We're on a mission to elevate the game. In 2020, we founded Uru Sports with the mission to empower athletes to reach their full potential off the field of play as they transition into their next chapter.
To bring athletes and employers together on a single platform who share a common goal of matching dedicated, high-fit talent to meaningful career opportunities.
Our team of investors, advisors, and employees is committed to leveraging our experience, expert knowledge, and vast network to provide a better solution for the athlete to career transition.
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Meet the Uru team
The best minds and people in the business are on a mission to solve the opportunity at scale.
Ainsley Wierda
Internationally recognized founder, professional athlete, Team USA member, All-American & multi-year captain.
“Ainsley is a servant leader with the natural ability to build and motivate our team. She casts a vision and finds innovative ways to relentlessly execute by instilling a culture that is mission focused, competitive / goal oriented, and puts the customer first. Her superpower as a networker has brought in c-level executives and elite athletes to help us reach new heights.” - Zeke Harris
Wierda is a bold visionary with a unique skill and ability to inspire and motivate people to join her in supporting Uru’s mission. The combination of her passion, determination, humility and authenticity makes her a well-respected leader by all those involved.
Wierda’s own journey from pro field hockey player to recipient of multiple entrepreneurial awards led to her incorporating Uru Sports in 2020. But she knows firsthand how former athletes transitioning to new careers can feel disconnected and unprepared for ‘What’s next?’ and lack confidence without a network or support to both fall back on and grow forward from.
After graduating with a Movement Science bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan, where she was an Academic All-American in field hockey for all four years, Wierda initially considered pre-med, but her adventurous and creative spirit sparked a curiosity in an entrepreneurial path.
After qualifying for the Field Hockey Junior World Cup team, however, she went overseas and played professional field hockey for the next 3 years, competing globally on seven teams across Australia, England, South Africa, Netherlands and South America.
Her international experience brought valuable connections and as her personal network in the athletic world grew, she realized the power of connection within the community as a way of opening doors to great opportunities and providing valuable insights on what the opportunities would actually be like.
She founded Leap Worldwide with the mission to help fellow athletes secure professional contracts around the globe by both connecting them with potential teams and former athletes to gain insights, while also preparing them for the life of a team athlete overseas.
During this time, she immersed herself in a business education including studying how various mentors ran and grew successful businesses, and she was selected for top founder accelerator programs for entrepreneurs.
First came the Conquer Accelerator at Michigan State where she was the only woman founder in the entire program. Next came Blackbox Connect, which selected 15 promising founders from across the world. Wierda was one of three Americans selected from a massive international pool. She was also awarded a Google scholarship to go to San Francisco and be mentored by Silicon Valley’s top entrepreneurs and VCs.
She’d helped over 600 field hockey athletes and was setting the foundation to expand into basketball when the Covid 19 pandemic hit and the international sports world shut down. Wierda saw an even greater opportunity - to help retiring athletes transition out of their sport into new career directions. She pivoted and Leap evolved into Uru Sports.
After incorporating Uru in 2020, Wierda began building a core team of leaders and co-founders whose individual purposes aligned with Uru’s. First, she brought on Zeke Harris, then Patty Hubbard, Will Sickles and finally Jim Collins.
In 2022 the Uru Team was selected one of the ten startups from across the world to receive investment from and be a part of the Comcast NBC Universal SportsTech Program. The team sharpened their employer offering with the guidance from top executives at companies like the Braves, PGA, Nascar, and NBC Sports. Wierda again was the only woman founder selected to be a part of this program.
Wierda is passionate about helping create more diversity in leadership and both inspiring and mentoring former athletes to find their path, particularly women to become leaders in male dominated tech fields.
And while she knows what it’s like to be on a winning team thanks to her international pro hockey career, she also knows it’s not just about the most skilled teammates but those who buy into the game plan and know how to execute as a team. Being data / results focused, the Uru team runs on the Entrepreneurial Operating System.
She’s proud of the team she’s brought together and excited about building out an even greater team of amazing people to help push Uru’s mission forward. She’s also hugely grateful for her supportive family and extended support system, which is full of mentors and connections who inspire and drive her commitment every day to pay it forward and help other athletes build meaningful careers.
Wierda lives with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan, where they love spending evenings in nature either mountain biking, trail running, skate skiing or boating.
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Jim Collins
20+ years’ experience in global corporate recruitment, former collegiate athlete.
