strength-training
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Dirk Buikema
Dirk Buikema is the founder and CEO of Hyperwear, an Austin-based functional fitness company he started in 2011. A former corporate attorney and semiconductor strategist turned inventor, he holds multiple US patents for training gear including the SandBell sandbag, the Hyper Vest adjustable weighted vest, and the SteelBell. Under his lean, research-driven, direct-to-consumer approach, Hyperwear grew 85% from 2022 to 2024 and landed on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies.
Allen Chen
Allen Chen is the co-founder and CEO of Fitbod, the San Francisco strength-training app that uses machine learning to design a fresh, personalized workout every time you open it. A UCLA computer science grad and former Wall Street high-frequency trading strategist, Chen swapped optimizing stock portfolios for optimizing sets and reps, building an algorithm that picks exercises the way he once picked trades. Since launching in 2015 with co-founder Jesse Venticinque, Fitbod has grown to more than 300,000 paid subscribers while staying lean and profitable.