The Profluence Pod 🌐

Started by all former college & pro baseball players, The Futures App raised $2.65M to launch into the sports tech ecosystem. The Futures App provides baseball players and coaches with an array of tools along with hosting the world's largest MLB drill database that features some of the game's biggest stars like Pete Alonso, Jazz Chisholm Jr, and Ryan Braun.  Prior to founding TFA, Jake Hirabayashi played college baseball at UCLA and spent some time in the Minnesota Twins minor league system.  Chapters: (02:25) From pro athlete to entrepreneurship (05:05) Why is now the time to build in sports? (08:50) The Futures App overview (09:35) Building B2B vs. B2C (12:35) MLBPA partnership + shooting unique content (16:35) Digital coaching ecosystem (19:10) AI, machine learning, and sensors (22:30) Trends to watch in sports . Jake Hirabayashi links: Website: https://www.thefuturesapp.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jakehirabayashi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-hirabayashi-3585a2233/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.com ✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com 🎙 Podcast: https://profluence.com/podcasts/ 🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash 🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/ . Thanks for listening!

The NFL Players Inc is the 25th largest licensor in the world. Steve Scebelo took over in 2020 and has taken the company to record revenue numbers.  As the for-profit licensing and marketing business of the NFLPA, NFL Players Inc. represents the exclusive group player licensing rights of over 2,000 active NFL players through more than 80 licensees. Prior to his current endeavor, Scebelo started REP Worldwide, which provided group licensing and brand management services to athlete-driven properties, and eventually formed into OneTeam Partners.  Chapters: (01:15) The NFL Players Inc (06:20) Artificial intelligence and Web3 (08:05) Gaps for entrepreneurs to build in  (10:30) Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce  (12:15) NIL helping ease NFLPA efforts (15:55) Athletes % earnings from licensing (20:10) Due diligence for licensee companies (23:50) Steve’s journey to the NFLPA (26:05) Where sports are headed . Steve Scebelo links: Website: https://nflpa.com/about/players-inc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevescebelo/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.com ✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com 🎙 Podcast: https://anchor.fm/andrewpetcash 🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash 🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/ . Thanks for listening!

Before his current endeavor, Ahmad was the president of the NFL Players Inc. and the founding CEO of OneTeam Partners which was valued at $1.9 billion upon RedBird Capital selling its 40% stake in 2022.  Founded last year, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) has made rapid strides in representing both men’s and women’s tennis players. This was a fascinating conversation around players’ rights, men’s vs women’s sports, NIL seeping its way upstream, and much more.  Chapters: (01:00) Rise of team sports vs individual sports (02:30) Endorsements in tennis (and where it’s headed) (08:00) Understanding leverage + athlete investors (13:30) Impact of NIL on pro sports (17:30) Ahmad’s career mission of helping athletes (25:00) Mental Health x Sports (30:30) Origin story of the PTPA (35:20) Trends to watch in sports . Ahmad Nassar links: Website: https://ptpaplayers.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ahmad4athletes LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anassar/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.com ✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com 🎙 Podcast: https://anchor.fm/andrewpetcash 🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash 🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/ . Thanks for listening!

(00:35) Business of Athletes Mike Trout and Tiger Woods team up for a golf course, a women's basketball coach makes an investment, and Steph Curry is going to be rich rich. (04:35) NIL/College Sports Mattress Mack's $75,000 deal for FAU basketball players and what league will shut down if the NCAA dissolves into athletes as employees. (06:50) Business of Sports A $100M women's fund and more innovative sports leagues pop up.

Prior to founding Altius Sports Partners, Casey Schwab was the VP of business & legal affairs at the NFLPA, where he helped lead the NIL program for all NFL players. Altius Sports Partners is a unique advisory company in college sports led by business leaders providing solutions for NIL and all other major changes impacting college athletics. We cover a handful of fascinating topics including paying college athletes, where NIL is headed, and Altius’ role in placing general managers at Universities.  Chapters: (01:10) NIL's impact on professional sports (06:25) Origin story of Altius Sports Partners (12:05) Evolution of NIL collectives (14:50) Shifting gaps of competition within NIL (18:30) General managers and “athlete departments” (24:00) Full vision for college sports (26:15) Market size of NIL compared to the NFL (31:25) Companies needed in NIL . Casey Schwab links: Website: https://altiussportspartners.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/caseydschwab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdschwab/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.com ✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com 🎙 Podcast: https://anchor.fm/andrewpetcash 🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash 🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/ . Thanks for listening!

