After the Closing Ceremony
How Olympic Athletes Are Creating Value in the Startup World
With the Olympic Games on the horizon, the world will again witness the extraordinary feats of elite athletes. According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the last Olympic Games in Tokyo drew over 3 billion worldwide viewers. The athletes who participate in the games are not only champions in their respective sports but also possess unique qualities that make them valuable assets in the startup world.
Athletes typically share some foundational traits to reach an event like the Olympics, and they take these skills to whatever professional domain they pursue post-athletics. From founders and employees to advisors, board members, and investors, athletes can leverage their skills to drive innovation and success in the business realm. Here’s how they do it and why they’re perfectly suited for these roles.
THE DNA OF ELITE ATHLETES
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Discipline and Work Ethic
Elite athletes train relentlessly to reach the pinnacle of their sports. This discipline translates seamlessly into the startup world, where long hours and persistent effort are often required to achieve success. - Home
Goal-Oriented Mindset
Athletes are adept at setting and achieving goals. Their ability to envision tirelessly pursue a target is crucial for startup founders and employees who need to drive their companies forward. - Home
Resilience and Adaptability
The journey of an athlete is filled with ups and downs, injuries, and setbacks. Resilience helps them bounce back from failures — an essential trait in the startup world where trial, error, and pivot are often the norm. - Home
Teamwork and Leadership
Many sports require exceptional teamwork and leadership. Athletes understand how to work within a team, inspire others, and lead by example, making them valuable team members and leaders in a startup environment. - Home
Competitive Spirit
The innate competitiveness of athletes can fuel innovation and a relentless pursuit of excellence, driving a startup to outperform its rivals.
Learn More About the Sports Fund
Investors in the fund will own a diversified portfolio of innovative ventures in sports and gaming
Max Accredited Investor Limit: 249
ROLES ATHLETES CAN PLAY IN THE STARTUP WORLD
Founders
Athletes can channel their entrepreneurial spirit into founding startups. Their discipline, goal-setting ability, and competitive nature equip them to navigate the challenges of building a company from the ground up.
Athletes who become founders often draw on their personal experiences to identify unique business opportunities. For instance, they may create products or services that address specific pain points they encountered in their athletic careers. Their high profile and extensive networks can also attract media attention, investors, and customers, giving their startups a significant initial boost.
The former Olympic ice hockey player and Hall of Famer is the Founder and former CEO of Sports Innovation Lab, a market research company focused on the sports technology industry. Her deep sports knowledge and leadership skills have driven the company’s success.
Early Employees
As employees, athletes bring their strong work ethic, teamwork skills, and resilience to the table. Their ability to adapt to changing circumstances makes them valuable additions to startup teams. Young companies benefit from the presence of self-starters, and elite athletes certainly meet that criteria.
Athletes often thrive in high-pressure environments, making them particularly well-suited for the fast-paced and stressful atmosphere of a startup. Their background in sports ensures that they are team players who can work effectively with others to achieve common goals. Additionally, their experience in managing public personas and handling media can be invaluable in roles that require acumen with external communication.
In the midst of his career as an Olympic decathlete, Ashton Eaton joined the team at Airkit.ai as an early employee. With ambitions to pursue a career as a mechanical engineer, Eaton knew the best way for him to learn was by doing. The team at Airkit got a fantastic addition to a new company while Eaton was able to jumpstart his post-athletics career. He eventually went on to join Intel as a product development engineer.
Advisors
Athletes may be able to provide unique insights as advisors, particularly for startups in the sports, health, and wellness sectors. Their firsthand understanding of the industry can guide strategic decisions, while their fame can amass supporters.
In advisory roles, athletes might have practical advice on product development, marketing strategies, and user engagement — particularly when the target market includes sports enthusiasts or health-conscious individuals. Their credibility and reputation can also help startups build trust and establish themselves in competitive markets.
Kerri is among the most storied and decorated U.S. Olympians. The five-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist in beach volleyball recently founded p1440, a foundation to increase participation in beach volleyball. Today, her role is more advisory in nature, and Walsh Jennings applies her leadership to help the company navigate the challenges of team building and growing an organization.
Board Members
As board members, athletes can leverage their leadership skills and strategic thinking to help steer companies. Experience in high-pressure environments enables them to make critical decisions that impact the company’s direction.
Athletes who serve on boards bring a unique perspective, often thinking outside the box and challenging conventional business practices. Their leadership qualities, honed through years of leading teams to victory, make them adept at steering companies towards long-term success. Moreover, their public presence can enhance a company’s profile and open doors to new partnerships and opportunities.
The 5x Olympian and 4x gold-medalist has served on the board of several companies, most notably Zeel, bringing her leadership and business acumen to the table. Her insights have helped shape company strategies and drive growth.
Investors
Athletes with significant earnings often become investors, supporting startups with capital and leveraging their networks to drive growth. Their investment in a startup can also enhance its public profile and credibility, plus attract funding. An added value, they often invest in industries they are passionate about, bringing valuable industry insights.
With a unique background as a 2x Olympic swimmer and Navy SEAL, Larsen Jensen worked as an investor with the prestigious Lightspeed Ventures and most recently became the founder and Managing Partner at Harpoon Ventures. Harpoon invests in deep technology and enterprise infrastructure startups, among other things.
Lift While You Climb
At some point all athletes experience transitioning out of their sport. For many, this transition is incredibly difficult and disorienting. Several athletes have recognized this as a pain point and have built companies to support other athletes going through that transition. One of the best phrases I’ve heard to describe this type of support is lifting while you climb.
This former NFL quarterback has translated his experience of leading a football team into leading a community of athletes as business professionals. Christian is the founder of The Post, one of the largest networks of athletes in the professional world. All members are current or former athletes and Olympians. The Post’s services are designed to bring people together, learn new skills, and enhance their professional lives.
A former international field hockey player, Ainsley founded Uru Sports to help athletes with their career transition out of sports and into traditional professional settings. Uru partners with employers that value hard-working, competitive team players and provides them with executive recruiting, mid-level recruiting, and early talent career pipeline services.
Conclusion
The intersection of sports and business is a fertile ground for innovation and growth. Elite athletes possess a unique set of attributes that make them invaluable in the startup world. Whether as founders, employees, advisors, board members, or investors, their discipline, resilience, leadership, and competitive spirit can drive startups to new heights. As we watch the upcoming Olympic Games, let’s also keep an eye on how these incredible individuals continue to create value beyond the sporting arena, shaping the future of business and entrepreneurship.
Learn More About the Sports Fund
Investors in the fund will own a diversified portfolio of innovative ventures in sports and gaming
Max Accredited Investor Limit: 249
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