Archive for Athletics – Page 3

Ekaterina Demenkova

Posted by rosiealexander 
· Monday, October 10th, 2022 
· 2 Comments

Ekaterina Demenkova recently made it on the Twenty Under Twenty list, where she pitched her health tracking app, PODIL. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, and is the Founder and CEO of PODIL. This type of position comes with great responsibility, but Ekaterina was passionate about her innovative cause and became an established young entrepreneur that helps many people with her creation.

PODIL promotes wellness, and allows its users to meet their health and wellness goals through an AI. The AI assistant gives the user a list of steps specifically curated for them that helps make someone’s health goals attainable. It utilizes a communal platform where people can share their accomplishments with their friends and family, and compete in challenges together.

Ekaterina’s overall goal was to make health information and personal health tips more accessible, and her app does just that. Her mission is to help people develop healthy habits, and grow easily, and PODIL uses technology to her advantage in doing so.

She is a perfect example of an innovative, young entrepreneur, especially considered what she has accomplished at such a young age. She revolutionized a new way to receive accurate, efficient, and reliable health information and advice so that people can make positive and healthy changes in their lives.

2 Comments
Categories : AI, App, Artificial Intelligence, Athletics, better version of yourself, Fitness, Healthy Lifestyle, Technology, Uncategorized, Women Entrepreneurs

Lasso Gear

Posted by Christian Suceveanu 
· Wednesday, September 28th, 2022 
· 3 Comments

Lasso Gear is an athletic apparel company based in Los Angeles, California that specializes in performance socks. Lasso Gear implements scientific research with personal experience to present socks that mimic the technology of ankle taping and ankle braces to provide faster, more easily accessible heightened performance and increased recover. Lasso Gear was started by a young entrepreneur named Partha Unnava, a friend of mine, who had a serious ankle injury playing basketball in his youth. Partha was frustrated with the limited options of recover for his injury so he used his background in biomedical engineering to a create a visually elegant sock that provided very similar benefits to ankle taping or braces. I have spoken to Partha several times during at my previous job, and he has described his upbringing and key points to being successful as a young entrepreneur. The two points that stood out to me the most was the importance of being unique in a very competitive space and implementing one’s own story or background into their product. Partha described the intensive research and trial and error he partook in to finalize his product especially in an extremely competitive space such as sportswear. Partha stresses the need to stick out in one way or another in order to gain any sort of competitive advantage especially as a small business. Furthermore, implementing one’s own life story, upbringing, background, etc. can be used to bring a unique aspect to a product or service. People tend to gravitate towards a product if the meaning behind it is well produced and presents heightened value.

3 Comments
Categories : Athletics, Fashion, Healthy Lifestyle, Sports, Young Entrepreneur

Rachel Zietz: Gladiator Lacrosse

Posted by Sean8Mahoney 
· Monday, September 26th, 2022 
· 1 Comment

Rachel Zietz was a teenage entrepreneur who was an all-region lacrosse player from the state of Florida who received many accolades. While continuing to improve her skills she became fed up with the quality of her lacrosse rebounder(Bounce Back). She designed a new structure including a thicker net and stronger brace bars, which ultimately made a significantly more efficient product. This new design was adopted by the lacrosse community and became very popular. She made this product a reality and created the company, Gladiator Lacrosse. Her successful product led her to Shark Tank Season 7, Episode 28. Now her company is worth more than 5 million. Rachel even made Forbes Magazine’s, Shark Tank 7 of the Brightest and Youngest List. Through her huge success, she now has a flourishing business with various lacrosse-related products sold in lacrosse stores all across the county.

1 Comment
Categories : Advertisement, Athletics, Entrepreneurship, lacrosse, Manufacturing, Sports

De’Coldest Crawford

Posted by CarrollBS21 
· Sunday, September 25th, 2022 
· 1 Comment

De’Coldest Crawford is a Wide Receiver from Shreveport, Louisiana. His name alone has brought him social media fame from a young age, and his play on the field has given him an opportunity to make a living from it. Now a freshman at the University of Nebraska, De’Coldest has the ability to pursue NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals to make money while in college. De’Coldest, as ironic as it sounds, recently signed a deal with an Omaha-based air conditioning company, SOS Heating & Cooling. The deal involves him appearing in commercials and ads for the company, one of which has gone viral on the internet and has received over 5.2 million views. As an athlete, it is really cool to see other athletes my age branding themselves in a positive way and beginning to set themselves up financially for when they graduate from college. It is also a great way for Crawford to show a sort of professionalism in the way he handles himself and his assets he is receiving from this deal. The idea of these NILs is very interesting to me, being a collegiate athlete, because it is nearly impossible to have a job in or out of season because of my schedule, so NIL deals seem to me to be a great way for athletes to bring in a little extra money, food, or gear while at school.

