Co-Founder & CEO @ Ruley, the E-Referee | Start Up Business Expert | Entrepreneur

After 25 years building successful companies I found myself at a crossroads. I had built companies that helped people and families. I was proud of that legacy, I knew it was time for a new chapter.

In my early 50s, I sold my third company just a year behind schedule from a personal goal I set at 34. 

During COVID, I had the space to explore ideas that truly energized me. I enrolled in a six-month coding bootcamp to learn Python and deepen my understanding of the technologies shaping our future.

Now I’m the Co-Founder of Ruley, an AI powered smart sports E-Referee API  designed to help federations, sports media and consumer brands gain fans, players and spectators by being the go to venues for sports rules and insights.

My personal mission is to fuse decades of my experience and strategic thinking with modern tech to bring people together through playing sports and watching sports.  By working with these existing sports entities we can grow sports and all the good that comes with them.

At the heart of my work is this belief: we all deserve unbiased, instant information, and we all deserve to enjoy life like we did as kids. 

These ideas aren’t mutually exclusive. With the right tools, we can help provide knowledge in unique ways and inject more joy into everyday life.

Explore Ruley and our API rollout (and more) for sports:
🌐 ruley.ai

📸 Instagram: @ruley_ereferee
🎥 YouTube: @ruleythee-referee
📘 Facebook: @ruleytheereferee

🎾 Just Ruley it!

Cassandra Toroian

Luxury fashion solved resale a long time ago.

Platforms like Vinted proved that worn items can still hold value,
as long as there’s trust, authentication, and a clear marketplace.

What’s odd is how little of that exists in sport.

Sports gear is expensive. Often lightly used.
Sometimes used at elite level. And often tied to real performance history.

And yet once it’s outgrown or replaced, it usually
disappears into general resale platforms
or gets written off entirely.

There are places to sell second-hand gear,
but none that treat it as a category in its own right.

That includes high-value items. Match-worn kits.
Celebrity-used equipment. Limited runs with real demand behind them.

And it also includes everyday players too.
People upgrading clubs. Parents replacing boots.
Athletes moving on.

Fashion resale works because it’s specialised.
Sport resale hasn’t done the same.

Which is strange, given how much value is sitting
unused in garages, lockers, and kit bags.

That looks less like a behaviour problem
and more like an unbuilt market.

Does anyone out there know of a sport-gear focused resale upsale platform?

A conference company offered me the opportunity to meet with potential partners they viewed as very important to the racket sport industry.

But here's the catch:
And they wanted me to pay them a $10,000 fee.
For arranging those 20-minute meeting.

This isn't just bad form. It's bad business.

Alex Hormozi puts it best: "Give information away for free. Sell the implementation."

Business requires graciousness to be highly successful.
A willingness to help others succeed.
Because a rising tide raises all ships.

Short-sighted greed closes doors, whereas graciousness and generosity opens them.

Talking sustainability helps everyone.
How can you demand a price tag on that?
The company requesting that fee has lost my respect forever.

What do you think?

#BusinessStrategy #Leadership #Networking #Graciousness #Entrepreneurship

With the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States coming to the U.S., soccer is entering a very different phase here.

Interest is rising.
International ticket sales are strong.
The reception has been broadly positive.

But amongst many Americans there's a whisper under their breaths…

Only around 12% of Americans say they know the rules of soccer well,
despite the scale of the audience now being built around it.

Soccer is already one of the most nuanced sports to officiate and interpret.
Add a newer audience, unfamiliar terminology, and high-stakes moments,
and confusion scales quickly.

You see it reflected in viewing habits too.
Globally, women’s World Cup viewership exceeds 60%.
In the U.S., it’s closer to 16%.

That gap isn’t about accessibility. It’s about interest.
How can you be interested in something you don’t know much about?

If soccer is to grow in the U.S., rule of the sport
must become part of the infrastructure,
not an afterthought.

Ruley’s API is trained on soccer rules and edge cases with that in mind.
Not as a front-facing product, but as something leagues,
platforms, and media can rely on behind the scenes.

When interest grows faster than understanding,
That gap is where friction appears.

If you work in U.S. soccer leagues or soccer media
and want to explore how Ruley could fit into that
ecosystem, message me.

#FIFA #soccer #USSoccerLeague #USSoccerTeam

Trying a new sport usually doesn’t fail because of interest.
It fails because of uncertainty.

