Student-Athlete.Co

Student-Athlete.Co addresses the problem that universities across the country are struggling with, retaining their student-athletes, due to the lack of flexible income-earning opportunities.

With the introduction of the transfer portal and the recent NIL (name, image, likeness) changes announced on July 1, 2021, by the collegiate athletics governing body (NCAA), the issue of retention has been amplified.

Of the student-athletes receiving compensation from NIL deals (appearances, social posts, etc.), 60% of those deals are given to basketball and football athletes, overall, 90% of NIL compensation revolves around social media posting.

Student-Athlete.Co provides flexible and compliant income-earning gigs to student-athletes across all sports and backgrounds.

Our core offering matches youth to college student-athletes for sports skills training and mentorship by providing a platform and processes to engage all relevant stakeholders.

Student-athletes are our target population, and we are working to directly and meaningfully improve their lives in several ways. First, we help student-athletes earn income by providing them with flexible employment opportunities that allow them to match their skills and interests with the needs of their community. Second, we provide student-athletes with mentorship opportunities that help them develop the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in their careers after college. Third, we build a community for student-athletes where they can connect with other student-athletes, share experiences, and learn from each other. We believe that by addressing the unique needs of student-athletes, we can help them to thrive and succeed both on and off the field.

Student-athletes are currently underserved in a number of ways. First, they often struggle to balance their athletic commitments with the need to earn income and build professional skills. Second, they may lack access to the resources and support they need to develop their careers after college. Third, they may feel isolated from other student-athletes and may not have a community where they can feel supported. Our solution addresses these needs by providing student-athletes with the resources, support, and community they need to be successful.

Additionally, the lack of mentorship is a well-documented gap among youth, especially those in low-income areas. Student-Athlete.Co serves as a compliant connector between businesses, universities, and youth-serving organizations, allowing student-athletes and youth to intentionally engage and build relationships. 

Student-athletes are our target population, and we are passionate about serving them. Our team is made up of former student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who have a deep understanding of the unique challenges and needs of student-athletes.

Jermaine Malcolm: CEO/Founder, as a former student-athlete who benefitted from mentorship as a first-gen college grad and immigrant, he led operations and business development for the nation's first degreed tech apprenticeship in multiple occupations, a highly regulated market. Served as a community engagement consultant to the Mayor of San Antonio for the White House's My Brother's Keeper Initiative. Jermaine is also a former director for the largest Boys and Girls Club in the region, serving over 1000 underserved youth per year.

Dyan Valencia: Operations Specialist. A Master's degree holder and Columbia educated in business, Dyan brings 7 years of experience in business development and operations.

Alecia Robinson: Technical Operations: former track student-athlete with great experience in marketing operations and a passion for bridging opportunity gaps. 

Renewed a contract in February with one of our original beta users amounting to more than our entire beta period revenue with additional contracts in the pipeline.
Generated just under $6000 during our beta period
100+ student-athlete signups
60+ sessions
9.4 net promoter score
3 Sponsor partners
6 non-profit partners
1 private school partner
1 incoming beta university partner
Several press coverages and speaking invitations including the Black Student-Athlete Summit.
Significant community impact during our beta stage
See here: https://drive.google.com/file/... 

We need help understanding how to effectively grow a social impact organization. 

We get the scale question all the time. As a founder that has personally lived this experience, I'm not interested in creating just another software solution, I'm interested in finding out how to foster more intentional in-person interactions. 

We've been able to validate the desire for our solution through our customer interactions and their reviews. Student-athletes have found their identities outside of athletics, we've seen career paths changed due to our solution. We've seen confidence being built along with community in a very short period. 

I believe we should be surrounding ourselves with social impact leaders that are truly helping us to answer what does scale look like for our solution. 

We've created a scalable and community-based solution by connecting entities typically siloed. Universities, local businesses, and youth-serving organizations all compliantly coordinated and supported through student-athletes. 

Student-athletes are a unique subset, as sports represent a steadfast pathway for first-generation, low-income, and minority groups to access a college education. We've also seen that when these student-athletes transition successfully into their careers, they make a significant impact. 54% of Fortune 500 CEOs are former student-athletes. However, many student-athletes are deterred from graduation due to finances, or they struggle to understand their competencies due to a lack of flexible internships. 

