Acceleration

Sports Performance Trainingaccelerationpro.com

Acceleration Sports Performance is a privately held, Illinois-based athletic training company operating facilities in Naperville/Aurora and Yorkville that delivers individualized speed, power, plyometric, weight, and sport-specific training programs primarily to youth and high school athletes pursuing collegiate and professional athletic careers.

Company typePrivate
Founded2008
HeadquartersNaperville, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Acceleration does

Acceleration Sports Performance (legally Acceleration Inc.) is a privately held athletic performance training company headquartered in Naperville, Illinois, operating two physical training facilities in Aurora (575 Exchange Ct) and Yorkville (9231 Galena Rd). The company serves athletes of all ages, sports, and skill levels, with a primary customer segment of youth and high school athletes pursuing college scholarships and recruitment outcomes, and secondary segments comprising collegiate and professional athletes. The product offering is a unified suite of five individualized session types: Speed Sessions (delivered on a Super High-Speed Treadmill designed to activate fast-twitch muscle fibers and teach sprint mechanics), Plyometric Sessions (multi-directional explosiveness, agility, and vertical jump work), Power Sessions (functional resistance training), Weight Training Sessions (sport-specific strength development), and Specialized Sport Training Sessions (season-based, position-specific, and combine prep programming). All programs are built on a proprietary 'Teach, Train, Test' methodology refined over 20+ years and supported by 15+ years of research-driven protocols, with the company claiming over $150,000 invested in specialized equipment.

The business model combines in-person service revenue from more than 40 private and semi-private sessions delivered weekly across the two facilities, digital training program sales through the TrainHeroic online marketplace, and direct-to-consumer gear and equipment sales via a Fourthwall e-commerce storefront. Session booking is managed through MindBody Online. The company does not publicly disclose pricing; offers a free trial assessment as a freemium entry point; and monetizes primarily through recurring monthly training subscriptions. Marketing is community-led, anchored by an alumni network that includes professional athletes across the NFL, MLB, NBA, and US Women's National Soccer Team, who collectively have reportedly earned over $200 million in college scholarships.

Acceleration is founder-owned and bootstrapped, with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, debt financing, or institutional funding rounds. The leadership team is concentrated among the Niklos family and long-tenured coaches, with J.R. Niklos as Founder & Head Coach and Mike Niklos as Director of Athletic Development. The company has no subsidiaries, no parent company, and no international operating footprint beyond digital marketplace presence. The business is best characterized as a mature, multi-location, service-led sports training operator with a strong local brand and a thin layer of digital diversification.

Acceleration firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Acceleration
Legal name: Acceleration Inc.
Website: https://accelerationpro.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2008
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Acceleration Sports Performance is a privately held, Illinois-based athletic training company operating facilities in Naperville/Aurora and Yorkville that delivers individualized speed, power, plyometric, weight, and sport-specific training programs primarily to youth and high school athletes pursuing collegiate and professional athletic careers.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Acceleration industry classification

Industry

Product category: Sports Performance Training
NAICS: Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200)
akta.pro primary industry: Strength & Conditioning / Performance Training (EDALAIAI)
akta.pro secondary industries: Speed, Agility & Quickness (SAQ) Training (HSADAEAC), Online/Remote Personal Training & Programming (HSADAAAM)

Keywords

Sports performance training
Athletic development programs
Speed and agility training
Strength and conditioning
Plyometric training sessions

Where Acceleration is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Naperville
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

Acceleration business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

In-Person Training Sessions: Offers more than 40 private and semi-private training sessions weekly. Athletes book sessions through MindBody online platform. Training programs include Speed Sessions, Plyometric Sessions, Power Sessions, Weight Training Sessions, and Specialized Sport Training.
Online Training Marketplace: Sells training programs through TrainHeroic marketplace platform, providing digital/online training options.
Gear and Equipment Sales: Sells sports performance gear and equipment through their Fourthwall e-commerce storefront.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Freemium	Monthly	Free Trial Assessment
Subscription	Monthly	Private and Semi-Private Training Sessions

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Acceleration product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Acceleration provides individualized, in-person sports performance training programs—including Speed Sessions (delivered on a Super High-Speed Treadmill), Plyometric, Power, Weight Training, and Specialized Sport Training sessions—delivered at two Illinois facilities (Aurora and Yorkville) and through an online training marketplace on TrainHeroic. Programming is built on a 'Teach, Train, Test' methodology, supplemented by a free trial assessment and ancillary gear/equipment sales via a Fourthwall e-commerce store.

