Technology

Global Academy and Hawk-Eye Innovations team up to give students access to cutting edge sports replay technology

Hawk-Eye has teamed up with Global Academy to give students access to its replay technology. Pictured [L to R]: Conrad Lynton, Global Academy student; Werner Booysen, senior product manager, Hawk-Eye Broadcast Solutions; Mark Pendergast, director of development, Global Academy; Doug Price, head of commercial and operations, Hawk-Eye Broadcast Solutions; Kinte Hayles-Ricahrds, student, Global Academy; and […]

Published

4 weeks ago

June 11, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Global Academy and Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations have announced a partnership set to provide students with access to cutting edge sports replay technology. This collaboration marks a significant step in bridging the gap between education and the professional sports broadcast industry, offering students on Global Academy’s new Level 3 Sports Media pathway a unique, hands-on learning experience.

This strategic initiative will see Hawk-Eye’s industry-standard broadcast solutions, HawkReplay and HawkNest installed. The replay equipment will be onsite at Global Academy’s state-of-the-art media training facility in West London. This is the only such provision in the UK, placing Global Academy students at the forefront of sports media training.

Key Partnership Highlights:

Exclusive Onsite Access: Global Academy students will have direct, hands-on access to Hawk-Eye equipment, the very same technology used across top-tier global sporting events and federations, providing an authentic industry experience.
Pioneering UK Initiative: This is the only partnership in the UK to provide this level of professional replay equipment directly within an academy setting, offering a unique advantage to Global Academy students.
Supporting the New Sports Media Course: This collaboration is a cornerstone of Global Academy’s brand new Level 3 Sports Media sixth form pathway, launching in September 2025. The course is specifically designed for 16-18 year olds aspiring to careers in the sports media and broadcast sector.
Industry-Leading Skills Development: Students will develop crucial operational skills and knowledge using professional-grade equipment, ensuring they are well-prepared for the demands of the sports broadcast industry.
Fostering Future Talent: The collaboration aims to create a direct pipeline of skilled young professionals ready to innovate and excel in the dynamic world of sports broadcast and media.

Global Academy, which was recently rated Outstanding in key areas by Ofsted, will integrate the Hawk-Eye technology directly into its curriculum for the new Level 3 Sports Media pathway. This unique course will allow students to develop the skills and knowledge for the sports media, marketing, and broadcast sector by providing hands-on practical learning with employers and partners in their state-of-the-art media training facility in West London.

A spokesperson for Global Academy said: “We are incredibly excited to launch this groundbreaking partnership with Hawk-Eye. Providing our students with onsite access to this industry-leading replay equipment is a game-changer. It perfectly aligns with our commitment to delivering practical, career-focused education. It will be integral to our new Level 3 Sports Media course, empowering the next generation of sports media professionals. This is a significant investment in our students’ futures and in the future of the UK sports media industry.”

K. Douglas Price, head of commercial and operations, broadcast solutions at Hawk-Eye commented: “We are proud to partner with Global Academy to support the development of new talent in the sports media industry. By providing students access to our best-in-class replay technology, we aim to equip them with the practical skills and experience needed to thrive in this fast-paced sector. This unique initiative in the UK demonstrates our commitment to fostering innovation and expertise for the new generation of professionals entering the broadcast industry.”

This collaboration underscores Global Academy’s dedication to providing industry-leading educational opportunities and further solidifies its position as a hub for nurturing talent in the media and entertainment sectors. Integrating Hawk-Eye technology will ensure students on the new Sports Media course receive an unparalleled educational experience, preparing them for successful careers in the vibrant sports media landscape.

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Technology

AI wearables startup Movetru closes €1.4M to tackle sports injuries at the root

Sportech startup Movetru, focused on movement analysis and injury prevention, has raised €1.4 million Pre-Seed funding. Movetru was founded by Naomi McGregor, an award-winning entrepreneur whose journey began after a ballet injury at age 14 went undiagnosed for three years. Motivated by a personal mission to improve movement health for others, Naomi combined her lived experience […]

Published

15 minutes ago

July 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Sportech startup Movetru, focused on movement analysis and injury prevention, has raised €1.4 million Pre-Seed funding.