Founded in 2016, TOCA Football has raised over $50M in venture capital and built an impressive conglomerate in the soccer/football space.  Prior to founding TOCA Football, Eddie Lewis was a professional soccer player for 14 years and played 82 games for the United States men’s national team.  We touch on several interesting topics today including the 2026 World Cup’s impact on American soccer and TOCA’s plans to become the TopGolf for soccer with its newest initiative.  Chapters: (01:15) European vs. American Soccer (06:20) Impact of the 2026 World Cup on US Soccer (12:00) Journey from pro athlete to entrepreneur (14:25) NIL’s effect on sports (17:40) Web3, AI, and TopGolf for soccer at TOCA (23:30) Learnings from raising $50M and entrepreneurship (27:00) Value of athlete investors and Harry Kane (29:15) Trends to watch in sports . Eddie Lewis links: Website: https://www.tocafootball.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewiseddie/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.com ✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com 🎙 Podcast: https://anchor.fm/andrewpetcash 🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash 🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/ . Thanks for listening!

(01:10) Business of Athletes NFL QBs invest in women's sports and TMRW sports get more money from big-time athletes. (3:45) NIL/College Sports Strange NIL deal at Texas A&M + Charles Barkley sounds off on politicians about NIL. (7:00) Business of Sports More youth sports x entertainment companies raising big Series A rounds.

Prior to raising over $3M to build out Marketpryce, CEO Jason Bergman was a sports agent and also worked in the athlete marketing sector.  Marketpryce is a branding solution that mixes products with services to assist athletes, brands, and universities in the NIL era.  NIL is taking off and Jason Bergman + Marketpryce is trying to be a front-runner in the race. With over 8,000 partnerships they’re on their way.  Chapters: (01:30) What are you seeing in year two of NIL? (07:40) Transition in the business model (11:25) Why Jason jumped into the founder seat (14:50) NIL’s impact on youth sports (17:15) Differences in team vs individual brand deals (19:45) First-of-the-first female NIL deal (24:00) What makes a successful NIL campaign?  (28:40) How Jason Bergman as a founder keeps learning? (30:50) Innovation coming to NIL we should watch for . Jason Bergman links: Website: https://www.marketpryce.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bergmantweets LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-bergman/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.com ✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com 🎙 Podcast: https://anchor.fm/andrewpetcash 🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash 🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/ . Thanks for listening!

In 2021, Ben Reynolds and Spalk raised a $3M Series A round which included several notable athlete investors and was headed by Greg Norman’s venture arm.  Spalk has developed a unique commentary software that allows you to listen to alternative sportscasters with options in over 50 different languages.  A native of New Zealand, it was fun to talk with Ben about turning a side project into a full-time business, scaling globally, and a bunch of other insightful topics around entrepreneurship, the future of sports, and Spalk.  Chapters: (01:00) Global expansion of sports (and Netflix’s impact) (03:15) Where the idea for Spalk stemmed from  (06:25) Scaling a company globally  (13:40) Differences in sports leagues around the world (15:45) Artificial Intelligence’s influence  (22:00) Challenges + learnings of building a company  (24:00) Importance of athlete investors (28:45) Spalk’s ultimate vision + sports trends to watch . Ben Reynolds links: Website: https://www.spalk.tv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/benreynoldsnz LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benreynoldsnz/ . Andrew Petcash links: 🏠 Website: https://profluence.com ✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com 🎙 Podcast: https://anchor.fm/andrewpetcash 🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash 🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3q5jhAuCVT2FZCkLW5xBiQ/ . Thanks for listening!

(02:00) Name, Image, and Likeness - Cavinder Twins talk about NIL, walk-ons sign a huge deal, and more around the first college venture firm (06:55) Business of Athletes - Aaron Rodger's nets a 100% return, women's soccer players, and more on athletes off the field (10:30) Sports Business - $50M Atlanta Hawks venture firm, AI video camera firm signs huge deal with China, and an innovative partnership the Orlando Magic just netted