BetterGuards Technology GmbH has developed an innovative ankle brace called “The BetterGuard,” which uses a mini-piston to stabilize the ankle during critical movements, thus preventing ankle sprains, which are a common injury among athletes. The product offers full protection and full range of motion, which is not possible with conventional braces. The mini-piston technology is adaptive and velocity-dependent and is integrated into shoes or braces above the lateral malleolus. BetterGuards has won the NBA Launchpad Award in 2022 and is currently being tested in collaboration with NBA. The product was successfully launched in the European Union in November 2022 and will be launched in the US in the first half of 2023. The technology has been extensively tested and validated by different internal and external research institutions, and has shown higher inversion reduction and subjective comfort compared to placebo and unbraced conditions, as well as a similar protection effect as rigid conventional braces.