- Insider is compiling a list of the top NIL startups defining student-athlete marketing in 2021.
- We'll weigh factors like athlete adoption, college partners, and overall impact on the NIL category.
- Please submit your ideas through this form (or below) by November 12.
On July 1, student-athletes from across the US won the right to make money from their names, images, and likenesses, causing college athletes and marketers to rush to take advantage of the opportunity.
Some stars from top athletic conferences scored major brand deals within weeks. But most of the over 460,000 US student-athletes entering the NIL space set up smaller contracts with local businesses like restaurants and auto dealerships, getting gift cards or other freebies in return for a promotional tweet or Instagram post.
"Those small deals, while they may be small in monetary value, they may go a very long ways for these student-athletes," Christopher Aumueller, the CEO of the athlete-marketing and brand development upstart FanWord, told Insider in September. "A couple hundred dollars here and there can make a big impact for some of these young men and women."
For some universities, the arrival of student-athlete marketing in July was a shock to the system. Some colleges scrambled to put policies in place to dictate what students can and can't do with brands. But for startups and brands that have been lobbying to open up NIL marketing to student-athletes for years, it presents a massive new opportunity.
Insider is putting together a list of the top NIL-focused startups that are shaping the future of student-athlete marketing. The list will be determined by Insider based on our reporting and the nominations we receive. We will take into consideration factors like student-athlete and brand adoption, university partnerships, and the company's impact on NIL marketing as a whole.
We want to hear from you. What are the startups making the biggest impact on the emerging student-athlete marketing category?
Please submit your ideas through this form (or below) by November 12: