About Us
Building fairness, confidence, and better baseball—one pitch at a time.
HeyBLU exists because the strike zone has never been consistent, accessible, or easy to measure. We're a team of coaches, players, and builders who believe technology can support umpires, improve sportsmanship, and give coaches better tools to teach the game.
Our Story
HeyBLU didn't start in a lab—it started on the field. I've pitched in MSBL for years, and like a lot of players, I was vocal about bad strike zones. My daughter's last baseball at-bat at nine ended on pitches over her head, and the pattern kept repeating across youth games and adult leagues. By early 2023, when AI breakthroughs became mainstream, I found myself asking: "Why can't we solve this with technology?"
A Marin County athletic director later told me their JV teams didn't have umpires because of the shortage. That changed everything. Officials face worsening sportsmanship, low pay, and constant pressure—especially the youngest umpires. Many quit within two seasons. I realized this wasn't just about accuracy; it was about supporting the people keeping the game running.
So we built HeyBLU: an AI-powered umpire and pitch-tracking system that runs on a single iPhone. It delivers a repeatable strike zone, real-time ball–strike calls, and pitch-location data coaches can use immediately. And for umpires—especially new and youth officials—we're committed to offering HeyBLU for free to help them train, gain confidence, and face less abuse.
We're building this for coaches, but we're also building it for the blue.
The Team
Rob Regan
Founder & CEO
Long-time MSBL pitcher and youth coach with Sausalito Marin City Little League (SMCLL).
20+ years as a self-driven real estate entrepreneur and 10 years in tech/media ad sales.
Built HeyBLU after seeing how inconsistent umpiring and the national official shortage were affecting games at every level.
Leads product, execution, and customer insight. Lives in Sausalito and coaches his 9-year-old's teams.
Jonathan (JP) Parkhurst
Chief Revenue Officer
JP and I have played together and against each other in MSBL for nearly 20 years. I knew him as a competitor and teammate—but I had no idea about the depth of his professional and personal story.
JP is a 20-year global sales and staffing leader with experience at WeWork, 24 Hour Fitness, Blend, GoPro, and multiple startups, including one he founded and funded himself. He has built revenue teams, hired engineers at scale, and crafted GTM strategies for high-growth companies.
But his journey started far from boardrooms. JP grew up in an abusive foster home, deployed to Iraq, and later fell into PTSD and addiction—eventually living on the streets of San Francisco. Now more than 20 years sober, he's a regular speaker at AA and the founder of SeekHaven, a platform that supports people facing the struggles he once lived through.
He's also a dad and baseball coach. When he heard about HeyBLU, his reaction was simple:
"Of course Rob would build something to fix the strike zone—he's been complaining about it for two decades."
Now he helps turn that purpose into traction.
Brian Marcus
Strategic Advisor, IP & Innovation
Brian and I have played on the same MSBL teams for over a decade. When I first started exploring whether a single camera could reliably call balls and strikes, I asked Brian—an IP attorney—if he thought it was even possible. At first, he wasn't convinced. But once he saw our early prototype, he was all in.
Brian brings rare sports-tech IP expertise. His firm handled MLB's first strike zone patent. He personally worked on the NFL's yellow first-down marker patent. He has filed all BLU patents and trademarks, and guides our long-term defensibility.
He's also a Little League coach with two sons who grew up playing the game. He understands both sides: the technology, and the parents and coaches who just want fairness on the field.
Why We're Different
AI umpire built for real fields
Live ball–strike calls through earbuds using a single iPhone.
Coach-first workflow
Fast setup, no hardware, designed for local fields and youth settings.
Supports umpires, not replaces them
Free access for officials to train, build confidence, and reduce pressure.
Privacy-forward design
No cloud video required; on-device processing options available.
Get Involved
Join TestFlight
Try early builds of HeyBLU and help refine accuracy, setup, and game-flow experience with real on-field feedback.
Join Beta