Bandit Running is a Brooklyn-born, community-first performance running brand founded in 2020 by Tim and Nick West with designer Ardith Singh. Starting with a single pair of cushioned running socks packed by hand, Bandit grew through New York run clubs into a full head-to-toe running apparel line - shorts, tights, singlets, sports bras, socks and lifestyle wear - sold direct-to-consumer. The brand is known for co-designing product with its running community, high social engagement, and The Unsponsored Project, which backs professional runners without shoe deals. Bandit raised a $14.25M Series A in 2023.
Gazelle Sports is a Michigan-based specialty running and active-lifestyle retailer founded in Kalamazoo in 1985. With seven stores across West and Southeast Michigan plus an online shop, it sells running shoes, soccer gear, apparel and accessories, and pairs product with expert fittings, training programs and community events. In 2024 it became 100% woman-owned and operated, led by CEO Jennifer Brummitt and CMO Cara Cross, and its mission is simply to inspire others to move.
Wendy Kula is a sports and consumer-brand marketing executive who was named Chief Marketing Officer of Saucony in May 2026. A former Stanford lacrosse player with more than two decades in the industry, she most recently served as vice president of women's brand marketing for North America at Nike, where she led the brand's Super Bowl return with the 'So Win' campaign and the launch of A'ja Wilson's signature shoe. Before Nike she built relevance for American Eagle's Aerie and scaled MISSION, the cooling-technology company co-founded by Serena Williams and Dwyane Wade. At Saucony she oversees global brand marketing, digital, creative, and go-to-market strategy across performance and lifestyle running.
Movemint is a San Francisco software company building a modern operating system for endurance events. Founded in 2024 by former Strava engineering leader Zack Isaacs and designer Taylor Peliska, it gives race organizers one hub for registration, e-commerce, timing, results, email marketing, volunteers, and sponsors, while giving athletes a social, Strava-connected place to sign up, share results, and celebrate friends. It has grown fast, tripling its business roughly every quarter since launch, and now powers hundreds of events worldwide.
Zack Isaacs is the co-founder and CEO of Movemint, a mobile-first platform rebuilding how athletic events are discovered, registered, run, and remembered. Strava's first API hire, he spent five years wiring the fitness world together - linking Garmin, Wahoo, Peloton, and Zwift - and led engineering for Strava's paid Routes, one of its most lucrative features. In 2023 he left to fix the part of endurance sport that still felt broken: the sign-up. Backed by Underscore VC and Strava co-founder Michael Horvath, Movemint launched in February 2024 and has roughly tripled its business every quarter since.

Rex Woodbury is the founder and managing partner of Daybreak Ventures, an early-stage VC firm, and the creator of Digital Native, a weekly newsletter with 72,000+ subscribers exploring the intersection of technology and culture. A Dartmouth and Stanford Knight-Hennessy Scholar, former Goldman Sachs analyst, TPG and Index Ventures partner, Guinness World Record holder, LGBTQ+ advocate, and competitive runner, Woodbury is one of the most distinctive voices in venture capital — blending anthropological observation with market analysis to decode how Gen Z and emerging technology are reshaping commerce, communication, and culture.