Movetru was founded by Naomi McGregor, an award-winning entrepreneur whose journey began after a ballet injury at age 14 went undiagnosed for three years.

Motivated by a personal mission to improve movement health for others, Naomi combined her lived experience with a Masters in Product Design Engineering to create a more accessible way to understand and improve human performance.

Movetru’s flagship wearable and AI-powered app-based solution provides real-time biomechanical insights to help athletes and coaches make better, faster decisions about performance and injury risk — on the field, in the gym, or in rehab.

The product is being used by professional and amateur sports organisations across the UK and Ireland, with strong early results and feedback.

According to Steve Key, Performance Coach at the Belfast Giants (Ice Hockey), Movetru is a comprehensive tool that can be used in any situation or environment to gain in-depth data points and key metrics around an individual’s movement patterns and ability to function optimally.

“As a performance coach, having this readily available, in an easily digestible format, is key to making quick and informed decisions that benefit the health and wellbeing of players.”

“We are absolutely thrilled to be leading this round for Movetru,” said Jessica Rasmussen, co-founder and CEO of Two Magnolias. “Naomi and her team are solving a critical gap in sports performance with grit, vision, and world-class execution.

Movetru represents the best of Northern Ireland’s tech talent, and we are excited to back them on this journey.”

Two Magnolias led the funding, which was supported by an international syndicate of investors including IAG Capital, HBAN, Angel Academe, AwakenAngels, and various individual angel investors with industry expertise, such as Dr Phil Graham-Smith (co-founder of ForceDecks), Dr Mark Batt (Consultant and Hon Professor Sport and Exercise medicine), and Jeff Mostyn (former chairman of AFC Bournemouth).

“This success of this round demonstrates the growing international recognition of Movetru’s potential. We’re building something globally relevant, and that’s reflected in our cap table,” said Naomi McGregor, Founder and CEO of Movetru.

“With this investment, we’re accelerating our mission to empower athletes through better data. When you understand movement, you can improve it.”

The raise is a major step forward for the company as it scales operations and begins wider commercial rollout, bringing validated, athlete-first technology to clubs, coaches, and clinics. Athletes, coaches, and sports professionals can now book on-field screenings and pre-order Movetru devices via the official website.

Lead image: McBurney Photography.

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Technology

Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell wants to save college sports

Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire on roster squeeze, tampering Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire discusses players on bubble to make 105-man roster. He also says agents ‘shopping players’ in college football DALLAS — He doesn’t need this. He can walk away right now, and leave the unseemly unraveling of college sports to someone […]

Published

34 minutes ago

July 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

DALLAS — He doesn’t need this. He can walk away right now, and leave the unseemly unraveling of college sports to someone else.

Hop on a plane and escape Washington D.C. and the land of everybody’s got an angle, and be home in the DFW Metroplex in a matter of hours. An amateur sports world of turmoil in his wake.

Or he could do what he has always done.

Fix the problem.

“I’ve built and sold $15 billion worth of companies,” Cody Campbell says. “I’m not a dumbass.”

Of all the upheaval, of all the unthinkable moves over the last four years that have drastically changed college sports, none would be more improbable than this.

A deep-pocket booster, a capital investment savant, saving college football – and by proxy, college sports – from itself.

He knows what you’re thinking. What does a billionaire businessman, a Texas Tech sports sugar daddy, know about saving college football?

The logical response: what do university presidents know? Because they’re the men and women in charge of it all now — and doing a catastrophically poor job of it.

Cody Campbell part of Donald Trump’s team

Campbell, 43, sees the dichotomy of it all, and at this point, the only thing that matters is the most powerful man in the world believes Campbell has a chance to assess the problems of college sports – with its front porch money-maker, football – and fix it.

