Internationally recognized founder, professional athlete, Team USA member, All-American & multi-year captain.

“Ainsley is a servant leader with the natural ability to build and motivate our team. She casts a vision and finds innovative ways to relentlessly execute by instilling a culture that is mission focused, competitive / goal oriented, and puts the customer first. Her superpower as a networker has brought in c-level executives and elite athletes to help us reach new heights.” - Zeke Harris

Wierda is a bold visionary with a unique skill and ability to inspire and motivate people to join her in supporting Uru’s mission. The combination of her passion, determination, humility and authenticity makes her a well-respected leader by all those involved.

Wierda’s own journey from pro field hockey player to recipient of multiple entrepreneurial awards led to her incorporating Uru Sports in 2020. But she knows firsthand how former athletes transitioning to new careers can feel disconnected and unprepared for ‘What’s next?’ and lack confidence without a network or support to both fall back on and grow forward from.

After graduating with a Movement Science bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan, where she was an Academic All-American in field hockey for all four years, Wierda initially considered pre-med, but her adventurous and creative spirit sparked a curiosity in an entrepreneurial path.  

After qualifying for the Field Hockey Junior World Cup team, however, she went overseas and played professional field hockey for the next 3 years, competing globally on seven teams across Australia, England, South Africa, Netherlands and South America.

Her international experience brought valuable connections and as her personal network in the athletic world grew, she realized the power of connection within the community as a way of opening doors to great opportunities and providing valuable insights on what the opportunities would actually be like.

She founded Leap Worldwide with the mission to help fellow athletes secure professional contracts around the globe by both connecting them with potential teams and former athletes to gain insights, while also preparing them for the life of a team athlete overseas.

During this time, she immersed herself in a business education including studying how various mentors ran and grew successful businesses, and she was selected for top founder accelerator programs for entrepreneurs.

First came the Conquer Accelerator at Michigan State where she was the only woman founder in the entire program. Next came Blackbox Connect, which selected 15 promising founders from across the world. Wierda was one of three Americans selected from a massive international pool. She was also awarded a Google scholarship to go to San Francisco and be mentored by Silicon Valley’s top entrepreneurs and VCs.  

She’d helped over 600 field hockey athletes and was setting the foundation to expand into basketball when the Covid 19 pandemic hit and the international sports world shut down. Wierda saw an even greater opportunity - to help retiring athletes transition out of their sport into new career directions. She pivoted and Leap evolved into Uru Sports.

After incorporating Uru in 2020, Wierda began building a core team of leaders and co-founders whose individual purposes aligned with Uru’s. First, she brought on Zeke Harris, then Patty Hubbard, Will Sickles and finally Jim Collins.

In 2022 the Uru Team was selected one of the ten startups from across the world to receive investment from and be a part of the Comcast NBC Universal SportsTech Program. The team sharpened their employer offering with the guidance from top executives at companies like the Braves, PGA, Nascar, and NBC Sports. Wierda again was the only woman founder selected to be a part of this program.

Wierda is passionate about helping create more diversity in leadership and both inspiring and mentoring former athletes to find their path, particularly women to become leaders in male dominated tech fields.

And while she knows what it’s like to be on a winning team thanks to her international pro hockey career, she also knows it’s not just about the most skilled teammates but those who buy into the game plan and know how to execute as a team. Being data / results focused, the Uru team runs on the Entrepreneurial Operating System.  

She’s proud of the team she’s brought together and excited about building out an even greater team of amazing people to help push Uru’s mission forward. She’s also hugely grateful for her supportive family and extended support system, which is full of mentors and connections who inspire and drive her commitment every day to pay it forward and help other athletes build meaningful careers.
Wierda lives with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan, where they love spending evenings in nature either mountain biking, trail running, skate skiing or boating.

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Serial entrepreneur and developer, Crain’s 20 in their 20s, multi-year captain, 5 years semi-pro.

“Harris may be one of the most thoughtful and reliable leaders you will ever come across. He’s an incredible communicator and skilled integrator with an ability to bring our team’s vision to life! There also isn’t anything that Harris can’t do and his curious entrepreneurial spirit can always find a thoughtful solution for any roadblocks that come our way.” - Wierda 

Harris initially joined Uru as a consultant back in 2020, but Wierda quickly invited him to be a co-founder after realizing how powerful his own successful transition from athlete to the business world could be in helping both accelerate Uru’s mission forward and inspiring others. 

Harris and Wierda first met during freshman year of college at the University of Michigan. They’d both won championships as captains of their teams and had similar interests and ambitions off the field. 

After a mission trip to LA, they worked together to cofound Athletes for Community Transformation, a student-athlete organization helping athletes use their platform to create impact. The program continues to grow and thrive at the University of Michigan campus today and helps athletes connect with the surrounding community. 

During Harris’s senior year he was invited to the Major Soccer League Combine but unfortunately wasn’t selected. He spent the six months following graduation looking for opportunities in the business world while playing semi-professional soccer for Detroit City FC. After getting his foot in the door he quickly rose through the ranks of the nonprofit and real estate development world. 

At 23 years old, Harris was hired as CEO of MACC Development, where he led a $2M real estate development project. The development was a state of the art mixed-use 12,000 sq. ft. community center and launch of a cafe/laundromat business. 

While there, Harris increased the organizational budget by 83% over three years while managing seven staff. He also launched new sports initiatives and an 8,000 sq. ft. community park.

