Like millions, Greg Pope and James Pidhurney, the inventors of Chalkless, enjoy playing tennis, paddleball, pickleball, golf and lifting weights. Unlike millions, Greg and James are chemical and coatings experts. If you need a coating for the cone of a fighter jet that will protect pilots from the friction generated heat that builds when flying at Mach 4, call Greg and James. Need to keep the cold and moisture of the ocean on the outside of your nuclear submarine when it’s miles below the surface? Call Greg and James.

One day, fate intervened, and set them on a path to solving one of the most fundamental, yet underappreciated issues with athletic performance—grip.

It was a sweltering day and a particularly poor showing on the court for Greg. He paused in exasperation. “I can’t grip the racket; my hands are too sweaty.” Looking down at his glistening hands, a proverbial light bulb went off, “I work with coatings that protect nuclear submarines and rockets from extreme heat and moisture. Why not hands? Slippery grip is just a coating problem.” 

Greg took the idea to James, a chemical engineer. “We’re smart, why can’t we develop a solution to a slippery grip that lasts an entire match…or round…or workout?” Intrigued, James went to work. Early in the process, they learned the root cause of poor grip wasn’t actually sweat. In fact, it had more to do with the glands in our hands that produce oil to moisturize our skin. And when this oil combines with sweat or any moisture, grip suffers.

Working from James’ basement, they began experimenting with different varieties of materials that were “Oleophilic" (oil absorbent) as well as “Hydrophobic” (water repellant). After two years of testing and refining, Chalkless was invented. Greg and James knew they had created something vastly different and very special, because whenever they asked someone to try Chalkless, the reaction was always immediate: “Wow! This is amazing!”

They also believed that by putting the science of better grip into the hands of every athlete, they could give those athletes an edge when it mattered most. From the outset, their mission was clear.