailers in the U.S.

Here is a picture of the CURREX insoles:

CURREX’s philosophy is based on respecting the foot, the shoe and the activity:

As illustrated below, CURREX’s RUNPRO insoles are designed for runners by runners, and is a unique insole as it is a customizable, super light insole.

CURREX’s insoles are available in 3 types of profile (Low, med, high):


Here is a video showcasing the CURREX insoles:

CURREX insoles have been used and endorsed by top athletes across various sports such as soccer (MLS, laliga, Bundesliga), basketball. One of the latest athletes who has endorsed CURREX is Lindsey Horan, midfielder and captain of the US Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT).

📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on their respective backgrounds, CURREX company and their product. We also discussed the benefits for teams to use their product and business model. Lastly we touched on their plans for the next 12 months.

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

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Mar 13 • 21M

🔥Upside Chat: Dr Ron Dick, Duquesne University, Ex NBA/NCAA Exec on Caitlin Clark, the NCAA, the NFL Draft, Caleb Williams, the NBA/NHL playoffs, the new MLS/MLB Season

 
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Julien Blin

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: Through this interview, we touched on the following topics:

  • NCAA:

    • Iowa star Caitlin Clark's senior night vs. Ohio State draws record-breaking women's basketball ticket prices ($491)

    • Caitlin Clark passed Pete Marovich with 3,667 points in NCAA D1.

    • The NCAA lost in court again. SEC and the Big 10 are taking charge of Football 4 teams now 12 team tournament. How does this affect the group of 5. Who are the group of 5? Why are universities leaving conferences to get into the group of 5?

    • College Football NIL: It is estimated that $200 million is being spent by universities on Football and some colleague basketball. Why are transfer in the portal unlimited?

  • NFL draft: USC quarterback Caleb Williams is viewed as a likely No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

  • NBA/NHL: We are getting into the final push for teams to make the playoffs: Who are the favorites in the playoffs?

  • MLS season: Will Inter Miami fc and Messi make the MLS playoffs and go all the way this year?

  • MLB season: What are the latest updates? Who are the favorites?

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Mar 12 • 14M

⭐Upside VC Profile: MLS Innovation Lab & Chat with Chris Schlosser, SVP of Emerging Ventures (MLS)

 
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Julien Blin

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: Gamified mixed reality fan experiences at live events that drives fan loyalty through rewards (US).

  • Fitogether: A FIFA Preferred Provider for Wearable Player Tracking, validated as the most accurate solution with centimeter-level data accuracy. The technology utilizes GPS to track on-field performance through a video hybrid system, catering to professional and academy levels. (South Korea).

  • STAIDIUM U.S.: AI-powered and 5G-enabled camera with an OTT platform that delivers live broadcasts, highlights, and advanced game and player analytics (U.S.).

  • A-Champs: Cognitive and technical training system for athletes of all skill levels (Barcelona, Spain).

  • CAMB.AI: AI dubbing platform that instantaneously translates content into any language, all while maintaining the native speakers voice and tone, bringing any type of content, any game alive, in any language. 

Description of the MLS Innovation Lab: MLS Innovation Lab is an annual program designed to identify and incubate the next generation of sports tech companies. MLS Innovation Lab gives companies the chance to test their products in real-world environments throughout the MLS ecosystem.

Following the conclusion of all testing opportunities, members of the cohort will be selected to present to MLS executives and owners with the promising companies having the potential to earn long-term strategic partnerships and investment opportunities from the League.

This week, we interviewed Chris Schlosser, Senior Vice President of Emerging Ventures at MLS. We discussed his background and role at the MLS. Then we discussed the mission and goals of the MLS Innovation Lab in 2024, as well as the startups that got selected as part of the first cohort of the MLS Innovation lab. We also touched on the important factors that he is looking for when selecting startups. Lastly we discussed the most promising areas of sports tech that he sees in the sports tech sector.

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Mar 6 • 22M

⭐Upside VC Profile: WISE Ventures & Chat with Konrad von Moltke, Principal

 
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Transcript

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.

Stage of first check: Stage of first check: Seed / Series A

Total number of investments: 30 investments to date

Here is below the logos of WISE Ventures’ portfolio startups:

Source: WISE Ventures

WISE Ventures is an investment group focused on supporting the evolution of innovative businesses operating in sports, media, entertainment, real estate and adjacent industries. Their talented and deeply committed team is built on the foundation of innovation and entrepreneurial culture. WISE Ventures brings unmatched value to venture and growth stage companies through their deep industry networks, strategic family of assets and world-class management experience

This week, we interviewed Konrad von Moltke, the principal at 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. We discussed his background, investment thesis, his area of focus, and what he is typically looking for when investing in startups. He also gave us his advice to raise money and to start a career in sports investment.

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