What equipment do you actually need?
Is it worth buying everything upfront?
Will you even use it long enough to justify the spend?

Subscription models can remove that hesitation.

They let people explore new sports without committing to full sets of gear immediately.

That’s the thinking behind Volleybird Athletic Lifestyle’s “mystery box” concept.

Not a novelty purchase, but as a structured introduction.
A way to discover equipment, apparel, and smaller essentials
without overcommitting on day one.

Alongside that, the products themselves are being designed with responsibility in mind.

Materials, fabrics, and suppliers are being chosen with longevity and
environmental impact considered from the start.

The goal is that every item included moves toward
sustainable production as the range grows.

When people can try something new without a large financial
or material commitment, participation becomes easier
and decisions become more intentional.

Discovery works best when responsibility is built into the box.

We went to the PGA Golf Shows expecting to cover a lot of turf. 
And we sure did.

But we also found a massive surprise.

There’s a new wave of golf tech.

My Co-Founder Tracy Thomas and I made incredible contacts with young companies iterating on this historic game.

The "established" sport of gold is actually the very hungry for innovation.

The entrepreneurs understand that to modernize the playing experience, you need modern infrastructure.

Players want real integration between the player, the club, and the rules of the game.

So how do you manage that? How do you merge the tradition of Golf with the speed of innovation?

You need new foundations.
And that includes the Ruley proprietary API.

Ruley is now a new layer of the golf tech stack.

Imagine a golfer getting clarity right there on the course!
About penalty strokes or options to move their ball legally.
No searching through your golf bag for a handbook.
Just playing.

The "old" sports are moving faster than we thought.

The industry is ready.

Whether it's a tech training aid, golf course reservation app, or on course tech, there's something more you can do to help your customer shave points off their game.

DM me if your golf product is interested in learning more. 


#PGAShow2026 #SportsTech #GolfInnovation #RuleyAPI #FutureOfSport #golf

Volleybird Athletic Lifestyle was featured in the New York Post last week.
 
The piece focuses on something tennis rarely questions:
how often balls are replaced,
and how little attention is paid
to their full lifecycle.
 
Renewaball approaches that problem differently.
 
Used balls are collected, broken down, and remade into balls that meet performance standards again.
 
Same role in the game. A more responsible production loop.
 
This approach was built to work within the sport, not around it.
It fits into the sport as it already operates.
The experience stays familiar.
Performance stays consistent.
 
Progress in sport often comes from revisiting everyday equipment,
rather than launching something entirely new.
 
If you’re curious how this works in practice
and why it’s gaining attention now,
The full piece is worth a read here:
 
👉 https://lnkd.in/gT39qKX5

A broken tooth shined a light on what sports (and life) is all about.

Think about it. 

The U.S. Olympic ice hockey team showed unbelievable grit and determination….and sportsmanship.

The young player who had his tooth broken wasn’t upset.

He didn’t blame anyone. 

He was not upset.

It was part of the game. It is just a battle scar.

That’s the different between champions and everyone else.

Broken ribs, torn ligaments. It’s all part of the game. 

Scars show you are battle tested. You are fearless. You can’t be scared into submission.

The Olympians’ scars are a lesson for us all.

Get up everyday. Put on your big girl pants. And fight with no fear for your win.🥇

It's official! Ruley.ai is heading to PEAK 2026 in Las Vegas. 🎉 If you’re working in SportsTech, innovation, or sport operations, this is where the industry comes together. Let’s connect. April 20–22, 2026 | Fontainebleau Las Vegas. See you there. 🏔️

Boomtown Accelerators

Helped create the founding content strategy for a leading sports tech accelerator that seeks to find, fund, and fast-track the most innovative sports startups around the world. To that end, I create compelling content and articles for the website and editorial brand, Inside Track to educate prospective founders about the program. In addition, we publish a monthly sports tech newsletter that is sent to over 10,000 subscribers.

Content Marketing Specialist, Managing Editor "Beyond the Game" Newsletter

Write of Passage

I joined the final cohort of David Perell's as one of ten O'Shaughnessy Fellowship recipients. In a world with mediocre and mundane writing and an influx of Artificial Intelligence, Write of Passage instilled a systematic process for cultivating ideas, distilling them into writing, and sharing them with the people who can make the biggest difference. Through the two-month BootCamp, I worked on three primary ideas that were published on my Substack newsletter.

