#26: Blake Lawrence - CEO, Co-Founder Opendorse | All things NIL | Collectives & NCAA policies | Increase in brands endorsing athletes | How data transforms industries | Future of college sports

Mar 16, 2023

40:34

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Episode notes

Opendorse is one of the largest companies in the NIL space and it all began with former Nebraska linebacker Blake Lawrence attempting to help just 1 athlete.

Today, Opendorse has over 100,000 athletes, 3,000 marketers, and 2,000 sports organizations. They have a lot of solutions under management, but at their core, they are a NIL deals platform for athletes, agents, and brands.

Blake Lawrence founded and sold Hurrdat Social Media agency before launching Opendorse alongside his co-founder, Adi Kunalic.

Opendorse has nearly 100 employees today and raised $40M in venture capital to help lead the charge across name, image, and likeness.

Chapters:

(01:25) NCAA’s first NIL infractions

(04:10) Increase in brand deals around March Madness

(08:30) Opendorse one decade later

(10:40) Data and the changing agency model

(14:10) NIL’s market size + potential

(20:50) Blake’s journey from athlete to entrepreneur

(25:40) Sports market breakdown + trends to watch

(29:55) General managers in NIL (& future of collectives)

(34:20) Opendorse’s current initiatives