Category Archives: Tech of Sports

From the shoes we wear on our feet to the high definition televisions in our living room, wearable devices, the sports universe is a breeding ground for technology. Writer and Photographer Rick Limpert will examine this each week on The Tech of Sports – With guests which include athletes, inventors and journalists that cover the intersection of sports and technology.

Austin Cohen, CEO, FlexIt

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Rick is joined this week by Austin Cohen. Cohen is the CEO of the new flexible fitness and gym membership, FlexIt.

Cohen is a consumer venture capitalist and entrepreneur with broad-based experience in strategy, business development, finance and capital raising across the consumer health and wellness, sports, entertainment and technology verticals. Cohen also has extensive operating experience and has a proven track record of accelerating early stage company growth. He has launched multiple fitness brands such as FlexIt, where he is founder and CEO, Cohen is also a partner, founding team member and first employee at private aviation start-up Wheels Up. Cohen received his MBA from Columbia Business School, Columbia University and received his BA from Columbia College, Columbia University. Cohen is from Roslyn, NY and was Valedictorian of Roslyn High School.

Let’s talk fitness…

Flexit is the ultimate in flexibility when it comes to your gym membership

If there is something more frustrating than getting a gym membership, using it and eventually wanting to cancel it, please let me know.
FlexIt–themobile-based solution that allows users to only pay for the gym time they use–announces the launch of its app, which is available in seven markets. FlexIt gives consumers the freedom to choose where and when they work out, providing them with a personalized fitness experience in which there is no upfront cost and the users only pay for the time they spend in the facility.

The app and platform is live in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia and Phoenix, with more than a dozen additional markets coming soon. FlexIt’s line-up of partner fitness locations currently includes large national players, such as Retro Fitness and Youfit Health Clubs, as well as large regional players, such as Charter Fitness, among many others.

“We created FlexIt so everyone could have the ability to work out how, when and where they want. We’ve been waiting a long time to bring FlexIt to the world, and it feels great to say that day is finally here,” said Cohen.

Featuring best-in-class technology, FlexIt is more than just an app –the FlexIt integrated technology system includes advanced check-in/check-out technology and tools for searching and filtering amenities so that users can tailor their fitness experience in a highly personalized manner.

See more about FlexIt here.

Thanks to Austin and enjoy this episode.

 

Richard Rakowski, CEO, Medically Home

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This week on “Tech of Sports”, Rick is joined by Richard Rakowski, CEO, Medically Home.

Richard has relished the excitement, diversity and nourishment secured from a 39-year career in engineering, strategy consulting and senior leadership roles in entrepreneurial start-ups, health care services companies, renewable energy, and resource recovery. His experience includes both public and private company leadership and he has been heavily influenced by his family history. He is a frequent public speaker and a passionate advocate for the transformation of acute medical care into safer, more clinically effective models.

He founded and led New Paradigm Ventures (NPV), a business incubator in the health care and food industry market. A study conducted by his firm brought him to American Healthways and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota as part of a merger between his firm and Healthways.

During his tenure as President of Healthways, Healthways stock grew from $18 to $53 per share as the impact of his work began to shape the care support and population health sectors. His scaled experience with population health inspired him and passionately drew him into a focus on disruptive healthcare services models. Since Healthways, Rich and his partner Andy founded Intersection Partners and launched a number of healthcare services businesses, including Clinically Home, the predecessor model of Medically Home.

Rich and his father were featured in the documentary film “Mr. Rakowski,” which examines the effects of the Holocaust on his childhood and their relationship.

Now with Medically Home, the hospital can come to your home.

This year at CES, the Medically Home team will be showcased a mock virtual hospital by displaying a patient’s living room equipped with custom configured software and analytics, telecommunication technologies, and sensors that allow the patient’s home to serve as a virtual expansion to bricks and mortar facilities.

