gener8tor Alum Goes From Athlete to 'Shark Tank' to Forbes 30 Under 30

Four surgeries before graduating high school might have hindered Thomas Fields' hopes of a basketball career, but that didn't stop his entrepreneurial drive.

Fields was playing basketball for the former Reagan High School, now Heights High School, in Houston when he noticed problems facing young athletes. He wanted to practice as he healed from ACL injuries in his knee but didn't want to rely on high school coaches being there to open the gym doors. Basketball shooting machines, like the one locked in the gym, are expensive to purchase and cumbersome to carry around and use.

"It was a real problem for athletes like me, and I don't think [sports equipment companies] understood the problems that athletes were going through," Fields said.

Young athletes should have access to sports equipment designed around their needs and priced with families like his in mind, Fields said. After graduation, he went into his parents' garage and started work on a concept: Grind Basketball, a portable shooting machine capable of folding down into a duffel bag.

From the basketball shooting machine concept, Grind Interactive was born. The company designs interactive products that help athletes improve their game.

Continue reading the full article on by Chris Mathews at Houston Inno.