Though the White House hasn’t officially announced it, President Trump and Campbell – a former offensive lineman at Texas Tech in the early 2000s – have spoken at length about how to fix the problems of the last four years of paradigm change within college sports. Change that seems to inevitably lead to the downsize, and in some cases, the elimination, of women’s and Olympic sports.

There won’t be a commission, as had been previously reported. A person close to the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told USA TODAY Sports that it will follow much in the same way Trump deals with other problems: he finds a point person, and that person reports directly to him.

When asked if he were that person, Campbell said, “I’ve been in conversations with President Trump for quite some time now, and the one thing I can tell you is he cares very much about preserving and maintaining college sports. Not just football, but women’s sports and Olympic sports, and the opportunities they provide. It’s one of the best things we have culturally in this country.

“I don’t want to see it die. And we can all see it’s dying.”

Cody Campbell part of problem and solution?

It is here where we address the obvious. The same person who will be charged with finding the fix to a myriad of issues, is the same booster who has been, in the eyes of many, part of the problem.

This time last year, Campbell – through the Texas Tech Matador Club collective – was busy convincing All-America pitcher NiJaree Canady to leave Stanford for a record-breaking million-dollar NIL deal. Leave the history and tradition of Stanford softball, for the great unknown in Lubbock, Texas.

A deal that quickly became the very definition of college sports losing its way. And soul.

A year later, Tech advanced to its first Women’s College World Series behind Canady, and lost in the championship series to rival Texas. And that’s only the shallow end of a deep and committed dive for Campbell and a handful of private Texas Tech donors.

But these are the rules laid out by those currently running college sports. There’s no rhyme or reason, no definitive lines to color between.

So Campbell and his donor group, like many others, take advantage of them. They know the rules, they’re playing the game.

They’re chasing the Big Ten and SEC, the two super conferences who have seized control of the present and future of college sports. There’s currently only one way for schools in other conferences to reach them and compete at the same level.

With cold, hard cash.

Cody Campbell isn’t just trying to fix Texas Tech

Campbell knows what a win over Texas in the Women’s CWS would’ve meant to Texas Tech, and what a College Football Playoff run this season will mean. He and his donor group have invested more than $300 million in facilities upgrades for the football program, and currently have $55 million in NIL contracts for all Texas Tech athletes for the 2025 season — a number believed to be the largest (by far) in the NCAA.

And that’s the irony of this story. Campbell doesn’t need to jump into the cesspool of D.C. politics, or massage the egos of the big personalities of college sports and their insular nature of self-protection.

He could just keep throwing hundreds of millions at Texas Tech and attempt to buy championships, and avoid all the agita.

But this is much bigger than that. This is about sports and society, and protecting a unique opportunity for all ― not just for the 34 schools in the Big Ten and SEC, or other universities fortunate enough to have deep-pocket boosters to bridge any financial divide.

“When he dives into something to fix it, there’s no stone left unturned,” says Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire. “He’s going to find a way.”

There’s a reason officials in the Big Ten and SEC recoil at the mention of Campbell. It’s not just his brash use of existing NIL rules, but his public declarations that college sports is dying with a current caste system of winners and losers.

The winners: the Big Ten and SEC, with their billion-dollar media rights deals separating them from the rest of college sports.

The losers: everyone else, with media rights deals less than half of what the Big Ten and SEC earn.

The reorganization of college sports over the last four years is all about money. Those making it, and those losing it.

But Campbell has a different idea: share the wealth, increase revenue and watch college sports grow like never before.

What does a billionaire businessman know about saving college sports, you ask? More than you think.

Cody Campbell is built for job of saving college sports

This story begins two generations ago, where Bill Cagle, Campbell’s maternal grandfather, grew up in hardscrabble Childers, Texas. His family lived through the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, persevering through an ecological disaster in the Texas panhandle despite the barest of necessities.

Cagle made it out because he played football, earning a scholarship to Hardin-Simmons when it played in the old Division I Border Conference. Cagle, a member of the school’s Hall of Fame, was also captain of the baseball and track and field teams. A true Texas legend.