In this year’s booth, Medically Home will be displaying Cesia Continuum™ a composition of proprietary IP, software, hardware, and third-party technology. The network Cesia (SAY-sha) provides, connects the three pillars of the Medically Home model: the patients home, mission control center, and the supply chain

How it works:

  • Set up a temporary virtual hospital room in the patient’s home
  • Configure/staff a physician-led/nurse-powered Medical Command Center – enabled and made safer via software supportive IP tools
  • Compose a clinical / operation / economic model that is designed to improve patient outcomes, while creating meaningful economic value
  • Configure a unique network of clinical/non-clinical services, medications, equipment and supplies to patients’ homes, enabled by software
  • Deliver care over a longer period of time to better stabilize patients and allow them to maintain a stable baseline after the episode of care
  • Enable selected surgical procedures to be performed outside the hospital, by linking the ambulatory surgery center to the temporary hospital unit in the home
  • Provide tools and systems that actively-engage the patient’s family, to amplify patient engagement and outcomes

This may be a great way for athletes or those having sports injury surgeries to recover in the comfort of their own home.

Per Richard: “The idea of Medically Home is what I felt when the doctor came into my home so many years ago. Medically Home is also about what the doctor felt from my mother and me when he left our home.”

Medically Home is an old idea whose time has come (again).

Thanks to Richard for coming on “Tech of Sports” and such a great idea for many people!

Nicole Tirado, CEO of Tearado Tech

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Rick is joined by Nicole Tirado of Tearado Tech, this week.

Nicole is the CEO of Tearado Tech. She is trying to make healthier living simple despite a hectic schedule, unanswered emails and crumbs on the kitchen floor with the smart and sustainable teaware collection.

By infusing tea + technology, she has led Tearado Tech to create the first Smart Tea Tumbler and tea travel collection. When she’s not working she is indoor cycling, squeezing macadamia nuts through a cheesecloth and concocting new plant based meals for her loquacious toddler, Phoenix Joli.

Nicole is a certified SCRUM Master and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management from the State University of New York at Cortland. She has 10 years of experience creating new experiences, products and programs. She helped ideate and produce the first New York Knicks Poetry Slam at Madison Square Garden in 2006. She began her professional career managing $10M in sales at the largest Consumer Packaged Goods corporation in the tobacco sector (Altria Group, formerly Phillip Morris USA). She then transitioned to the Tech sector in 2011 and helped birth the first open source Public Cloud with NASA. She designed the sales readiness program preparing US and APAC sales for launch. She then transitioned to London in 2014 and traveled the United Kingdom instructing business owners on how to leverage Hybrid Cloud to scale their businesses.

Let’s talk tea.

TeaRado Tech debuted the first wireless self-heating smart tea tumbler at CES 2019. Now drinkers can get hot tea from the first sip to the last.

While the US tea industry is only $25 billion away from being on par with coffee, there are still far less products for the tea enthusiast on the market than there are for java fans. TeaRado Tech is debuting the only wireless, self-heating smart tea tumbler that executes the heating of water, steeping of tea leaves and removal of the leaves.

TeaRado Tech’s eco-friendly and sustainable wireless self-heating smart tea tumbler heats water from room temperature to 170 degrees Fahrenheit in less than 20 minutes. To brew tea, the tumbler utilizes an automatic reverse French press that allows the loose leaf tea leaves to be exposed to water for a set duration of time before pushing them out of the water and sealing them off in a vacuum until the second steep or the user disposes them. Each tumbler will make two cups of tea at a time, is fully portable during the heating process and maintains liquid temperature for up to 13 hours. Removable, rechargeable batteries will be included with each wireless self-heating smart tea tumbler.
The corresponding app allows the user to control steep time, water temperature and will integrate seamlessly with other smart devices.

Check out what accessories are available so far here: https://tearado.tech/shop/.

TeaRado Tech’s wireless self-heating smart tea tumbler will retail for $150, including the app. A crowdfunding campaign is set to launch in 2019 and direct to consumer and retail orders are estimated to start being fulfilled in January 2020.
For more information, please visit TeaRado Tech at www.TeaRado.Tech.

Thanks to Nicole for coming and being a great interview and best of luck moving forward.

Notes: There is a trend for many athletes of those looking to stay healthy – instead of sodas, diet drinks and sports drinks… many turning to tea.

Feel free to read this piece on the top marathon runners from Kenya and their training: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/oct/11/drink-a-lot-of-tea-what-can-be-learned-from-a-kenyan-marathon-great

Nicole Tirado

Brendan McCarthy, KemperSports, National Director of Marketing and Sales

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As we approach the PGA Golf Show in Orlando, Rick is joined by Brendan McCarthy of KemperSports. Brendan is the National Director of Marketing and Sales and there is no better person to talk the business of golf as we look ahead to 2019.

