Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dr. Darren Burke, scientist, serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Headstrong, is mentoring a growing number of founders, with a specific focus on professional athletes who want to build strong businesses that are built to last and make a real impact.
For Darren Burke, mentoring athlete entrepreneurs is not a side project. It is an extension of the way Headstrong itself was built: by a scientist and a group of professional athletes working side by side, turning elite performance habits into a company.
Who is Dr. Darren Burke?
Dr. Darren Burke holds a PhD in Exercise Physiology and Sport and Exercise Science. Before moving full time into entrepreneurship, he was a faculty researcher at StFX (St. Francis Xavier University), where his work centred on human performance.
Darren Burke is also a proven builder. He built Rivalus, a sports supplement brand he scaled from a bootstrapped start to significant revenue before a successful exit. That experience of taking a brand from zero to exit is a big part of what he brings to the founders he mentors. Read the full story of why he left a tenured professorship at StFX to build Rivalus.
Today he is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is co-founder of Headstrong, the brain-first sports nutrition brand he built with pro hockey player Evan Nause and Head of Partnerships Keaton Pehrson.
That mix of lab science and company building is exactly what athlete founders seek out. Darren Burke understands how athletes train, recover and think, and he understands what it takes to turn an idea into a business that keeps growing after the launch buzz fades.
Why pro athletes make exceptional founders
Professional athletes already have many of the traits that separate great founders from the rest: discipline, coachability, resilience under pressure and the ability to perform when it counts. What they often lack is a playbook for business, and a mentor who speaks both languages.
"Athletes spend their whole careers building systems that hold up under pressure. A business is no different. My job is to help them take the same discipline they bring to their sport and point it at a company that will still be standing in twenty years." Dr. Darren Burke
Many athletes are approached with endorsement deals, equity offers and brand opportunities throughout their careers. Darren Burke helps them look past the short-term payday and ask better questions: Who owns the business? What problem does it solve? Will it still matter when the playing career ends?
Building businesses built to last
Darren Burke's mentorship of athlete entrepreneurs is built around a small set of principles he has applied from Rivalus to Headstrong:
- Start with a real problem. The strongest athlete-led companies solve something the athlete has lived, not something that simply carries their name.
- Own the category, not just the product. Durable companies define the space they compete in, then everything they make has a home.
- Use science and evidence as the foundation. Claims, formulas and strategy should hold up to scrutiny from the people who know the field best.
- Protect credibility at all costs. For a pro athlete, reputation is the most valuable asset in the business. Every partnership, product and message has to be one they can stand behind.
- Build for the long game. Hype fades. Systems, teams and trust compound.
"Anyone can launch something. The hard part, and the part that matters, is building a company with a foundation strong enough to grow, earn trust and make an impact long after the first headline." Dr. Darren Burke
Headstrong: a company built with pro athletes
Headstrong is the clearest example of how Darren Burke works with athlete founders. The company was built alongside co-founder Evan Nause, an active professional hockey player and the brand's primary connector to its athlete network, and Keaton Pehrson, a former pro and NCAA Division I athlete who now leads partnerships. In October 2026, NHL defenseman Jayden Struble joined Headstrong as a partner and investor.
Headstrong has grown a network of hundreds of athletes across pro and collegiate sport. You can read how that network was built in How Headstrong Built a 200+ Athlete Network, and meet some of the athletes in stories such as Zack Bolduc Joins Team Headstrong and Kai Schwindt Joins Team Headstrong.
Every product Headstrong makes is NSF Certified for Sport, a standard Darren Burke treats as non-negotiable because the athletes who use the products, and help build the company, have careers that depend on it.
Making an impact beyond the business
For Darren Burke, a business built to last should also leave something behind. At Headstrong, that means raising awareness of brain health and its link to mental health, a mission he and Evan Nause share and treat as central to the brand, not a marketing line.
He encourages the athlete founders he mentors to think the same way. Pro athletes have platforms most entrepreneurs never get. Used well, that platform can build a company and move a cause forward at the same time.
A growing community of athlete founders
The number of founders Darren Burke mentors continues to grow, as more professional athletes look beyond endorsement deals toward ownership and long-term business building. His focus remains the same: helping athletes build strong, credible companies that are designed to last and make an impact.
To learn more about Dr. Darren Burke's work, read Why I Built Headstrong and What Athletes Get Wrong About Brain Performance, or explore Headstrong's brain-first sports nutrition.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dr. Darren Burke?
Dr. Darren Burke is a Halifax, Nova Scotia based scientist and serial entrepreneur with a PhD in Exercise Physiology and Sport and Exercise Science. He is co-founder of Headstrong, a brain-first sports nutrition brand, built and exited the supplement brand Rivalus, and is a former faculty researcher at StFX.
What is Rivalus?
Rivalus is a sports supplement brand that Darren Burke built from a bootstrapped start to significant revenue before a successful exit.
What does Darren Burke do for pro athlete entrepreneurs?
Darren Burke mentors professional athletes who are building or investing in businesses. He helps them choose the right opportunities, build on a foundation of science and credibility, and create companies that are built to last and make an impact.
Where is Darren Burke based?
Darren Burke is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and works with founders and athletes across North America.
How can athletes connect with Darren Burke?
Athletes and founders can reach Dr. Darren Burke through Headstrong at db@getheadstrongnow.com.