“Jim is a wonderful human who absolutely loves winning! He is gritty and deeply passionate about helping companies build great teams and connecting people to meaningful careers. He brings decades of recruiting experience to help us deliver the best talent!” - Wierda
Collins is the latest addition to the core Uru team and he brings a wealth of recruiting experience to the table. A 20+ year veteran of the global talent acquisition community, Collins has deep experience in full cycle recruiting at some of the top award-winning technology companies in the world, from Fortune 50 level to startups.
A former collegiate athlete, Collins has found his perfect match in Uru thanks to his passion for helping athletes translate valuable skills acquired through sport into successful careers - all aided by Uru’s unique business ecosystem of passionate, like-minded professionals.
Having built an impressive reputation for both solving corporate hiring needs and helping candidates find their dream job, Collins prides himself in possessing a high sense of urgency in finding unique talent. But he is equally laser focused on developing trusted relationships earned though effort and results.
His specialties include candidate experience, DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging), quality of hire, and behavioral interviewing. He is excited to both bring his recruiting perspective, and utilize his extensive experience, to help achieve Uru’s mission.
Collins points to the amazing energy around Uru plus the elite group of championship partners and athlete relationships as his inspiration to join the team. Well aware of how sports and the sports entertainment industry is rapidly changing and evolving, Collins is thrilled to be part of the opportunities and possibilities that Uru offers athletes, and to help grow the ever-expanding pool of connections.
Outside of work, Collins and his wife (also a former collegiate athlete) enjoy raising their family in Jacksonville, FL. They are constantly running to their kids sportings events or can be found spending time outdoors - hiking or even shark tooth collecting at the beach!
Charlotte Madson
Charlotte Madson is an experienced professional with a background in business development, coaching, account management, and sports marketing. She has a proven track record of exceeding expectations and building successful relationships with clients, donors, and alumni.
Charlotte is proficient in Microsoft Suite, Salesforce, Salesloft, Zoom Info, MailChimp, and Teamworks. She is a strong communicator, leader, and team player. Charlotte holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a concentration in Marketing and a Master's degree in Sports Marketing Communications. She is currently participating in the Business of Sports Program at CU Boulder
Karen Bryant
At the helm of WNBA basketball for 18 years, former CEO of acquired tech startup, passionate coach.
Hap Klopp
Founder & 20 year CEO of The North Face, Branding and marketing expert with passion for global impact.
Beth Brooke
Beth A. Brooke serves on the Boards of The New York Times Company (NYT), eHealth (EHTH), public companies, Beta Bionics and Tricolor Holdings, private companies, and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the Lehigh Valley Health System. She was the former Global Vice Chair, Public Policy at EY and was a member of EY's Global Board. Beth oversaw public policy for the firm’s operations in 150 countries and was the global sponsor for EY’s Diversity and Inclusiveness (D&I) efforts. She has been named eleven times to Forbes "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" (MPW) list, and has been inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Beth is passionate about using her leadership platform to make a difference in the world. She is a devoted advocate for the advancement of women and LGBT Inclusion. She has served on the US Delegation to the 53rd and 54th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. She is an advisor to OutLeadership, has been named to OUTstanding and Financial Times’ LGBT Hall of Fame, and chairs the Steering Committee for the Partnership for Global LGBTI Inclusion.
During the Clinton Administration, she worked in the U.S. Department of the Treasury and was responsible for all tax policy matters related to insurance and managed care. She played important roles in the healthcare reform and Superfund reform efforts.
Beth has also been actively engaged in numerous civic and business organizations. She serves on the boards of The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, The Conference Board, and the Board of Trustees of the Aspen Institute. She was in the inaugural class of the Henry Crown Fellows of The Aspen Institute and in a member of the Committee of 200 and the International Women's Forum.
Steve Bonomo
Passionate about connecting exceptional talent with remarkable opportunities.
As an Executive Recruiter with Scalrr, I specialize in identifying and attracting top-level talent with the right skills, mindset, and experience to drive business growth and organizational success.
Leveraging my extensive network and industry expertise, I’ve led comprehensive searches to find the ideal match for roles critical to the success of early and growth stage startups. I have a track record of strong partnerships and outcomes across various sectors including Big Data, Real Estate Tech, Sales and Marketing Automation, Retail, eCommerce, HealthTech, Fintech, AI, and more.
When partnering on a search, my goal is to understand the unique needs of both clients and candidates, ensuring a seamless and successful recruitment experience for all parties involved.
Whether it's identifying C-suite leaders, senior-level executives, or critical IC hires, I’m focused on delivering exceptional results. Scalrr is an executive search firm founded by industry veterans focused on supporting early & growth stage companies.
Let's connect and explore how I can assist you in securing top executive talent or help you take the next step in your career. Reach out to me for executive search opportunities, talent acquisition strategies, or to discuss industry trends and insights.
