I know what you’re thinking.
Not another NIL list…
However, given how much innovation is happening throughout the industry, we felt it was necessary.
The NIL space is still in its infancy yet the companies being built today are the ones that will revolutionize the space tomorrow.
From marketplaces, compliance solutions, and crowdfunding platforms, we’ve found several companies using technology to build a better future for student-athletes nationwide.
Here are 15 tech-focused NIL companies to watch out for:
Opendorse
Founder/CEO: Blake Lawrence & Adi Kunalic
Website: https://opendorse.com/
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Year Founded: 2012
What they do: Opendorse is an athlete marketplace and NIL technology company that helps athletes build and monetize their name, image, and likeness.
Amount raised: $39.6M
MOGL
Founder/CEO: Ayden Syal & Brandon Wimbush
Website: https://www.mogl.online/
Location: New York, New York
Year Founded: 2019
What they do: MOGL is a marketplace that connects athletes to opportunities to monetize their brands.
Amount raised: $7.5M
OpenSponsorship
Founder/CEO: Ishveen Jolly
Website: https://opensponsorship.com/
Location: New York, New York
Year Founded: 2014
What they do: OpenSponsorship is an influencer marketing management platform with a focus on working with Athletes, Teams, and Musicians.
Amount raised: $5.2M
IconSource
Founder/CEO: Chase Garrett
Website: https://iconsource.com/
Location: Denver, Colorado
Year Founded: 2018
What they do: Icon Source is a digital marketplace that connects sports brands with athletes.
Amount raised: $7M
Athliance
Founder/CEO: Sean Hughes Jr
Website: https://athliance.com/
Location: Winter Park, Florida
Year Founded: 2020
What they do: Athliance is an NCAA and Sports Management Software Solution built by Compliance and Administration Experts.
Amount raised: $5M
Athlytic
Founder/CEO: Ashton Keys
Website: https://www.athlytic.io/
Location: Detroit, MI
Year Founded: 2020
What they do: Athlytic is an AI-enabled marketplace that connects student-athletes with potential brand partners.
Amount raised: $305K
FanWord
Founder/CEO: Christopher Aumueller
Website: https://www.fanword.com/
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Year Founded: 2019
What they do: Fanword helps schools, teams, collectives, and other athletic organizations create powerful and unique storytelling content about their athletes, coaches, alumni, and other ambassadors.
Amount raised: $640K
Campus Ink/NIL Store
Founder/CEO: Steven Farag
Website: https://nil.store/
Location: Urbana, Ilinois
Year Founded: 2015
What they do: A platform for athletes to design and sell merch.
Amount raised: $2.1M
MarketPryce
Founder/CEO: Jason Bergman and Shehryar Khan
Website: https://www.marketpryce.com/
Location: New York, New York
Year Founded: 2021
What they do: MarketPryce powers simple product seeding for brands who want to reach Gen Z athletes.
Amount raised: $3.4M
Out2Win
Founder/CEO: Jack Adler
Website: https://www.out2win.io/
Location: Syracuse, NY
Year Founded: 2021
What they do: Out2Win’s platform streamlines the way brands discover, analyze, and connect with athletes for influencer marketing partnerships.
Amount raised: Undisclosed
The Players Trunk
Founder/CEO: Charles Matthews, Zavier Simpson, Jason Lansing, Austin Pomerantz & Hunter Pomerantz
Website: https://theplayerstrunk.com/
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Year Founded: 2020
What they do: The Players Trunk is a marketplace that offers player-owned and game-issued gear and serves as a conduit for athletes to sell autographed memorabilia, customized merchandise, personalized video messages, and live video calls to fans.
Amount raised: Undisclosed
Burrst
Founder/CEO: Grant Sampkin
Website: https://www.burrst.io/
Location: Chicago, Illnois
Year Founded: 2021
What they do: Burrst is a data-driven NIL marketplace helping athletes reach more opportunities and for brands to understand the ROI behind their athlete collaborations.
Amount raised: Undisclosed
Five Star Fans
Founder/CEO: Tina Provost
Website: https://www.five-starfans.com/
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Year Founded: 2023
What they do: Five Star Fans is a crowdsource fan support platform to recruit athletes to universities.
Amount raised: Undisclosed
Sport Faction
Founder/CEO: Adam Farouk
Website: https://www.sportfaction.com/
Location: Paris, France
Year Founded: 2013
What they do: Sport Faction is the largest collective of athlete investors to directly manage their own IP in mobile games.
Amount raised: Undisclosed
Cache Ai
Founder/CEO: Kobi Wu
Website: https://www.cache-ai.com/
Location: New York, New York
Year Founded: 2023
What they do: Cache AI is the scoring platform that delivers fair and unbiased athlete valuations.
Amount raised: Undisclosed
