Read Time: 6 minutes

Michael G. Eckstein, founder and CEO of Vector Sports Science, has built a remarkable career spanning over four decades in IT business development and leadership roles. Best known as the creator of KinaTrax—a revolutionary sports analytics platform used by 22 MLB teams—Michael’s journey is rooted in resilience and innovation. From a transformative moment in 2012 to turning an idea into a game-changing technology, his entrepreneurial path is a testament to leveraging experience and vision to drive success. In this interview, Michael shares pivotal lessons on leadership, innovation, and scaling a business, offering valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and industry leaders alike.

It’s a pleasure to have you with us, Michael. To start, could you share your entrepreneurial journey and what inspired you to start your business?

After graduating from Drexel University with my MBA, I spent 25 years following the traditional climbing-the-corporate-ladder pathway to the C-suite levels of corporate America. During this time, I was fortunate to have both mentors and contemporaries from whom I could learn and observe key management and business skills to build and lead diverse teams with different skill sets. When a business downturn hit the pharmaceutical industry, and large corporate layoffs followed, I struck out on my own to create a specific niche consultancy to support clinical trials and drug discovery projects.

How has your personal background and experiences influenced your approach to entrepreneurship?

During the Vietnam War, I served in the Air Force for four years, spending two years overseas (in Libya!) and two years stateside. The military chain of command focuses on specific task assignments and job descriptions, in addition to developing cause-and-effect awareness.

Can you describe a pivotal moment in your business that significantly impacted its trajectory?

Absolutely. It was in 2012 when I started developing the business ideas and technical concepts behind KinaTrax. Roy Halladay, the Phillies’ Cy Young Award-winning pitcher, began the season with a win-loss record of 2-4 and an ERA of 8+. The press was filled with stories discussing his pitching motion and speculating about his delivery mechanics. While having lunch with a good friend, a senior front-office Phillies executive, I began to formulate the possibilities of developing a high-speed, real-time, in-stadium camera system to capture the key joint centers, bone locations, and movement angles of the pitching motion (arm slot, knee lift, stride length, trunk tilt, etc.). It took almost 18 months to develop the technology before I went to the MLB Winter Meetings in December 2014. The Tampa Bay Rays (under the leadership of Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon) immediately saw the benefits and possibilities of the technology and were the first team to install the system in their Tropicana Field stadium. The Dodgers and Cubs quickly followed, and after the Cubs won the World Series in 2016 with the lowest ERA in the league, KinaTrax quickly became known as the must-have technology for MLB teams to capture, process, and assess their pitchers.

The success of KinaTrax in revolutionizing MLB teams’ approach to performance analytics is remarkable. Building on that foundation, what strategies have you implemented to scale your business successfully?

When selling technology and considering your target markets, you need to think not only about how to sell your product but also about how to install, train, service, and support it. In technology, VAR (value-added reseller) distribution channels are key to successfully scaling your business, as they help identify capable local vendors to provide these critical components of the business model.

How do you stay innovative and adapt to changes in your industry?

Read, read, read. Every day, I set aside at least 30-45 minutes for reading (or skimming!) the major newspapers (Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Financial Times). I also subscribe to three newsletters, four podcasts, and three newsfeeds from sports-specific media companies.

Your commitment to staying informed and ahead of industry trends is inspiring. Shifting gears, can you share your approach to leadership and how you motivate your team, especially during challenging times?

Maybe it’s my Air Force background, but like the military, companies have hierarchies. I’m not a big fan of the “huggy-feely” school of management. You’ve been hired and are a part of my team, company, or organization for a reason—you have excellent skill sets, you are results-oriented, and you have a professional work ethic. Problem-solving is a group dynamic, and I listen to and respect the opinions and input of all my team members. However, running a company is not a democracy; in the end, decisions—especially tough ones during challenging times—are made by me, and everyone knows and understands why.

Thank you, Michael, for sharing your experiences and thoughtful insights with us today. Your journey is a true testament to the power of resilience and innovation. Stay tuned for Part 2 of our conversation, where we’ll dive deeper into more of Michael’s valuable lessons and perspectives.

Marc J. Bernstein JD, ChFC®, CLU®, CAP®

Financial Planner and Consultant, Bestselling Author, and Creator of the Forward Focus Forums

Marc helps high performing entrepreneurs and business owners create a vision for the future, accomplish their business and personal goals, financial and otherwise, and assists them in following through on their intentions.  Marc recently co-founded March, a forward-looking company with a unique approach to wealth management.  He captured his philosophy in his #1 Amazon Bestseller, The Fiscal Therapy Solution 1.0.  Marc is also the founder of the Forward Focus Forum, a suite of resources tailored specifically to educate and connect high performing entrepreneurs, and to help them realize their vision of true financial independence. The forum includes;

• the Founders’ Forward Focus Forum: a series of articles focused on entrepreneurship
• the Founders’ Forum Radio Show and Podcast: featuring interviews with some of the area’s top founders and their experiences in business
• the Manufacturers’ Forward Focus Forum: a specialized resource group for owners/founders of manufacturing companies, including a private Facebook group; a private discussion group for high performing leaders of manufacturing companies to share resources, news, network with each other, and collaborate