This wide-ranging experience along with his time working as a consultant for the Detroit Pistons gave Harris insight into how his athletic background enabled his own growth and how this was also possible for other athletes he knew. Given the chance, Harris knew that athletes could learn to thrive in any environment.

Harris’s expertise in leading small teams and coaching executives to think more innovatively helps Uru iterate and launch products quickly. And his operational prowess combined with his passion and commitment to helping athletes reach their full potential helps propel Uru’s mission forward.

Harris is a father of three and married to his high school sweetheart. Outside of work, he enjoys time with family and friends at home in Flint, Michigan.

25+ years’ experience in sports, brand partnerships and entrepreneurships.

‍“You meet Hubbard and will immediately be inspired. She’s an incredibly smart leader and her energy and passion for helping athletes is contagious. Her diverse wealth of marketing experience and ability to utilize her vast and loyal network built over 30 years in the industry will definitely help us bring big deals to life.” - Wierda

Hubbard is well known in the sports world for her deep connections and brilliant marketing mind. Her decades of experience in brand work, strategy and athlete brand building are underpinned by her fervent belief that an athlete’s story isn’t confined to the field and that sport is an accelerator of positive impact. 

She first connected with Wierda in January of 2022, when she was asked by the founder of the Women in Sports Tech (WiST) organization to represent them as a mentor for the Comcast SportsTech Accelerator program. 

She was already an advisor with WiST and a mentor for their fellowship program, and Comcast thought she’d make an excellent mentor match for Uru due to her passion for supporting female founders in sports.

Hubbard had dedicated the previous five years of her career to helping current and former pro athletes in their endeavors off the field through BFWD Sports, the athlete brand consultancy she co-founded in 2017. BFWD helped athletes tap into the power of their platform and was built with the belief that they have the power to be successful, whether it be through starting new careers, building businesses or platforms, or their own athletic brands. They worked with athletes like Kate Johnson and Steph Curry. 

Her company also inspired the creation of the non-profit organization ‘Athlete x Impact’, which focuses on inspiring and enabling professional Olympic & Paralympic athletes realize their full impact in creating a more positive future for the world. 

Upon meeting the Uru Sports team, Hubbard quickly realized that her background, experience and network aligned with Uru’s mission. It was also a cultural fit for Hubbard on a personal level. She played field hockey at the University of Providence and like Wierda, was a walk-on turned starter and leader. A first generation college graduate, Hubbard says sports helped her gain confidence, discipline and opportunities for which she is ever thankful.

She joined the Uru team full-time after completing the 12-week Comcast accelerator program in May of 2022. With over 25 years of experience in sports, lifestyle, entertainment, event, and partnership marketing, Hubbard is uniquely positioned to help Uru succeed and hit growth milestones. She’s helped build and grow brands and companies, including a newly relocated sports team, a newly formed and integrated entertainment company, and a boutique agency acquired by two global agencies within five years.

Her specialties include integrated consumer marketing program development and execution, brand strategy, retail marketing, event marketing, sports marketing, and sponsorships. She has excellent organizational, negotiation and presentation skills, and is a strong team builder and motivator. 

Outside of work, Patty coaches and mentors athletes, is a mother of two, loves to ski and bathe in nature. She’s deeply passionate about her career and considers it a part of who she is, not what she does. 

20+ years’ experience in global corporate recruitment, former collegiate athlete.

“Jim is a wonderful human who absolutely loves winning! He is gritty and deeply passionate about helping companies build great teams and connecting people to meaningful careers. He brings decades of recruiting experience to help us deliver the best talent!” - Wierda

Collins is the latest addition to the core Uru team and he brings a wealth of recruiting experience to the table. A 20+ year veteran of the global talent acquisition community, Collins has deep experience in full cycle recruiting at some of the top award-winning technology companies in the world, from Fortune 50 level to startups. 

A former collegiate athlete, Collins has found his perfect match in Uru thanks to his passion for helping athletes translate valuable skills acquired through sport into successful careers - all aided by Uru’s unique business ecosystem of passionate, like-minded professionals.

Having built an impressive reputation for both solving corporate hiring needs and helping candidates find their dream job, Collins prides himself in possessing a high sense of urgency in finding unique talent. But he is equally laser focused on developing trusted relationships earned though effort and results.

His specialties include candidate experience, DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging), quality of hire, and behavioral interviewing. He is excited to both bring his recruiting perspective, and utilize his extensive experience, to help achieve Uru’s mission.

Collins points to the amazing energy around Uru plus the elite group of championship partners and athlete relationships as his inspiration to join the team. Well aware of how sports and the sports entertainment industry is rapidly changing and evolving, Collins is thrilled to be part of the opportunities and possibilities that Uru offers athletes, and to help grow the ever-expanding pool of connections.

Outside of work, Collins and his wife (also a former collegiate athlete) enjoy raising their family in Jacksonville, FL. They are constantly running to their kids sportings events or can be found spending time outdoors - hiking or even shark tooth collecting at the beach!

Charlotte Madson is an experienced professional with a background in business development, coaching, account management, and sports marketing. She has a proven track record of exceeding expectations and building successful relationships with clients, donors, and alumni.

Charlotte is proficient in Microsoft Suite, Salesforce, Salesloft, Zoom Info, MailChimp, and Teamworks. She is a strong communicator, leader, and team player. Charlotte holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a concentration in Marketing and a Master's degree in Sports Marketing Communications. She is currently participating in the Business of Sports Program at CU Boulder