By Scott Wright
TENNIS star Jamie Murray has invested in an Edinburgh health and fitness start-up that is developing a device to reduce pain and increase muscle strength during exercise.
The Grand Slam-winning doubles champion and wife Alejandra contributed to an undisclosed “six-figure” investment round in SujiBFR, led by BioCity Group.
Scottish Enterprise, Gabriel Investment Syndicate and Creator Fund also participated.
The investment will be used for product development, grow the customer base and create additional technical jobs in the firm.
The Suji Device, powered by artificial intelligence, is based on blood flow restriction (BFR) training principles. It utilises low-intensity and bodyweight exercise to offer the same training benefits achieved with high-intensity weight training.
The backing comes as SujiBFR announces a partnership with the LTA, the national governing body for tennis in Great Britain. It means the LTA Performance team can assign Suji Devices to players on tour, while also making it one of a number of technologies available at its National Tennis Centre.
Alexander Birks, who founded SujiBFR after a career in boxing, said: “The idea grew out of my experience recovering from a traumatic sports injury. I felt frustrated by the length of time it would take to return to peak performance and started looking for fitness solutions that could help.
“After reaching out to sports professionals, I realised BFR training was recognised as a powerful tool for mitigating pain and strengthening muscles using low-intensity exercise.
“My own BFR training was successful, but it also demonstrated existing equipment was inadequate, requiring extensive user knowledge and offering a poor user experience.”
Jamie Murray said: “It’s a perfect example of how investment in new solutions can help athletes to reduce pain, optimise performance and recover after injury.”
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