Voting for Athletech News’ Power Players 2026 is officially live. Power Players is an award that recognizes business leaders within the health and wellness space this year. Finalists from 15 categories have been selected and voting runs through October 31, 2026.
Keith Barlow, Founder of XENOM, and Todd Meleney, co-Founder and CEO of while on earth, were both recognized among the top founders among startups in the fitness and wellness industry.
Keith, as you know, founded XENOM this past year. With two competitions under their belt, XENOM is heading to Miami in December, Spain in January and there are more competitions planned for 2027.
It was also announced that HYROX founders, Christian Toetzke and Moritz Fürste, recently invested in XENOM. You can watch our interview with Keith Barlow from earlier this month…
Todd Meleney was well known within the CrossFit community years ago as the Chief Marketing Officer for NOBULL. Meleney left NOBULL before it was acquired by Mike Repole in 2023.
Meleney then went out on his own to start a new footwear and apparel brand, while on earth. He co-founded the company alongside CrossFit veterans Mat Fraser and Brooke Wells and later added NFL running back Christian McCaffrey.
Looking through the list of other nominees, most would not be known within the CrossFit space. However, Will Ahmed, Founder and CEO of WHOOP, was nominated for CEO of the Year.
There are also several individuals from within HYROX who have been nominated within various categories.
No one from CrossFit was nominated.
Like I mentioned earlier, anyone can vote between now and October 31. Head over to Athletech News’ website and cast your vote today.