Campbell’s dad, Cliff, grew up in tiny Haskell, Texas, and was the first on his side of the family to go to college. A mega recruit long before the days of recruiting rankings, if Cliff didn’t play football, he never would’ve seen the inside of a classroom at Texas Tech.

Then there’s Cody, who was part of coach Mike Leach’s first recruiting class at Texas Tech. A four-year letterman at Tech, Campbell had a cup of coffee in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts before deciding to use the business degree he earned.

His latest business move this spring with partner John Sellers, another former Texas Tech football player and booster: selling some of their energy company’s assets in the Permian, Texas oil basin for $4 billion. His two deals prior to that: $2.8 billion (2017) and $6.4 billion (2021).

It’s hard to find a better example of the value of a college education and the college sports experience – the very thing Campbell and many others within higher education believe is lost in the reshaping of amateur sports – than the Campbell family tree.

And what’s getting lost, Campbell says, is the hundreds of thousands of stories over the years just like his. Some with significantly more difficult beginnings, and equally inspiring success.

The sea change in college sports

College sports was once a personal investment on and off the field, a grind of four or five difficult but rewarding years that shaped a future. Now it’s monetarily transactional, a way station to the path of least resistance.

“I met my wife, met all of my best friends, and my life is what it is because I had the opportunity to play college football,” Campbell said. “I feel like I owe it to the system, to the institution of college sports, to try to help fix it and make it work again.”

The plan to make it work begins and ends with the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which provides limited antitrust exemptions for sports leagues and allows them to pool media rights to sell collectively.

Campbell believes the four power conferences can pool their collective rights and generate significantly more revenue. The Big Ten and SEC, for numerous reasons – for starters, control of their brands and television windows on their own networks – want no part of it.

Or as one high-ranking SEC official, who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions, said: “Why would we share revenue when we have the product that bears the fruit, and others don’t?”

Currently, the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12 earn an estimated $3 billion combined annually from media rights. But a high-placed industry official told USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity due to the nature of the subject that a single-payer system (pooled rights) could double the current value of the combined power conference deals.

“But they can’t even agree on how many (conference) games to play,” the industry official said. “Do you really think they can agree on something like single payer?”

They may not have a choice.

The ink on the landmark House case settlement – which has ushered in revenue sharing between schools and players, and the need for increased revenue across college sports to pay for it – wasn’t even dry before multiple appeals were filed, including former athletes claiming Title IX violations in the disbursement of $2.8 billion backpay to former players.

But it’s the lawsuits that haven’t been filed that concern the presidents and chancellors of the power conferences. The House settlement also set the framework for private NIL deals that are not part of the university’s allowed maximum revenue share pool of $20.5 million for all athletes.

An accounting firm will decide “fair market value” for those private NIL deals, which will unquestionably be the difference in many high school and transfer portal signings. The firm has the power to cancel such deals it deems unfit.

Needless to say, a fair market arbiter in a free market economy is rife with legal pitfalls.

This is where the federal government comes into play — and where Campbell and Trump’s focus on college sports can help sherpa legislation through a deeply divided Congress. But at a price.

In the simplest of terms, if the SEC and Big Ten want protection from lawsuits and federal antitrust laws – officials from both conferences have had double-digit meetings with Congress over the last four years, begging for help – they’ll listen and negotiate and come to a viable agreement.

At least, in theory.

Because getting their collective arms around this beast won’t be easy. The threat of antitrust and Title IX lawsuits are one thing, the tentacles from those big picture problems go much deeper.

There’s employment law, creating a new governance structure for college sports, negotiation of complicated employment issues that pro sports spent decades figuring out — with the help of players as employees and collective bargaining.

College sports, meanwhile, is trying to shove it all through the eye of a needle. With multiple voices and opinions.

During the SEC spring meetings in May, exasperated SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, admitted, “I have people in my room asking, ‘Why are we still in the NCAA?’”

As it currently stands, there are two ways to fix the fallout of the last four years of paradigm change: make players employees and collectively bargain, or find significant revenue streams and reset the financial structure.

