The Battle Plan
We engineer athletic greatness through innovation, protection, & performance.
As a hockey parent, the tragic incidents in the sport of hockey compelled me to seek out effective neck laceration protection for my own child—only to discover a glaring gap in the market.
This realization sparked my mission to create Titan Battlegear, to innovate protective gear, and set an entirely new standard for safety, performance, and style for players at every level.
- Andries de Villiers
Leadership
Behind every great innovation is a team of passionate individuals. Get to know the faces driving our mission to redefine performance, protection, and style in hockey.
Andries de Villiers, Founder & CEO
Andries is an entrepreneur, investor, visionary, and C-level executive with nearly two decades of leadership experience. He excels at building and scaling startups to deliver multibillion-dollar outcomes.
As a hockey parent, he saw a huge gap in the market in terms of safety, performance, and style. The alarming need to do better was evident after taking a dull knife to existing neck guards, and realizing the superficial level of safety provided by the mass-market brands was not keeping his kid safe on the ice.
Prior to launching Titan, he served as Chief Growth Officer at Majestic Steel, driving digital transformation and strategic initiatives.
Outside the office, Andries enjoys playing hockey, traveling to tournaments with his son, cycling, golfing, and spending time with family and friends.
Adam Clement, Chief Product & Design Officer
Adam Clement is a creative leader with over 25 years of experience in design and branding. A former Vice President of Design at Under Armour, Adam spent nearly 17 years at the company, where he oversaw multiple categories including team sports, men’s training, and boy’s training. While at UA, he worked with major universities such as Notre Dame, UCLA, and Wisconsin, as well as professional teams including Tottenham Hotspur and the Welsh Rugby Union. His designs have been featured on ESPN, NBC, and other major media outlets, reaching audiences nationwide.
Prior to Under Armour, Adam spent six years at Widmeyer Communications, specializing in logo design and corporate branding. He later served as the Executive Creative Director at BlueChip Holdings, and as VP of Design and Creative at Origin USA, where he directed all design efforts.
Outside of work, Adam (a goalie) is a passionate hockey player, regularly competing against top players in Maryland. As dedicated head coach, he leads his son’s 12U travel hockey team and serves on the board of the Baltimore Youth Hockey Club.
Nicolas Krauss, Chief Growth Officer
Nicolas Krauss is an entrepreneur with a strong track record in building businesses and driving growth. Before joining Titan Battlegear, Nicolas was the Founder & CEO of dasFlow Custom Sublimation Apparel, a leading manufacturer of high-performance, full dye-sublimation apparel. At dasFlow, he combined cutting-edge fabric technology with innovative design, delivering exceptional comfort, quality, and durability to customers.
Nicolas’s connection to Titan Battlegear began as a client and vendor, where he recognized the company's transformative potential in redefining performance safety gear and apparel. This partnership inspired him to dedicate his expertise to advancing the company's success.
Earlier in his career, Nicolas gained valuable experience as a business consultant for a global real estate franchising network and operated a small real estate investment firm. His diverse background reflects his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to excellence. In addition to his professional achievements, Nicolas is multilingual, speaking English, German, Spanish, and Portuguese fluently.
Outside of work, Nicolas is passionate about staying active and enjoying life outdoors. He is an avid soccer player, triathlete, and fitness enthusiast who also enjoys gardening and spending sunny days with family and friends.
Douglas Lein, Chief Business Officer
Doug has a passion for breaking the trend through innovative business investments. Having served in many different capacities from the ground floor to executive level positions, he has fostered an eclectic business acumen. With over 35 years of hockey experience, from playing, coaching and team ownership, his vast knowledge and connections throughout the sports world brings a unique perspective to Titan.
He is the owner of a Canadian Junior A Hockey Club as well as serving on the league Executive Committee as The Chairman of the Board for the last 6 years.
Doug has spent time serving at the national level with the Canadian Junior Hockey League as well other executive sub-groups.
Doug founded and manages an equity group with holdings in the sports world as well as a wide range from start-ups, to long established family-owned businesses. Outside of hockey and his work life, Doug enjoys spending his time with family, his wife Sophia, their daughter Winifred, their dog Oakley, along with a close group of friends. His free-time activities include traveling, boating, waterskiing, golf, hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling.
Christian Zuluaga, Director of Operations
Christian is an Industrial Engineer and operations leader with over 15 years of experience in the textile and apparel industry. As the Director of Operations in Colombia for Titan Battlegear, he is passionate about continuous process improvement, operational efficiency, and fostering teamwork.
With a hands-on leadership style, Christian aims to inspire and positively influence his team in the pursuit of excellence, ensuring the achievement of shared goals. His extensive expertise encompasses production management, process optimization, and driving innovation in the manufacturing sector.
Beyond his professional life, Christian is an avid motorcycle enthusiast who enjoys traveling on two wheels. He also dedicates his free time to restoring classic motorcycles and vintage cars, combining his love for craftsmanship and engineering.
William Sirignano, Board of Directors
William is senior investment professional, manager and dealmaker with over 18 years of Wall Street, hedge fund and private credit professional experience. His areas of expertise include capital markets and risk underwriting as well as sourcing, negotiating and structuring complex deals.
As an Operating Partner of Mission 3A, William leads Mission 3A's investment in Titan Battlegear.
William spent 11 years at Blackstone where he was a Managing Director, during which time he sourced >$5 billion worth of private corporate credit deals and co-managed a $3.5 billion opportunistic corporate credit portfolio.
William is a passionate and serial venture and seed investor who prefers to take a proactive role as an advisor and partner to the companies in which he invests.
He has served on the Board of Directors for several companies, totaling >$2 billion in sales. William received a Bachelor of Arts degree Cum Laude in Economics from Williams College also studying corporate finance and mathematics.
Featured collection
Battlegear 2.0 LS - Black/Gray
Battlegear 2.0 LS - Blackout Camo
Battlegear 2.0 LS - Miami Vice
Battlegear 2.0 LS - Neon Graffiti