You could say DeAndre Yedlin is proud to be from Seattle. Yedlin, a defender for the U.S. men’s national soccer team, recently invested in Seattle-based Volt Athletics, a platform for professional-level strength and conditioning.
Yedlin currently plays for Newcastle United and has had previous stints with the Seattle Sounders and Tottenham Hotspur. But when he’s not defending his team’s side of the pitch, he’s finding local startups like Volt to invest in, embracing a passion for technology that he described to GeekWire.
“There’s just so much misinformation out there, so I love that Volt’s technology gives both students and coaches an easy way to train the right way — and it’s rewarding for me to be able to help other athletes perform at a higher level,” Yedlin told GeekWire via email.
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Volt uses a patent-pending “Intelligent Training System” that suggests strength and conditioning programs based on an athlete’s sport and then tracks progress throughout the regimen while adjusting different variables to enable top performance. The suggestions are based entirely on prevailing strength training research and the knowledge base of a board of advisors comprised entirely of certified trainers.
The app works on two models: One, for individual athletes, suggests training regimens, provides instruction and tracks the athlete’s progress for $29.99 per month. The other, for coaches and their teams, features entire team optimization, synchronization with a team’s schedule, and the ability to adjust the program to meet the team’s needs. It also features specified regimens for each individual athlete.
“The science behind the training reinforces proper development and recovery habits,” Yedlin told GeekWire. “When you combine the quality of the training, the intelligent technology, Volt’s team, and the potential for growth across dozens of different sports, the opportunities are nearly limitless.”
According to GeekWire, Yedlin’s investment is part of Volt’s latest $770,000 round, and the company has raised $3 million in five years. For Yedlin, the technology represents something he strongly believes in as a pro athlete, and something he further thinks can benefit a large number of people.
“He values Volt’s ability to impact the global athlete community—giving every athlete worldwide the chance to train at an elite-level,” Dan Giuliani, Volt’s co-founder, CEO, and a member of Volt’s sports performance team, told GeekWire.
.@ussoccer star @yedlinny is now a #sportstech #startup investor! Proud to call DeAndre #VoltFamily!
️ #gwsportstech https://t.co/4KRrxSSTzZ
— Volt Athletics (@VoltAthletics) June 20, 2017
Though Volt is already used by 3,000 teams and over 60,000 individual athletes as of January, Yedlin’s involvement with Volt could help the company further expand its reach and help athletes of any level improve their strength training practices.