University presidents don’t want players as employees, because once down that road, players will collectively bargain and earn significantly more in media rights — and universities will earn significantly less.

But if leaders of college sports don’t want players as employees, and want Congress to implement liability protection from future lawsuits, what will they give in return to avoid an unending wave of litigation aimed at an association that over the years has failed spectacularly in court?

Senators from the states of Idaho, Wyoming, New Mexico and the like – where smaller Bowl Subdivision programs will be at a greater disadvantage with the advent of revenue sharing – aren’t going to for antitrust protection for the power conferences without financial gains that protect their respective universities.

Campbell, for lack of a better explanation, will be the deal-maker — with the power of the presidency, the threat of antitrust law and a growing disdain for the evolving state of college sports behind him.

None of his billion dollar deals of the past will have as much personal impact as this one. And here’s the kicker: he doesn’t need to do it.

A majority of the holdings for Campbell and a group of private Texas Tech donors in the energy industry are in the Permian Basin, which is expected to account for nearly 50 percent of all U.S. oil production in 2026.

They may as well be printing money.

The Texas Tech softball team finished national runner up. The basketball team advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA men’s tournament, and the football team just signed the No. 1 transfer portal class.

“The best thing that could happen to Texas Tech is the same system persists,” Campbell said. “We are gaining ground on blue blood programs because we have donor money, and people willing to put it to work. Why would I do anything to fix things long term? I have no reason to do it other than the system, and the opportunity to change the trajectory of student athletes’ lives and preserve the system long-term for more than 500,000 student athletes. This isn’t a hobby, this has become my calling.”

The unsustainable limit

There was a time when BCS and CFP were hot-button acronyms of college football. Now it’s ROI.

Return On Investment.

There are winners and losers in this new high stakes game of throwing cash at the right players. And boosters who aren’t seeing an agreeable return on their investments – success and/or individual production – are beginning to get out.

USA TODAY Sports spoke with more than 10 boosters at high profile power conference schools, and only one outside of Campbell would talk on the record about the fluid crapshoot that is NIL and paying players.

Every booster contacted said there’s a limit to the giving — and it’s arriving sooner than later.

“NIL space for boosters is like throwing money into a deep, dark hole with little to no return on the investment,” said Florida booster Gary Condron. “Nobody likes this. Not athletic directors, not coaches, not boosters. The only ones who like it are the players, and the attorneys and agents.”

Condron, 67, like Campbell, is self-made and worked multiple jobs to pay his way through college. He walked on to play baseball at Florida in the mid-1970s, and his career was cut short from a rotator cuff injury.

But he earned his degree in building construction, and not long after founded a construction firm that specializes in light industrial structures. His firm is one of the leading builders for Amazon’s distribution centers around the country.

It’s that process, Condron says, that grind and perseverance, that gets lost in the immediate satisfaction of pay for play — especially when high school players are paid before ever stepping on the field.

“I came from a family that didn’t have two nickels to rub together,” Condron said. “If I had an opportunity to eat at the training table (at Florida) it was a blessing for me. If you saw what kids get today, the hair on your neck would stand up. I don’t know how much longer I can (fund NIL) unless we get some guardrails.”

The House settlement already has begun to build some guardrails, by sheer luck or evolution. The settlement allows for private NIL deals, but has no specific language about how those contracts are written.

So boosters are taking the next move in protecting their investments. They’re using buyouts for players who leave early, and forcing schools who sign those players to pay the full terms of the contract left behind.

That simple fix – as long as a majority of power conference schools use similar contract language – will have a profound impact on controlling costs and player movement. But that’s only part of the problem.

“We have to change the economic model. Ninety percent of the people I talk to agree with that,” Campbell said. “We can easily create a model where the SEC and Big Ten make significantly more money than they do now, and where everybody else is above the poverty line. Where the rising tide lifts all boats.”