Brendan McCarthy joined KemperSports in 2009 as a Regional Sales and Marketing Director and was promoted to serve as the National Director of Marketing and Sales. Mr. McCarthy has over 20 years of hospitality industry experience driving revenue and brand engagement results for resorts, private clubs and daily-fee operations. Brendan specializes in using data analysis to drive marketing and sales improvement. Previously, Brendan was a Director of Marketing for Vail Resorts and he earned both his MBA and BSBA from the University of Denver. Brendan is married with two young children living in the greater Chicago area where he volunteers as a youth sports coach and has served on the Youth Advisory Board for the First Tee of Greater Chicago and as a Commissioner for the Village of Wilmette Transportation Commission.

Founded in 1978, KemperSports has a rich history as a family-owned business with more than 7,000 staff members. From our first development project at Kemper Lakes Golf Course to our award-winning portfolio of over 130 facilities, including many nationally-ranked courses and tournament venues, our clients are at the core of the KemperSports family.

With a longstanding history of innovation and superior client solutions, KemperSports takes a unique, customized approach to each client. We employ the best people in the industry and provide ongoing education and continual review of processes to provide our clients with operational excellence and exceptional customer experience.

Mr. McCarthy is based in the KemperSports Northbrook, IL office.

He and Rick talk about the state of golf, what KemperSports is looking to do in the future and getting the word out about being a lifetime and family sport.

Pat Hegewald, On Air and Online with Kenosha Sports Extra

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Joined this week by my friend, Pat Hegewald this week for a fun episode.

Here’s how Pat describes himself:

Technology sales, sports enthusiast, decent father, excellent grandfather and all around solid citizen. Playing fantasy sports since 1988, working in sports talk radio in some capacity since 1990 with over 400 live play by play calls for high school and college games. Lover of all things Wisconsin (the Brewers run in the summer of ’18 was epic) and equal proponent of all thinks Kenosha….my hometown.

Pat and I talk about his love of sports and how that spawned a part-time career in sports broadcasting and sports talk.

He hosts Kenosha Sports Extra each Wednesday night on AM 1050 WLIP in Kenosha, WI and runs the Kenosha Sports Extra website.

He’s also a technology professional by day. We also talk about his regular caller, “Shirley.”

Let’s hear what Pat has in the works and as Pat always says… KTown Rocks!

Pat Hegewald

Alex McCarthy, CEO of CheerLife

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Rick is joined by Alex McCarthy of CheerLife this week.

CheerLife is the first and only digital social platform designed to connect the entire world of cheer while tracking, changing, and rewarding behavior in athletes all over the world. Created by a team of cheerleading world champions and Skylab’s cutting-edge technology, the app collaborates with influencers, sponsors, and brands to help recognize and reward young athletes for being consistent and reaching their goals.

CheerLife’s partnership with Skylab has enabled them to team up with major brands such as German sportswear manufacturer, Puma.

Puma is now rewarding athletes who display the following basic building blocks of life with 25% off all purchases at Puma.com

McCarthy said they stress:

  1. Actions to become a better cheerleader
  2. Actions to become a better person
  3. Actions to make the world a better place

Example actions include positive behaviors such as completing homework, giving parents compliments, and making a new friend.

The kids earn digital badges for completing these actions a set amount of times and then modeling their behavior for others by sharing online and within the CheerLife app.

“We are excited to team up with such a motivational brand. It’s a great feeling to align with a brand such as Puma simply to reward those student-athletes that work hard both on and off the mat” – Alex McCarthy, CEO of CheerLife.
McCarthy explains that there are big plans to keep growing in the future as the sport of cheerleading keeps growing.

McCarthy is a successful engineer, that turned the idea of connecting the cheerleading industry with an application into a reality for cheerleaders across the globe.

Running the show from San Diego, California, Alex has a vast array of experience both in and out of the cheer world. He has competed at the top level as an athlete, coach, and choreographer – competing & coaching with the California All-Stars since 2007. Accompanying a very successful career in cheer, Alex can be seen in films such as Bring it On 5: Fight to the Finish and Fired Up. Outside of cheer, Alex’s experience is in engineering, with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering.

Alex McCarthy