Innovation in the Sports Business

Disruption is affecting every industry including Sports. This month we will feature 2 local innovators and entrepreneurs to share some insight into the business of sports through a moderated discussion. Come prepared with your questions for these experts to exlpore the latest innovation in sports.

https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/9/6/f/1/600_465578641.jpeg

Dr. Deborah Stroman is an entrepreneur and enthusiastic educator at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a Sport Business professor (Kenan-Flagler Business School, College of Arts & Science Entrepreneurship Minor, and liaison with the Gillings School of Global Public Health) and Sport Entrepreneurship Director at the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise (http://kisport.unc.edu/). Her research interests include leadership, entrepreneurship, and social issues in sport.

Prior to her position at UNC, Stroman successfully owned a sport marketing and event planning company and enjoyed a 17-year career in financial services. She is the 2006 recipient of the state of Maryland’s Top Minority Business Enterprise Award from the Governor’s Office, which recognizes entrepreneurial success in business development, professional affiliation, client satisfaction, and community involvement.

She has been a partner with numerous sports teams and sport-related organizations including the NCAA, College Football Playoff, WNBA, and the Atlantic Coast Conference. She advises numerous startup companies in her effort to “create and connect sport business people and ventures.” Each year, Stroman serves as a mentor with American Underground and Google for Entrepreneurship’s program to support and guide new startup sport technology ventures. Her LASER™ (Life After Sports with Effective Results – www.laser10.co (http://www.laser10.co/)) company assists former professional athletes through the necessary transition from their sporting career to a valued career, business ownership, and/or the completion of an academic degree. She recently co-founded Women in Sports Tech (www.womeninsportstech.org (http://www.womeninsportstech.org/)) a non-profit purposed to create a supportive community for women leaders.

John Cone, PhD, CSCS is a founder and CEO of Fit for 90 (https://www.fitfor90.com/) a software company improving athlete performance, and injury resistance through athlete monitoring, and sports science consulting. While John has a PhD in Kinesiology, one of his biggest strength is the depth and breadth of his experiences that allow him to integrate sports science in the practical world. In addition to Fit for 90, John is currently the lead sports science educator for the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), and was formerly the Director of Sports Science with the Portland Timbers, and Assistant Coach with Sporting KC. He first came to the triangle in 2002 as an assistant coach with the men's soccer team at UNC Chapel Hill. Some of the highlights since the launch of Fit for 90 include:

· USWNT (soccer) wins the 2015 Women's World Cup using Fit for 90 monitoring software

· Wake Forest University Men's soccer reaches the elite-8 in 2015 and final-4 in 2016

· Duke University Women's soccer reaches NCAA national championship in 2015

· UNC Women's Lacrosse wins 2016 NCAA national championship in 2016

· League-wide provider to National Women's Soccer League

Parking is available on the street or the Corcoran deck. You will need to take the elevator to the training room on the 2nd floor. One of the organizers will be escorting people to the training room as you will need someone to use their badge to access the location. We will provide snacks and beverages.