Campbell’s argument is simple: if big money and the transfer portal can help struggling programs advance to the college football holy land, why can’t that same big money from a pooled media rights contract and a standalone CFP deal help non-power conference schools save opportunities for all athletes by protecting women’s and Olympic sports?

“Why would we want to diminish opportunity?” Campbell said. “The goal is to create it.”

Earlier this spring, Campbell stood outside the entrance of a posh Fort Worth, Texas, hotel, trying to find a way to explain the importance of his mission. A valet pulled his late model Chevy Suburban into the half circle drive, a hard-working thorn unapologetically pushing through the beautiful parade of high-dollar European vehicles.

The reality is not lost on the moment. Money changes everything.

If Indiana, the armpit of college football for more than a century, can win 11 games in 2024 – its first double-digit win season in 126 years of the program – and advance to the CFP, why can’t Memphis?

If SMU, which hasn’t been among the college football elite since its rogue Southwest Conference days in the 1980s, hadn’t paid $200 million to join the ACC — would it have still reached the CFP last season as a member of the American Athletic Conference?

What does a billionaire businessman know about fixing college football, you ask?

“I think some people feel like if they sabotage the White House project that I’m just going to go away. Well, I’m not,” Campbell said. “I have enough money to have my own lobbying effort.”

What does a billionaire businessman know about fixing college football, you ask? Enough to know that change on the field is insignificant compared to the need for future change in all of college sports.

“I’m very confident the ideas I have are well researched and correct,” he continued. “They’re workable and won’t hurt anyone. And won’t wreak havoc on the system.”

Or the exact opposite of the last four years.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

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Technology

With Fitbit part of Google, Amazon Is Clearing Out the Fitbit Charge 6 at a New All-Time Low.

Google has owned Fitbit for a couple of years now, but that hasn’t slowed the brand’s momentum. The Charge 6 remains both a fashionable add-on and an excellent fitness tracker and its smartphone app is simply brilliant to use and navigate. For Prime Day, Amazon is debuting a huge 40% off discount, which brings the Charge […]

Published

35 minutes ago

July 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Google has owned Fitbit for a couple of years now, but that hasn’t slowed the brand’s momentum. The Charge 6 remains both a fashionable add-on and an excellent fitness tracker and its smartphone app is simply brilliant to use and navigate.

For Prime Day, Amazon is debuting a huge 40% off discount, which brings the Charge 6 down to an all-time low. The deal is only for Prime members but if you are not a member, you can take advantage of a 30-day free trial to join in on the action.

The Fitbit Charge 6 is now available for as little as $99, down from its standard price of $159. This drastic drop in price makes it easier than ever to get your hands on a device that offers modern style with advanced health tracking features. The Charge 6 is more than a step tracker:it’s loaded with technology that will assist you in staying on top of your health and keeping you connected during the day.

See at Amazon

Health and Fitness Tracker

You will love its suite of health and fitness tools: The tracker monitors your heart rate 24/7 and can display your heart rate in real time when connected to compatible exercise machines like treadmills and ellipticals. Built-in GPS lets you track your routes and distance accurately during outdoor runs, walks, or bike rides without needing to bring your phone. The Charge 6 includes over 40 exercise modes, automatic exercise recognition and all-day activity tracking so you can view everything from calories burned to Active Zone Minutes. Sleep tracking is also included with personalized nightly Sleep Scores and a Smart Wake alarm to wake you up feeling refreshed.

The Charge 6 doesn’t stop with fitness: It’s also a great health partner and offers means of managing stress with a daily stress score and more profound insights into your health through the Fitbit app. The tracker itself features a sealed design so it’s swimproof and allows you to wear it in the pool or shower and be assured. You’ll even get a six-month Fitbit Premium membership with this Prime Day deal where you’ll have access to deeper insights and guided sessions.

Google’s ecosystem integration makes things even more convenient: Turn-by-turn directions on Google Maps are available from your wrist, music playback control is accessible on YouTube Music and payments can be made on the go using Google Wallet. Call, text, and app notifications keep you connected and the device is compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones. The battery life also stretches to up to seven days on one charge, so you can see your week out without reaching for the charger every few hours.