Product overview

Acceleration Sports Performance is a sports performance training company offering a unified suite of individualized training programs. The core offering consists of five session types — Speed Sessions (featuring a Super High-Speed Treadmill), Plyometric Sessions, Power Sessions, Weight Training Sessions, and Specialized Sport Training Sessions — all built on a 'Teach, Train, Test' methodology. Training is delivered through private and semi-private sessions at two Illinois facilities (Naperville/Aurora and Yorkville), supplemented by a Free Trial Assessment for new athletes and an online marketplace via TrainHeroic. Programs are customized per athlete based on sport, age, skill level, and season.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Speed Sessions
Plyometric Sessions
Power Sessions
Weight Training Sessions
Specialized Sport Training Sessions
Free Trial Assessment
Online Training Programs (TrainHeroic)
Sports Performance Gear and Equipment

Quantifiable outcome

2-4 tenths faster in the 40 Yard Dash
+2 more outcomes

Companies that use Acceleration

Customer profile

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Acceleration technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Acceleration partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Acceleration competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

EXOS (formerly Athletes' Performance): Established sports performance training provider with professional athlete, college, and youth programs. Offers broader integrated performance services (nutrition, physical therapy) and operates at significantly greater scale.
IMG Academy: Multi-sport training and education institution that combines athletic performance training with academic programs for aspiring college and professional athletes. Much larger and broader scope, but addresses overlapping customer needs.

Direct peers

Michael Johnson Performance: Athletic performance training facility focused on speed development and elite athlete preparation. Directly comparable methodology and equipment profile.
D1 Training: National franchise of athletic performance training facilities serving youth, high school, and adult athletes. Closely comparable in methodology, target market, and facility-based delivery model, with a much larger geographic footprint.
DeFranco's Gym: Sports performance facility emphasizing speed, strength, and athletic development for athletes. Direct competitor in athlete-focused training with similar coaching-led methodology.
XPE Sports: Elite athletic performance training business serving professional and draft-prep athletes. Comparable in methodology emphasis on speed and combine prep.
Reach Speed Training: Athletic performance facility specializing in speed development using specialized equipment (high-speed treadmills). Closely comparable in equipment investment and SAQ focus.
Parisi Speed School: Speed and agility training franchise with a similar youth-athlete focus and SAQ curriculum. Competes head-to-head in the same customer segment with comparable protocols and equivalent equipment.

Emerging players

F45 Training: Functional training franchise with athletic performance adjacent programming. Less athlete-specific than Acceleration but comparable fitness studio franchise model and brand-driven community.

Others

STACK Sports: Digital training content and athletic development platform serving high school and youth athletes. Adjacent ecosystem participant that competes for digital training attention but not physical facilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Acceleration financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Acceleration leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Acceleration funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Acceleration M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Acceleration

What does Acceleration do?

Is Acceleration a public or private company?

Acceleration is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Acceleration founded?

Acceleration was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Acceleration based?

Acceleration is headquartered in Naperville, United States, in the North America region.

How does Acceleration make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. In-Person Training Sessions are the primary driver. The others are online Training Marketplace and gear and Equipment Sales.

Who are Acceleration's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are EXOS (formerly Athletes' Performance) and IMG Academy. Direct peers are Michael Johnson Performance, D1 Training, DeFranco's Gym, XPE Sports, Reach Speed Training and Parisi Speed School. F45 Training is listed as an emerging player. STACK Sports is listed as an others.

Does Acceleration have an API?

No public API is recorded for Acceleration.

What industry is Acceleration in?

Acceleration's product category is Sports Performance Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAIAI, Strength & Conditioning / Performance Training, with a secondary code of HSADAEAC, Speed, Agility & Quickness (SAQ) Training. Its NAICS code is 61162 and its SIC code is 8200.