sports-medicine
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Tony Verutti
Tony Verutti is the CEO of Betterguards Technology, a German sports-tech company whose adaptive ankle brace uses a micro-hydraulic piston that stays loose during play and locks in a split second when the ankle rolls, then releases. A lifelong athlete who tore his ACL four times and grew up in a physical therapist's household, he took the top job in April 2023 and pushed the product into the NBA, NFL, NCAA and Olympic teams, backed by the NBA's Launchpad program. His pitch: athletes shouldn't trade mobility for protection, and gear should be built on science, not tradition.
Scott Magargee
Scott Magargee is the CEO and co-founder of Springbok Analytics, a Charlottesville, Virginia company that turns ordinary MRI scans into FDA-cleared, AI-built 3D maps of every muscle in the human body. A former Princeton history major and Top 100 law firm litigator, he traded courtrooms for muscle health, joining the University of Virginia spinout in December 2019 and steering it through a $5M oversubscribed Series A in January 2025 backed by the NBA. Under his watch, Springbok has scanned elite athletes, pro basketball leagues, and clinical-trial patients, chasing a single idea: make muscle visible, measurable, and actionable.
Darryl Barnes
Darryl Barnes is a physician-turned-inventor who co-founded Sonex Health, an Eagan, Minnesota medtech company building ultrasound-guided devices that move carpal tunnel and trigger finger surgery out of the operating room and into the clinic office. A former Mayo Clinic sports medicine doctor, he co-invented the UltraGuideCTR device, holds numerous medical device patents, and helped raise more than $60 million to scale the company. He has served as both CEO and chief technology officer, and was named Medical Devices CEO of the Year for the Upper Midwest in 2018.
Dr. Kholod Shafi
Dr. Kholod Shafi is a Karachi-based MBBS doctor, practicing Family Physician, and elite fitness trainer who built AeroFitness - a health platform that fuses medical expertise with physical training. Holding three certifications from the International Sports Sciences Association, she manages clients across the full health spectrum, from managing chronic conditions like diabetes and autoimmune diseases to supporting pregnant women and aspiring athletes recovering from injury. Her mission: bridge the gap between the clinic and the gym.