Jason Eller is the founder of StrikeCoach and he had a vision that started out like so many game changing innovations. The idea of StrikeCoach was birthed from a few simple questions. Jason Eller who was a certified personal trainer and boxing coach at the YMCA at the time was training a client on the heavy bag who asked, “If this bag were a person where would I be hitting them, and how hard would I be striking them?” It was a true light bulb moment. After training a few more clients Jason went home and immediately drew some informal drawings visually describing the idea that is now StrikeCoach, a training mannequin that combines footwork and force detection, creating an unparalleled interactive data driven full body cardiovascular workout.
In order to turn his idea into something physical Jason had to first learn how to properly draft a patent and develop something that had never been built before. He was not a published technical writer, or a licensed engineer, so the learning curve was steep. As Jason focused on all of this he simultaneously earned his bachelor degree and became a high school teacher during the process. Jason says he was lucky to have the support system he has in his wife Jenn and their two daughters along with Jason’s parents who were the initial investors in his venture. Without them allowing me the time to get it all done this never would have happened Jason said. They saw and understood the vision and what StrikeCoach could be. With that Eller Enterprise LLC was created (which is now in the process of transforming into a C-Corp). With the capital from the company’s initial investors, Jason was able to hire a patent attorney to file the company’s patent.
As they waited for the patent to be issued Jason continued to work on the development of StrikeCoach. During that time he met Jason Harrison who was teaching at the same summer school program. The two got to know each other and Jason Eller recognized how mechanically gifted Jason Harrison was. He would eventually become co-founder and CSO (Chief Solutions Officer). As the two became good friends they began developing StrikeCoach in Jason Eller’s garage together. The Jasons developed the first working prototype together. It was an amazing moment the first time we got StrikeCoach working properly recalls Eller. That was V1 StrikeCoach. They are currently on V4 (final design). As the Jasons continued improving StrikeCoach they began gaining recognition and forward momentum.
After about a year of waiting, our patent was issued and we were awarded all 25 claims written in the patent. The strength of the IP in the patent was a major milestone. Jason Eller who never wrote a patent and had no prior experience in doing so, was awarded every claim written in the patent. He was even awarded some medical claims as a method of the product. Jason understood having a combination of both broad and narrow claims was critical to having a strong patent that can’t be duplicated. Due to his dedication and willingness to learn, Jason was able to hold his physical issued patent and exercise on the physical product Harrison and Eller created together. To see your vision turn into something physical is an incredible feeling. To see it be validated by actual product users and people who have experienced tremendous success in the fitness and combat industry is fulfilling and provides fuel to do more says Eller.
The brand ambassador for StrikeCoach is Jesse James Leija. He is a two time World Boxing Council (WBC) champion.
Eventually a news story was done on V1 StrikeCoach, which helped gain traction locally in the San Antonio, TX. area. After the news story, the Jasons reached out to local legend and WBC champion, Jesse James Leija, for a product demo. He agreed and the date was set. Just as momentum was building Eller was having issues with drop foot and was diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis). Eller worked his way back and eventually fully recovered from the drop foot.
Shortly after the diagnosis the Jasons met Leija at his gym and conducted a successful demonstration. After explaining and demonstrating the benefits of training with StrikeCoach Leija immediately stated he wanted to be a part of this in that first meeting. His son Dean stated, “It gives the end user instant gratification through the data points and feedback at the end of the workout. That’s what people want.” Leija would eventually become our brand ambassador due to his vast experience and success in the combat and fitness industry, as well as his strong ties to the San Antonio community, which is a thriving hub of innovation.
Things were looking up and after making a few iterations on StrikeCoach combined with their business plan the Jasons felt they were ready to pitch to early stage angel investors in the local community.
At the worst possible time Eller became paralyzed from the shoulders down due to his MS (or Hashimoto’s disease. The doctors really weren’t sure). The first night he was in the hospital and couldn’t move Eller thought to himself, “Is this it? Is this what my life is going to be like now?” He was genuinely worried. By the second night in the hospital Eller decided he was going to do everything in his power to walk out of that hospital and he actually did everything in his power to ensure that.
Eller is a true believer in mind over matter. If you can put your mind to something and have the will to work through the pain and discomfort you will see some kind of success on the other side. Eller understands this is not possible in all circumstances medically, he is just speaking to his experience. As he was being showered and spoon fed by his wife and parents in the hospital, he also had the phone held to his ear as he continued building out the business assembling the right team to get things done on the technology and investment side.
After 2 months of intensive rehab and the help of his wife, kids, parents, and Co-Founder Jason Harrison, Eller was able to stumble out of that hospital with a walker. The people working at the hospital said they thought it was incredible to see someone recover the way Eller did. He had to relearn how to do everything like a baby, and even went back to work teaching in a wheel chair when his rehab nurse said he should wait. “I have to make myself uncomfortable, I can’t remain content and comfortable until I get where I know I can be,” said Eller. That was one of the hardest parts of the entire experience for Eller. He made a full recovery after a year of hard work. He understands how important quality of life is and that means battling through the struggles that come our way to the best of our abilities.
