Substance over sizzle. I make no promises about the cadence of this email. I do promise it will be worth your time and mine. -Dave
Deep Thoughts
70% of American teenagers cease playing organized sports by age 13 (source). Of the 30% that continue, what’s the percentage that play for practical reasons? Often, sports is an understood pathway to higher education and a better life. Sure, not every 15-year-old arrives at softball practice empowered with such foresight. Some do, however. And, thus, when 352 collegiate sports programs are eliminated in a 6-month period (source), what are the cascading consequences to a society increasingly priced-out of higher education?
From Awkward to Negligent
Digital fitness coaching service, Future, closed a $75M series C (source). Shell out $150/month and you, too, can enjoy Future. Smart health company, Elo, raised a $5M series A (source). Elo's first product, a smart supplement membership, leverages at-home blood testing, data from wearables, and AI, to provide exactly the right supplements for you. Of course, Elo is targeting a consumer that, in fact, has wearables. I don’t blame Future, nor Elo, for targeting rich guys, but America’s obesity and diabetes epidemic disproportionately affects lower socio-economic demographics (link). When the mass market that actually needs these technological breakthroughs can’t afford these breakthroughs, what happens? Asking for a country…
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up…
The Army is requesting proposals from “non-traditional” defense contractors offering solutions to power wearables using human energy. At the same time, the Army’s “non-traditional” defense contractor portal has been offline for 2 weeks. God, help us.
36-24-36 // Ha-Ha // Only if she’s 5’ 3”…
Billionaire tech investor, Peter Thiel, famously judges advancements in transportation by 1 metric — speed. He wouldn’t be piqued by a chain-less bicycle like this one from 2018 (link), but perhaps it’s worth arguing that technological advancements within a specific product, or industry, need not be judged by a single, consistent metric over time. Which brings us to Body Mass Index (BMI), a value derived from the mass and height of a person. Originally conceptualized in the mid-1800s, BMI as it’s known today stems from Ancel Keys’ 1972 article (link). 50 years later, CrossFit enthusiasts, gymnasts, and others who carry “muscular frames” are still getting F’d over by a metric sought by insurance companies to jack up the price of premiums for fat guys.
Make Me Smarter, Dave…
If you’re not listening to the Huberman Lab podcast (link), start now.
Run It Back?
Race participation is bouncing back. In 2021, registration for in-person running events through RunSignup was up 21.6% from 2020.
After a 2-year hiatus, do we bring back The D10?
If so, does it look the same (D10 v1.0), or take on a new dynamic (D10 v2.0) ?