The gaps we're facing in talent acquisition, mentorship, and workforce development can be addressed intentionally through Student-Athlete.Co.

The theory of change for Student-Athlete.co's approach of matching student-athletes with youth for training and mentorship is based on the premise that these relationships can mutually benefit both parties in various aspects of their lives.

For Student-Athletes:

• They gain leadership and communication skills by serving as mentors.
• They develop a sense of purpose and community engagement beyond their athletic roles.
• The act of mentoring can help them reflect on their personal goals and challenges, leading to personal growth.

For Youth:

• They receive one-on-one attention, which can boost their self-esteem and motivation.
• They gain access to positive role models who can teach them valuable life skills through sports.
• The mentorship can introduce structure and discipline that may be lacking in other areas of their lives.

Impact:

• Research suggests that mentoring relationships can lead to improved academic performance, better emotional and social competencies, and decreased likelihood of engaging in high-risk behaviors for the youth (Evidence-Based Mentoring) (Evidence-Based Mentoring).
• For mentors, the benefits can include an increased sense of well-being, greater empathy, and better problem-solving skills (Global Sports Development).

By addressing both the development needs of student-athletes and the mentorship gaps for youth, the program creates a symbiotic environment where both groups learn and grow. Student-athletes are provided with a platform to apply and enhance their skills in real-world settings, while youth benefit from consistent, positive interactions with adults who understand the unique pressures they face. This model is supported by evidence that suggests the positive effects of sports-based mentoring, as well as peer-to-peer mentorship, on young people's development and well-being (Evidence-Based Mentoring) (Global Sports Development).

The impact of Student-Athlete.co's solution is grounded in the recognition that mentorship is not a one-way street; it is an exchange where both parties have something valuable to offer and to gain, reinforcing each other's growth and learning in the process.

In one year, Student-Athlete.co aims to provide a platform for 2,000 student-athletes to earn money through training and mentorship. We also aim to partner with 20 universities to provide access to our services. By the five-year mark, we hope to have 20,000 student-athletes using our platform and to have partnered with 200 universities. We believe that our platform has the potential to revolutionize the way student-athletes are compensated for their work, and we are committed to providing them with the resources and support they need to succeed.

In addition to the direct impact on student-athletes, we believe that our platform can have a positive impact on society as a whole. By providing student-athletes with the opportunity to earn money, we can help to reduce the number of students who drop out of school due to financial reasons. We can also help to improve the academic performance of student-athletes, as they will be less likely to be distracted by financial concerns. Furthermore, our platform can help to promote healthy living, as youth will be encouraged to participate in sports and physical activity through positive mentorship. They'll also have the opportunity to earn athletic scholarships on their path to higher education.

We measure our impact through a variety of metrics, including the number of student-athletes using our platform, the amount of money they earn, and character skills growth for youth. We also want to measure our impact on society by tracking the number of students who transfer or drop out of school, and the time amount of time student-athletes take to earn a full-time role post-graduation.

We're using generative AI to support processes such as peer-matching, evaluation, feedback, and upskilling based on the competencies needed for the student-athlete's career trajectory. 

By training our model to guide the student-athletes through manageable content pieces while coordinating real-world interactions, the student-athletes are able to learn, practice, and gain feedback consistently.

3

1FT

2PT

2 and a half years as a team.

This solution was initially launched in 2017, and then placed on hold for Jermaine (founder) to apprentice with New Apprenticeship. A skills bridging solution working to upskill young adults into early career technology roles. 

Our team is currently comprised of underrepresented tech talent spanning different backgrounds and perspectives. We're committed to growing a diverse organism with a shared core value that our differences each play a role in the lives we're working to impact. 

B2B: Businesses pay $1-4K monthly to partner with us, receiving promotions through our connected network. 

Parents from our non-partners pay $60 per session for their youth to work with our student-athletes. 

We've learned much over the last two years about our pricing strategy and who our primary buyers are but I believe we're still working to understand if we have the best approach. 

Companies have shown a willingness to pay up to $4K/month given our established partnerships, media interest, and promotion between our various stakeholders.