If you’d like to level up your fitness routine, the Fitbit Charge 6 for $99 is hard to ignore.

See at Amazon

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Technology

JWP Connatix Appoints Dr. Kenneth Rona as Company’s First Chief AI Officer

JWP Connatix has appointed Kenneth Rona, Ph.D. as its first Chief AI Officer. In this newly created role, Dr. Rona will lead efforts to transform JWP Connatix into an AI-first company, accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence across the company’s products, services, and internal operations. He will play a central role in integrating AI into […]

Published

2 hours ago

July 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

JWP Connatix has appointed Kenneth Rona, Ph.D. as its first Chief AI Officer. In this newly created role, Dr. Rona will lead efforts to transform JWP Connatix into an AI-first company, accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence across the company’s products, services, and internal operations.

He will play a central role in integrating AI into both new and existing JWP Connatix products, helping broadcasters, publishers, and advertisers unlock deeper insights, automations, and monetization opportunities across online video and connected TV.

“Ken is a rare combination of strategist, builder, and innovator,” says John Nardone, CEO of JWP Connatix. “His deep expertise, thought leadership, and entrepreneurial track record make him the ideal leader to guide our AI transformation. AI is driving the future of media, and Ken’s appointment ensures we can lead our broadcasting, publishing, and advertising customers to the opportunities ahead.”

An award-winning AI and data science executive, Dr. Rona brings more than 20 years of experience driving innovation in digital advertising and media technology. He has held leadership roles at Turner Broadcasting System and AOL, founded four startups—including SWYM, winner of the 2024 AdExchanger Award for “Best Industry Startup” and Chalice Custom Algorithms, winner of the 2022 AdExchanger Award for “Best Early Stage Technology Company” and “Best Demand-Side Technology” —and served as a strategic advisor to numerous ad tech companies, driving AI product strategy and data science optimization. His expertise spans artificial intelligence, machine learning, and scalable data driven solutions for digital media performance.

“AI is rapidly transforming the media industry, and the opportunities are endless,” says Dr. Rona. “JWP Connatix already has a strong foundation with AI-powered products like Deep Contextual™ for content analysis and targeting, and I’m excited to lead the team through this next chapter of innovation, developing new tools and products that accelerate business opportunities for our team and clients.”

Dr. Rona holds a Ph.D. in Management from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and has built products that have processed billions of daily transactions while delivering significant performance improvements for digital advertising campaigns.

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Looking for a new Apple Watch? There’s a deal for every budget in the Prime Day sales

The best smartwatches are some of the most sought-after devices online, especially during the Amazon Prime Day sales. And now that the summer sale event has kicked off, there are some great Apple Watch deals kicking about for every kind of budget out there. Apple isn’t known for great deals – it’s just the way […]

Published

2 hours ago

July 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Apple isn’t known for great deals – it’s just the way the cookie crumbles with the tech giant – but there’s usually a good chance deals can surface during major sales events, even if it’s only a small saving. But we’ve done the hard work of finding those for you.

• See all of today’s best Amazon deals

One of the best aspects of these Apple Watch Prime Day deals is that there’s a discount for different types of models out there, whether you’re after a cheap model to get you started such as the Apple Watch SE 2, or if you’re a serious wellness geek and want an advanced fitness tracker like the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which you can bag for a record-low price of $649.99.

But that’s just scratching the surface of Apple Watch Prime Day deals, and we’ve compiled a list of the best ones that are live on Amazon’s site for all budgets – kicking things off with the Apple Watch Series 10.

