In 2010 rapper Drake said in a song, “I swear sports and music are so synonymous ’cause we want to be them, and they want to be us.”
It’s 14 years later and the vision has changed.
Nowadays, many athletes are more synonymous with Marc Andreessen and Mark Zuckerburg than Drake or Jimmy Iovine.
They are not trying to become music superstars or entertainment moguls.
They’re trying to build and invest in the next big tech companies.
Technology and sports have become more intertwined in recent years and will continue to be.
And now athletes are taking their mindset, work ethic, and understanding of how technology can solve problems to build their own successful companies.
Here are 12 high-level current and former athletes who are tech founders:
Andrew Hawkins & Troy Jones
Sport: Football
Company: StatusPro
Company Description: StatusPro is a sports technology company that combines data with augmented and virtual reality to provide a suite of training and gaming products.
Year Founded: 2020
Last Raise: $20M Series A
Spencer Dinwiddie
Sport: Basketball
Company: Calaxy
Company Description: Calaxy is a next-generation social marketplace ushering in a new era of Creator monetization and fan engagement.
Year Founded: 2020
Last Raise: $26M Series A
Jelani Jenkins
Sport: Football
Company: Postseason
Company Description: Postseason is a social learning platform for athletes to continue their growth, success, and fulfillment after the game.
Year Founded: 2021
Last Raise: Undisclosed
Chase Minnifield
Sport: Football
Company: Ezos
Company Description: EZOS (EZ Operations Systems) is a revolutionary property management software designed to simplify and streamline operations across a diverse range of property types.
Year Founded: 2018
Last Raise: Undisclosed
Cole Anthony
Sport: Basketball
Company: GameUp
Company Description: GameUp helps connect your child to the best basketball team, program, and trainer based on their age, skillset, goals, and location.
Year Founded: 2023
Last Raise: Undisclosed
Robert Burns
Sport: Football
Company: DormHub
Company Description: DormHub is a user-friendly mobile app designed to simplify the student housing process.
Year Founded: 2023
Last Raise: $31K Kickstarter
Andrew Trimble
Sport: Rugby
Company: Kairos Sports
Company Description: Kairos is a Team Operations & Communication system used by elite teams globally.
Year Founded: 2017
Last Raise: Acquired by Teamwork for £15 million
Zach Maurides
Sport: Football
Company: Teamworks
Company Description: Teamworks is the proven operating system for high performance, powering more than 6,500 sports, military, and public safety organizations around the world.
Year Founded: 2004
Last Raise: $65M Series E
Blake Lawrence
Sport: Football
Company: Opendorse
Company Description: Opendorse is the leading athlete marketplace and NIL technology company.
Year Founded: 2012
Last Raise: $20M
Matt Mooney
Sport: Football
Company: AthletIQ
Company Description: AthletIQ is revolutionizing how basketball players practice by giving them game-like contests and tailored guidance to improve.
Year Founded: 2024
Last Raise: $500K Pre-Seed
Brandon Winbush
Sport: Football
Company: MOGL
Company Description: MOGL is a marketplace that connects athletes to opportunities to monetize their brands.
Year Founded: 2019
Last Raise: $2.6M Seed
Ryan Mundy
Sport: Football
Company: Alkeme Health
Company Description: Alkeme is a digital health platform that features content from Black practitioners and respected experts in wellness, including psychology and mindfulness.
Year Founded: 2020
Last Raise: $4.6M
What Does The Future Look Like?
Over the past couple of years, technology has become cheaper and easier to leverage.
You don’t need an entire team of developers to spin up a web app.
You don’t need a double-digit employee count to build a million-dollar company.
With media rights allowing for bigger contracts and NIL deals propelling college athletes into higher tax brackets, I think this is only the beginning of athletes leveraging their brand and capital to scale their own multi-million dollar enterprises.