A strong support system is essential to getting through any black swan event. That was the mindset when assembling the StrikeCoach team. The Jasons understood that better than ever after building out the company from a hospital room. The skill, experience, and talent of the StrikeCoach team is top tier. “We are lucky to have the team we do”, stated Eller. It is a team of leaders who have experienced tremendous success in their own right.
StrikeCoach CTO Chris Brown is the best of the best when it comes to software engineering. He is a former Rac Space member whose name is on the patent for cloud computing. Chris is also a Co-founder in his own right, who knows how to raise money and was essential in closing out the pre-seed round for StrikeCoach while also developing the software, which matches the data points in our patent. It is because of him that the StrikeCoach team is able to develop the final design on the software side of the product.
Dale Bracey is the teams lead hardware engineer. He is also a former Rac Space member who is an amazingly talented hardware engineer and CAD design expert. Dale is essential in developing the final design on the hardware side and creating the mannequin mold in the image of our brand ambassador, Jesse James Leija. He is a mechanical genius and has an in depth understanding and knowledge of what our capabilities are now and in the future.
Tommy McNish is the team’s customer experience officer and also a former Rac Space member. His vast experience in sales and skills communicating with customers and genuinely caring about the customers experience with the product makes Tommy invaluable to the team. He is the conduit between StrikeCoach users, StrikeCoach influencers, and the StrikeCoach team. His communications help shape the product with the mindset of providing the best customer experience possible whether that be on the hardware or software side of the product.
Dennis Davis is our general counsel and his experience in drafting and executing the numerous contracts and agreements on behalf of the company and team is of utmost importance. He pays close attention to the details and moves quickly and strategically. Dennis has an in depth understanding of compliance and is always willing to walk through agreements with the team, their influencers, and investors. He drafts the user agreements, safe note contracts for investors, equity agreements, influencer agreements, etc. Dennis keeps the team and company in compliance and was also essential in developing our logo and company mission.
Mike Dalley is currently an advisor and will become the CRO for StrikeCoach as they close out their seed round. His success in the private sector should not be ignored. He was has been CRO for several companies and has had five successful exits (acquisition deals). Mike has a vast network and understands how to raise revenues and enter markets successfully. His business acumen and understanding of how to raise revenue are essential to the continued momentum StrikeCoach is experiencing.
Steve Straka is the CMO and he is responsible for coordinating events around the country for the USA Fit Game. He was able to get the StrikeCoach team a booth at two separate events in Dallas and Phoenix and had several units shipped for free. That is a value of $20,000 for the booths. This allowed StrikeCoach to get in front of 70,000 people between the two events. He proved his value right away with the company. His network of fitness related businesses around the country is essential to the future plans of StrikeCoach.
Jessica Pena is highly skilled in automation and content generation. She has years of startup experience and understands what works on the content side and she collaborates with the team’s videographer on their fitness platform to ensure the best user experience on the StrikeCoach fitness platform.
The whole team has moved at warp speed together and it has created a closeness between the members. They have done a lot together very quickly. The team understands StrikeCoach is the company’s patented flagship product, but they also have developed a fitness platform with follow along workouts and StrikeCoach specific workouts from world class professional athletes and fitness influencers who have competed and succeeded at the highest levels of combat and fitness.
StrikeCoach is pairing high level athletes in boxing, MMA, CrossFit, and fitness with a state of the art product that is a true novelty. The market has never seen a REAL interactive fitness product quite like StrikeCoach. It is the only product that manipulates how the user moves through randomized remote controlled movements, detects and records each strike landed in real time, and measures power, speed, and overall progress through historical data. The company’s CTO is also creating a dashboard where StrikeCoach users can compete against each other from anywhere in the world. It adds a gamification feature to the product as well. It’s like the combat simulation version of top golf. Staying fit can become a game says the team. The StrikeCoach team wants to provide a unique experience for their users in a variety of ways. The user experience is always at the forefront with the StrikeCoach team. StrikeCoach truly is interactivity right out of the box.
The StrikeCoach team puts deep thought into everything they do. The logo fits the brand and there is meaning behind it. The cog in their logo signifies intelligence and movement, since StrikeCoach is a smart product that moves and interacts with its users through data and randomized movements. However, the cog is distressed and broken just like all of us. Even though the cog is distressed, the forward movement doesn’t stop. That is how they got to this point. They keep moving forward together as a team. When one member needs help there is a whole skilled and capable team behind them. We are a team who is willing to do what it takes. We are all willing to scrub the toilets or build out something complicated and everything in between.
Being StrikeCoach strong is a real thing. Let’s try to be the best versions of ourselves together. That is what the StrikeCoach brand represents and that is how they operate as a team.
MMA & Boxing Columnist | Business Development Consultant
I have been a fan and avid viewer of all combat sports for decades. I was once a Judoka, which is what eventually piqued my interest in Mixed Martial Arts. I have been a spectator of the UFC since 2001. For 25 years I’ve worked in healthcare, and now am trying to make something that was a hobby, into a full-time endeavor.
Go Jason and team!! Amazing story of not only the development of StrikeCoach, but of Jason’s recovery from disease. Wishing you continued success with StrikeCoach and good health and happiness in the new year and beyond! All the best!!