EXECUTIVE TEAM //
Kevin Keranen
Co-founder and CEO
Kevin Keranen is the visionary behind Athlete.ai, bringing extensive experience in AI and tech entrepreneurship. He has a proven track record of successfully launching and scaling innovative companies, leveraging his deep expertise in artificial intelligence to drive Athlete.ai’s mission of revolutionizing sports analytics and athlete development.
Matt Steffe
Chief Commercial Officer
Matt Steffe is a seasoned sports executive with a rich history in commercial operations and business development. As Chief Commercial Officer at Athlete.ai, he spearheads strategic partnerships and revenue growth initiatives, utilizing his extensive experience in the sports industry to foster collaborations and expand the company’s market presence.
Kurt Hopfer
Chief Product and Technology Officer
Kurt Hopfer is the driving force behind Athlete.ai’s product and technology vision, serving as the Chief Product and Technology Officer. With extensive experience in software development, AI-driven solutions, and product innovation, Kurt is committed to enhancing Athlete.ai’s platform capabilities. His leadership ensures seamless integration of cutting-edge technology, driving efficiency, scalability, and innovation in sports analytics.
Rashad Floyd
Chief Content & Creative Officer
Rashad Floyd is a dynamic entrepreneur, visionary leader, creative thinker, and consummate professional who embodies the essence of innovation and excellence. His work with brands like Nike, Jordan Brand, NY Liberty, Seattle Mariners and NFL have garnered the experience to lead Athlete.ai into a leading sports technology brand.
Alec Kinsky
Vice President of Operations
Alec Kinsky is the driving force behind Athlete.ai’s marketing strategies. As Vice President of Operations, he brings a wealth of experience in brand development, focused on increasing Athlete.ai’s visibility and engagement across various channels to attract and retain a global audience of sports enthusiasts and professionals.
Greg Ziarko
VP Product
Greg is a seasoned product builder and systems thinker who helped scale operations at Tesla during its pivotal growth years. With a background leading cross-functional engineering and data teams, he blends deep technical expertise with strategic insight. At Athlete.ai, Greg brings this same discipline to designing systems that are fast, scalable, and built to elevate the athlete experience.
Ryan Parker
Vice President Marketing
With a 15-year coaching career, 300 wins, and a state championship in 2020, Ryan transitioned into the creative space, working for TCU MBB and The Circuit. He founded FreeKeyThree, applying advanced statistical insights to social media marketing. Ryan’s passion for team-building and leadership ensures Athlete.ai’s content strategy.
Brian McCall
VP Engineering
DevOps/SRE, event-driven architecture, IoT, geospatial, and Serverless are areas I am especially interested in. I’ve been a part of many great teams working to build a variety of different applications from business intelligence software to enterprise scale GIS applications to a highly-available drone mapping application.
Taron Pickett
Strategic Partnership Manager/Director
As the Strategic Partnership Manager for Athlete.ai, I am the primary liaison between my company and Nike, ensuring smooth communication and collaboration between the two organizations. In this executive role, I oversee the successful execution of Athlete.ai’s involvement in Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) and Jr EYBL events.
Joshua Ferdico
Content & Creative
Joshua brings a cinematic eye and elite production experience to Athlete.ai’s creative vision. He’s produced commercial content for powerhouse brands like NBC Sports and the NCAA, helping shape how modern sports stories are told. As a co-founder of Ferdico Media, Joshua’s work sits at the intersection of storytelling, athleticism, and emotion—perfectly aligned with the Athlete.ai mission.
Michele Tucker
Director of Volleyball
Michele brings over 25 years of experience coaching volleyball at both the club level and high school, leading numerous teams to top 10 finishes at USAV Nationals and multiple national championships, including a state title
THE TEAM //
Kyle Palmer
Director of Customer Technical Support
Kyle brings over 17 years of expertise in product management, software implementation, and technical support; driving continuous product improvements and delivering seamless user experiences.
Tom Oropeza
Head of Sales
Results-driven sales professional with over ten years of experience in the sports technology industry, specializing in B2B sales to collegiate & scholastic athletic departments and conferences. Skilled in managing the entire sales process, from prospecting and lead qualification to closing high-value deals and fostering long-term client relationships. Tom’s previousl work as senior account executive at HUDL gives him the experince to postion Athlete.ai for sales in the youth sports market.
Ani Umana
Director of Basketball
Ani brings over a decade of experience in basketball evaluation, coaching, and grassroots scouting. As host of the Field of 68 Recruiting Podcast and co-host of Ballislife’s In The Paint Podcast, Ani is deeply connected to the basketball community.
Joey LaRocque
Director of Football
A former D1 college and NFL linebacker turned entrepreneur, Joey founded ROCKSOLID, Flex Football, Gridiron Football, and Sport Services LLC. He has led the creation of proprietary soft-shell football equipment and built a nationwide flag football league with over 88,000 players.
Recie Medlock III
Director of Women’s Basketball
Recie Medlock is the Founder/Managing Partner of a leading consulting firm focused on M&A, start-ups, and value mapping products to market. He is also the Director of a Nike Girls & Boy EYBL top basketball program. He has a national influence on youth basketball from top players, camps, and coaches. He leads over 90 basketball teams within the Southern Region of the US.
Andrew Phipps
Director of Videography
Andrew Phipps is the Director of Videography at Athlete.ai, where he leads our videography teams on the ground. With five years of experience as a high school basketball scout and content creator, Andrew also owns BasketballEye, a collection of social media accounts focused on high school basketball. His combination of scouting expertise and videography skills allows him to capture key moments and emerging talent, delivering high-quality visuals that bring the game to life for fans and players alike!