Write of Passage - O'Shaughnessy Fellowship

Currently in film festivals around the country, capping a multi-year effort following a fourth-generation Wisconsin dairy farmer in Monroe, Wisconsin, as he battles the economic and financial landscape of owning and operating a farming operation. Coordinated scouting efforts, pre-production, research, and on-the-ground lean filming efforts with DP and sound mixer. Also filmed a dozen sit-down interviews with people who are helping shape Wisconsin's farm future, including UW-Madison professors, economists, and local dairy officials.

Official Selection:
Beloit International Film Festival
Wisconsin Film Festival
Eau Claire International Film Festival
Star City
Red Cedar 
Weyaweuga Film Festival
Green Bay International Film Festival
Thomas Edison Film Festival
Oneota Film Festival

Awards:
Executive Director’s Award - Beloit International Film Festival
Best Short Documentary - Eau Claire International Film Festival
Best Short Documentary - Weyaweuga Film Festival

Director, Producer "Dairyland" Documentary Film (in film festivals now)

Coda

Brand Writer

Human

Senior Writer

Creative Strategist

On Deck

As a member of On Deck's inaugural writing fellowship ODW1, I joined authors, bloggers, entrepreneurs, and essayists through a collaborative environment where we learned better writing practices en route to creating, branding, marketing, and launching a newsletter product. I created "The Jaunt" which explores domestic American travel through the lens of the people and places that comprise little-known and off-the-beaten-path places.

On Deck Writers Fellowship 

Branch

I write stories that show the impact of 600 million shift workers across the globe.

Marketing Content Manager

Evernote

Research, craft, and write long-form editorials that frame topics meaningful to Evernote users, such as creativity and productivity, in new ways that inspire, inform, and engage. One article about the Feynman Technique was published on Medium and earned 31K views, one of Evernote's most-viewed stories.

Freelance Writer, Researcher

Working with the Communications team, under the umbrella of Evernote's marketing organization, I write, edit, and publish original content to the blog and social media channels. Content ranges from  tips, guides, and long-form stories designed to provide our users with practical understanding of how Evernote can help them work smarter and be more productive. In tandem with the communications team, I help develop content ideas for marketing campaigns, landing pages, and newsletters.

Recently, I assisted in an extensive content audit to roll out new brand and voice messaging copy across all of Evernote's user touch points including the blog and social media properties. In addition to writing responsibilities, I also collaborated with our Developer Relations team to create content aimed at helping improve Evernote's outreach to the development community around the globe. I also have worked alongside our video team to produce user stories featured on the Evernote blog and YouTube channels. I also managed and moderated content disseminated to Evernote's social channels including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Content Marketing Specialist

Greensboro Grasshoppers

From pregame to postgame, I present live game-related updates, player introductions, and in-game sponsorships that are driven by the team's local and regional business relationships. Each year, the team cycles through $1M in local advertising throughout the season to a stadium that averages the highest-annual attendance in minor league baseball's South Atlantic League.

Public Announcer (part-time, seasonal)

Exiles Inc.

Built a community of engaged and obsessed Green Bay Packers fans on Facebook for Exiles, a network of team-specific communities specialized in creating, managing, and publishing content for out-of-market fans. 

Maintained, managed and grew Facebook community of 42,000 fans, with weekly engagement averaging 150,000 users. Managed one writer and published 20-30 articles per week including feature stories, in-game reports, and player profiles.

Community Manager, Editor - Green Bay Packers

A versatile brand writer and narrative journalist with over a decade of experience in every aspect of storytelling, from ideation to publication. I take a holistic approach to copywriting, viewing it as a constellation of opportunities that solve brand challenges by attracting, educating, and engaging consumers through compelling stories. 

I have a proven track record of creating effective messaging across various mediums and platforms for consumer products, digital publishing startups, and a sports tech accelerator. I helped evolve digital reading experiences from desktops to mobile devices as part of early content teams at Zinio and Scribd. I was a key contributor to advancing Evernote’s long-form storytelling, building lasting relationships with influencers and creatives like Neil Gaiman, Michael Hyatt, Susan Orlean, Klaus Badelt, and Tiago Forte. 

Specialties: Content marketing, digital media, editorial content, newsletters, publishing, public speaking, social media, blogging, writing, broadcast television, production, documentary film, print, radio

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Cassandra Toroian

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