- The Playbook
- Posts
- Volume 71 | Human + Machine
📰 The Pulse
Nike Blends Robotics, Neuroscience, and Performance Design (More)
Nike just unveiled a new era of innovation that merges footwear, robotics, and neuroscience. Leading the charge is Project Amplify — a powered running shoe co-developed with robotics firm Dephy, featuring motorized assistance in the midsole and cuff to help everyday athletes run faster and farther with less effort.
The brand also introduced three more performance-science breakthroughs:
Aero-FIT — cooling tech that channels 2× more airflow using fabrics made entirely from recycled textile waste.
Nike Mind — neuroscience-based footwear designed to calm the body through sensory activation.
Therma-FIT Air Milano — outerwear that adjusts warmth in real time using Nike Air-infused baffles. (More)
The Playbook Take — I think is one of the most excited times in sports science and performance tech. Nike isn’t just designing gear — it’s re-engineering the human experience of performance.
TRX and BlazePod Announce Global Partnership to Advance Functional and Cognitive Training
TRX, known for suspension and functional training systems, and BlazePod, a leader in light-based reaction training, announced a global partnership spanning strength, sports conditioning, rehab and physical therapy markets. (More)
The Playbook Take — The fusion of cognitive drills (reaction, reflex) with functional strength is a major step in training evolution — athletes are being asked to train body and brain. Yaniv Shneiderman (BlazePod Founder & CEO) and Michael Cummings (BlazePod Head Trainer) joined the The Playbook Podcast earlier this year for some excellent conversations on the reaction training world and future.
Technogym & World Athletics Launch Treadmill World Championship
Technogym and governing body World Athletics have launched a new “Treadmill Running Championship” format, bringing together hardware, software and regulation for treadmill racing globally. (More)
The Playbook Take — Treadmill meets world stage. Expect more arenas converting to racing venues for indoor endurance.
Life Time’s LT Games Kick Off With 150+ Athletes
Life Time’s inaugural LT Games gathered over 150 athletes across 17 stages of strength, endurance, and movement. The company is already preparing expansion into additional markets in 2026. (More)
The Playbook Take — Hybrid fitness competitions like these are becoming the new “sport” for fitness-driven consumers.
Salomon Opens First West-Coast Sportstyle Store
Salomon’s new Sportstyle concept store opened on Melrose Ave, West Hollywood — its first on the U.S. West Coast — merging trail DNA with lifestyle fashion.(More)
The Playbook Take — Trail-roots brands increasingly crossing into lifestyle retail to capture a broader market beyond hardcore athletes.
🧬 The Shop
OMORPHO | G-Vest Icon
A fully adjustable weighted vest with MicroLoad technology and snap-in panels that scales up to ~12 lb, designed to maintain natural movement with no bounce. Ideal for sprints, hills, met-cons and loaded walks.
BPN | Endurance Essentials
Once-daily micronutrient formula tailored for endurance athletes: includes Vitamin D, Iron, Magnesium, Zinc and Vitamin K2 to cover the gaps created by high-volume training.
Thread Performance | Daily Hydration (Youth Athletes)
Electrolyte stick formula engineered for youth athletes: focus on potassium first, with sodium & magnesium, zero added sugar, and flavors designed for younger users (Electric Lemon Lime, Watermelon Wave, Peach Mango Punch, Blue Rush).
Ice Cream For Bears | Hot Fudge for Bears
The ancestral-nutrition dessert brand launches a honey-sweetened hot fudge blend, adding a rich-flavored recovery indulgence to the shelf.
Puresport | Energy Gels (Berry, Orange)
New dual-carb (glucose:fructose 1:0.8) gels delivering ~30 g carbs each. Informed Sport-certified; new flavors Berry & Orange available now.
Promix | Sunflower Butter Puff Bar
Launching today: 15 g of protein per bar, just ~3 g added sugar, built on sunflower butter and puffed texture for crunch + creaminess.
🧠 Smart AI Digestive & Hydration Tracker
What if your toilet could tell you how healthy you are?
Pondo is the world’s first smart digestive and hydration tracker that clips right onto your toilet — using AI to analyze what you flush and transform that data into a Gut and Hydration Score.
No blood tests. No manual logging. No wires. Just real insights from your body, fully automated.
Stop guessing why you feel bloated, tired, or dehydrated — let Pondo show you.
🚀 Back Pondo on Kickstarter today and be part of the future of wellness tracking.
🎙️ On The Podcast
Nicotine Without the Nicotine? How Sett is Rewriting the Rules of Focus
We sat down with Matt Wan, founder of Sett — a functional pouch company creating a cleaner way to focus, powered by Ceretine™.
Before Sett, Matt launched Momentous, one of the fastest-growing supplement brands in performance nutrition. Now, he’s tackling a new category — what he calls “vice-wellness.”
After discovering Ceretine™, a molecule that mimics nicotine’s focus effects without the harsh side effects, Matt saw a massive opportunity to help people build a healthier relationship with stimulants instead of quitting them cold.
“People are going to use nicotine and caffeine — that’s not changing. But we can help them use better, cleaner options.” — Matt Wan
Sett’s pouches deliver the focus and calm that users love from nicotine — but with:
✔️ No tobacco
✔️ No microplastics
✔️ No gum irritation
✔️ Less potential for dependence (Ceretine™ binds differently to the brain’s receptors)
And early users switching from nicotine to Sett are already reporting better sleep and higher HRV scores.
Matt also dropped his Flow Stack — from using the Hatch alarm for nightly meditation, to Hoka running shorts, Red Yeast Rice, and more!
💰 The Boardroom
Sweatpals raises $12M for the “Daylife” movement
Social fitness platform Sweatpals announced a $12 million seed round (led by Patron & a16z Speedrun) aimed at scaling in-real-life wellness events and building tools for community-driven movement. (More)
PodPlay raises $8M to expand venue tech
Venue-tech platform PodPlay raised an $8M Series A (led by Frontier Growth) to build venue booking, operations and technology for pickleball and other participatory sports venues. (More)
WNBA star Kelsey Plum joins founding team at Buffy Protein
Kelsey Plum has signed on as founding team member and brand ambassador for Buffy Protein, a new protein-dip brand slotted for 2026 retail rollout. (More)
Steven Bartlett becomes co-owner of $110M Energy Shot Brand Ketone-IQ
Entrepreneur & creator Steven Bartlett has taken an equity position in Ketone-IQ (the fastest-growing energy shot in premium grocery), joining as co-owner and brand strategist supporting national expansion. (More)
The Playbook Take — I love this merging of trusted creator and proven performance brand. I remember reading Steven’s book Happy, Sexy, Millionaire a few years ago and have enjoyed him ever since. Shoutout to Michael Brandt and the entire Ketone IQ team for locking this down.