Dan Mooney wanted to help other athletes avoid injuries like the one that cut his baseball career short.
Mooney played Division II college baseball at Ohio Dominican University before transferring to Miami University to play Division I. He finished the 2016 season with a 3.38 ERA and eight strikeouts in eight innings before his career was derailed by injuries.
Never one to give up, however, Mooney pivoted and created Speede Fitness, a Chicago-based strength-training startup that is launching a fitness machine that he said could be a game-changer.
And some of Chicago's top athletes are already taking notice.
The company recently named UFC fighter Michael Chandler chief athletic officer, and has brought in locals including Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and tight end Cole Kmet as investors.
Other backers include Justin Simmons from the Denver Broncos, Marquez Valdes-Scantling from the Kansas City Chiefs and Mason Plumlee from the Charlotte Hornets.
The Speede Fitness machine is intended to shorten training time and to build muscle more quickly than traditional training methods. Mooney said after three "movements" users will be exhausted. While the machine is designed for elite athletes, it offers four training modes with up to 2,000 pounds of resistance.
After raising just under $5 million in an over-subscribed seed round, Speede pre-sold 100 units within a month. Mooney expects to start selling machines online this month, and he's also had discussions about selling to local gyms directly like the East Bank Club.
His goal is to sell around 1,000 to 1,500 units in the first year.
“We haven’t taken any venture money. It’s all been people who believe in this. Some angels, athletes, family friends … and we’re proud that in the midst of a recession and venture capital funds tightening up, we’ve been successfully raising money," he said.
Mooney plans to aggressively attack the Chicago market and will open an office in Barrington where in-person demos and virtual demos will be held.