Bob Heldt
Bob Heldt is an experienced engineering executive, known as much for his humor as his ability to get things done. Over the course of his career, he has served in engineering executive roles at Netflix, Apple, Intuit, and PayPal, bringing the company's most cutting edge products and services to market. At Netflix, he has played an instrumental role in the launch of the company's original content series (like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black) and the recommendation and personalization features on the website and mobile devices. Prior to joining Netflix, Bob founded and ran his own start-up for 5 years, which he then sold to a private third-party for a profit. Currently, he serves as a tech and business advisor for startups.
Turner Booth
Managing Partner at an investment firm, lawyer, former Michigan and NFL athlete.
Jose Calderon
Former Professional Basketball Player .14 years in the NBA. 3 times Olympics medalist.
Working at Cleveland Cavaliers as Special Advisor to the Front Office and at Sngular as a Global Advisor.
UNIQ - Talk Show Host Investor. Entrepreneur. Unicef Ambassador
David Aufhauser
Innovator, entrepreneur and leader at the epicenter of Sports / Entertainment, Media and Technology: David has had an impact across the industry pioneering immersive media, video streaming, metaverse, mobile/social content and fan engagement to create leading edge businesses.
David has led high growth digital businesses in executive management roles across product, business development, content production, engineering, design, sales and marketing. He has worked with iconic brands including the Olympics, NFL, EPL, NWSL, NBA, MLB, PGATOUR and more. Video / OTT streaming master. Immersive media, VR/AR and fan engagement pioneer. Curious about the 'Quantified Athlete'. Passionate about engaging people to drive impact.
David built and led global businesses at digital media companies including Intel Sports, Twitch/JustinTV, Yahoo, AOL, Evite, Netscape, Pac-12 Networks, McCann, and the NBC Olympic Games. As a former college athlete, David is a member of the Positive Coaching Alliance Leadership Council and the Women's Coaching Alliance.
Will Sickles
Results-driven, customer-focused Product Manager with a proven track record in top-line and bottom-line growth, new business development, digital innovation, and investment prioritization for large and early-stage companies. Entrepreneurial-minded, dynamic self-starter with tremendous cross-organizational communication skills. I excel at partnering with cross-functional teams to clearly define the opportunity, getting to the root of customers’ needs, and galvanizing efforts to rapidly implement innovative solutions.
Areas of Expertise: Product Strategy & Roadmap Development, Market & Competitor Analysis, SaaS (B2B & B2C), Agile Development, Technical Architecture, Investment Due-Diligence, Program & Portfolio Management, Business Process Design & Implementation, Financial Modeling & Forecasting, and Customer Discovery
Glenn Luinenburg
Glenn Luinenburg is an experienced corporate lawyer who provides technology-focused clients with sophisticated legal counsel and practical business advice. He has significant and valuable experience advising on complex and novel transactions in which creativity and business judgment play crucial roles. He counsels companies at all stages of development on transactions—ranging from IPOs and acquisitions to seed and venture capital financings, and growth equity rounds—for entrepreneurial tech startups and venture capital firms making investments in that sector.
Mr. Luinenburg works with tech startups, late-stage private companies and public companies on a variety of corporate and corporate finance matters. For his emerging company clients, he has completed more than 250 venture capital financings involving the issuance of equity and debt securities, including numerous complicated dilutive financing and recapitalizations, representing both issuers and investors.
In addition, Mr. Luinenburg has significant experience counseling growth-stage companies in mergers, acquisitions, spin-outs, divestitures and asset sales, representing both public and private companies on buy- and sell-side transactions. He also represents issuers and underwriters in IPOs and secondary offerings, and regularly counsels public company boards of directors, management teams, and investors on the governance and regulation of business entities and securities laws.
Prior to joining WilmerHale as a partner in 2012, Mr. Luinenburg advised tech companies, underwriters and investors on corporate matters for more than 13 years at another prominent law firm in Silicon Valley. He previously worked as an associate at a large international firm based in Canada.
Mr. Luinenburg is a regular faculty member for Practicing Law Institute (PLI) and a guest lecturer at Santa Clara Law School. He is also a member of the Subcommittee on Transactional Documents and Issues of the American Bar Association's Committee on Venture Capital and Private Equity.
Mr. Luinenburg has written articles on the legal issues related to Regulation Crowdfunding, which have been featured in the Daily Journal. He is very active in the Silicon Valley robotics community.
Specialties: Mergers and acquisitions; initial public offerings; venture capital financings; and corporate governance
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Meet some of our investors
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