One of the ways modern society measures success is through popularity. As it stands, today’s most influential individuals are those with massive followings, especially in the digital sphere. And while there is nothing wrong with fame, it is not always an accurate measurement of one’s skills, talents, and abilities. Cognizant of this innovative enterprise, Athlete’s Thread, has made it their mission to promote diversity and inclusivity.
How?
I’m glad you asked.
Athlete’s Thread is a platform that specializes in providing monetization opportunities for the Name, Image, and Likeness or NIL of NCAA athletes. However, unlike other companies that only work with the star players of each school, it promises to give all student-athletes an avenue to tell their stories and launch their personalized merch store, no matter what their team, gender, or social following are.
What inspired the organization to take on such an admirable stance is seeing that the market is only focusing on the most beloved players with established fan bases, ultimately missing out on the impressive potential of those equally or even more qualified athletes simply because they are considered as “not worth marketing.”
On top of its inspiring culture, what makes Athlete’s Thread a cut above the rest is its exceptional use of technology. Created by esteemed entrepreneurs Luke McGurrin and Karthik Shanadi, the enterprise was designed to provide every athlete with an easy and straightforward experience in making money off their name, image, and likeness.
Furthermore, it utilizes tried-and-tested strategies from its parent company Greek House which is also the founders’ brainchild. The trailblazing brand is the leading name for ordering custom Greek life apparel. Since its inception in 2013, it has rapidly grown to cater to more than 500 colleges, solidifying its reputation as an industry authority.
Aside from Athlete’s Thread and Greek House, Luke McGurrin and Karthik Shanadi have created a couple of other ventures, including College Thread, which services various types of student organizations and college departments and Threadly, an initiative that creates custom apparel for organizations, such as businesses, 5Ks, creators, and churches.
Because of its stellar dedication to its clientele, Athlete’s Thread has become the go-to choice for schools and players. In fact, it has already launched 2,000 athletes across 12 colleges, with 58 other colleges waiting to be onboarded. Within the year, it is expected to welcome 8,000 additional athletes to its impressive roster.
These outstanding accomplishments are a testament to the enterprise’s solid commitment to its vision and clients. “We’ve figured out how to take products, and athletes live in less than three days of getting signed on. Our platform has really simplified making officially licensed merchandise for both Athletes and Colleges,” Karthik explained.
Finally, Luke shared, “The best part about this is helping tell the unique story of every student-athlete. We believe that if you’re a student-athlete, even if ESPN isn’t telling your story, you’re already a hometown hero and have a huge community behind you that would love to support you. What we really want to do is help all of these students realize how much they have accomplished and be the driving force to not only get their story out but help them be successful.”