Apple Watch Amazon Prime Day deals

More of today’s best Amazon Prime Day deals

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Scottish Sports Tech Startup Theo Health Raises £1.2M and Teams up With Xander Schauffele

GLASGOW, Scotland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jul 8, 2025– Scottish sports tech startup Theo Health has raised £1.2 million and teamed up with Xander Schauffele – two-time major winner, Olympic gold medalist, and the world’s number three ranked golf player – as the company continues the development of a smart clothing platform designed to empower elite athletes and their […]

Published

3 hours ago

July 8, 2025

Your Sports Nation

GLASGOW, Scotland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jul 8, 2025–

Scottish sports tech startup Theo Health has raised £1.2 million and teamed up with Xander Schauffele – two-time major winner, Olympic gold medalist, and the world’s number three ranked golf player – as the company continues the development of a smart clothing platform designed to empower elite athletes and their strength and conditioning coaches with lab-grade data in real time.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250708318922/en/

Jodie Sinclair, CEO and Founder, Theo Health (by Stewart Attwood)

Schauffele joins Theo Health as both an investor and one of the founding ‘Alpha Athletes’ in Theo’s elite testing programme that aims to support athletes around injury prevention and recovery. Theo’s CEO and founder Jodie Sinclair had been scouted for a US soccer scholarship before rupturing her ACL the week before starting university, an injury that sidelined her for three years and ended her competitive sporting career.

Jodie Sinclair said: “There was no feedback during my recovery – I had no way of knowing if I was doing the right thing, or making it worse. Theo is the system I wish I had when I was injured, one that makes recovery measurable, progress visible, and elite performance possible again.”

CEO Sinclair added: “After a couple of years in stealth mode where we deliberately stayed under the radar, focusing on IP protection, product development, and building a world-class team, it’s great to now be back in the spotlight.”

Theo’s first product – the ‘Theo Alpha Shorts’ – embed inertial measurement units (IMUs) within high-performance compression wear to track every rep in real time: from depth and tempo to balance, symmetry, and knee alignment. Each garment connects seamlessly to Theo’s modular ‘brain’ – a compact, removable unit that delivers elite-level insights, all from simply putting on a pair of shorts. Fusing advanced biomechanics with wearable tech, it turns every rep into actionable feedback – with post-session reports to match. “The goal is simple”, says Sinclair, “fewer injuries, smarter training, and lasting recovery”.

After previewing Theo’s system, David Sundberg, personal trainer to Xander Schauffele, said: “It all makes sense – I didn’t expect it to be this easy to understand. These components help with form, others with strength, and others with speed. It’s simple for the athlete, but there’s so much information underneath.”

Theo is also tackling the gender data gap in sports. Female athletes are up to eight times more likely to suffer ACL injuries, yet less than 5% of injury studies focus on women. “Theo is the first smart-clothing system truly built with female physiology in mind – without compromising on performance,” says CEO Sinclair.

Dr. Cordelia Carter, Theo’s medical advisor and an Ivy League-trained orthopaedic sports surgeon, said: “I have treated many young athletes whose careers have been irrevocably changed — or ended — by injuries like an ACL tear. Offering a tool that empowers athletes to make data-based decisions regarding their training, performance, and injury prevention strategies is a true game changer. This is Theo’s mission.”

The company is on the countdown to its Alpha launch – an intensive testing phase with a hand-selected group of world-class athletes and their coaches – and preparing for Beta pilots with one of the world’s top European football clubs. After testing with elite athletes and teams, a mass market launch is expected by the summer of 2027.

CEO Jodie Sinclair added: “The Alpha Shorts are just the beginning – we’re building a product line designed to deliver full-body analysis, support athlete longevity, and unlock applications far beyond sport.”

For further information: https://theohealth.com.

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250708318922/en/

CONTACT: Media contact:

Nick Freer,nick@freerconsultancy.com

KEYWORD: UNITED KINGDOM EUROPE

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SOFTWARE MOBILE/WIRELESS SPORTS GENERAL SPORTS DATA MANAGEMENT BIOMETRICS TECHNOLOGY OTHER SPORTS FASHION RETAIL WEARABLES/MOBILE TECHNOLOGY HEALTH

SOURCE: Theo Health

PUB: 07/08/2025 07:05 AM/DISC: 07/08/2025 07:05 AM

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250708318922/en

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