1 Comment
Categories : Athletics

Gladiator Lacrosse – Rachel Zietz

Posted by guentterjj21 
· Sunday, September 25th, 2022 
· 1 Comment

Rachel Zietz began her company at the age of 13 with the desire to provide lacrosse players with quality, affordable practice equipment. She created Gladiator Lacrosse after observing a lack of reliable and inexpensive products in the marketplace. This company’s unique value proposition lies in its mission to provide youth lacrosse players with value-maximizing equipment. Rachel is an excellent example of a problem solver, taking an observation based on her own experience and then capitalizing on the market for more affordable gear. The reason that Rachel serves as an inspiration to other aspiring entrepreneurs is that she was able to create her company while she was still in High School and from there was able to scale the company into a profitable and respected organization.

With the cost to play lacrosse and purchase equipment that is necessary for improvement and skill progression being among the highest of any sport, it is remarkable that Zietz was able to alter the reshape the lacrosse market as we know it and provide great products at even better prices. Zietz’s decision to start the company showed that she had what it took adapt and overcome a variety of challenges, from sourcing products, to building her marketshare. It is inspiring to see what she was able to accomplish with Gladiator Lacrosse.

1 Comment
Categories : Athletics, eCommerce

Sean Clifford Entrepreneur – By Ayden Gutierrez

Posted by GutierrezAH20 
· Sunday, September 25th, 2022 
· 2 Comments
  • What is exemplary or unique about these young entrepreneurs? Sean Clifford is the quarterback of the Penn State Nittany Lions. His entrepreneurship is unique because he is not just an entrepreneur, but he’s also a college student and college athlete. The fact that he is able to excel as a student, as a football player, and as an entrepreneur is incredible.
  • What drives them? In an article published on ESPN, Clifford was quoted saying, “It’s the agency that I was looking for that I couldn’t find. It’s for the players, by the players. I wanted to do something to leave even more of a legacy than just on the field. And I thought that this was kind of the way that I wanted to go.” In this quote, it’s clear to see what drives Sean’s entrepreneurial efforts: the opportunity for players to help each other in the realm of Name, Image, and Likeness, and the opportunity to cement his legacy.
  • What makes their idea or business model interesting? Sean’s business model, Limitless NIL, is interesting because it is the first player-based organization to be created since Name, Image, and Likeness laws were passed. Sean Clifford founded the company on three pillars: talent representation, brand and content creation, and financial literacy. By signing with Limitless NIL, athletes will have access to aide in all three of these categories. Again, something that hasn’t been done in their field.
  • What entrepreneurial traits do they demonstrate? He embodies a hunger to solve problems from new angles. Sean embodies conventional wisdom, as he used his own personal experiences with signing NIL deals to organically create his business.
  • How are they innovating? On the Limitless NIL website, their message says, “Run by current and former college Athletes, Limitless seeks to help Student-Athletes build cutting-edge brands and business relationships designed for the World of NIL.” By composing their staff of former and current college athletes who have experienced the struggles of the NIL space, Sean and his colleagues are able to relate with these athletes on a level that nobody else can.
  • How do they specifically inspire you and help you in your own thinking about entrepreneurship and innovation? Sean and his company inspire me because they identified a massive need in the market and they attacked it. He also inspires me because as busy of a student athlete as he is, he went all-in on something he was passionate about as an entrepreneur. This shows that ANYONE can be an entrepreneur.
  • What principles have you learned? Sean is a great example of what happens when you are passionate and fully commit to something. I’ve learned to be brave, to continue to strive to help others and to share your experiences; you’ll never know who you can help!
2 Comments
Categories : Athletics, Marketing

Dude Perfect

Posted by WilhelmME20 
· Sunday, December 13th, 2020 
· 1 Comment

Dude Perfect started out as just a group of friends wanting to have some fun. Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, and Tyler “Ty” Toney, were your typical friend group. They had been buddies for years and loved to have fun. Eventually, they all decided to try something; “Why not film some trick shots and post them on YouTube?”, they thought. I mean what is the worst that could happen. On April 9th, 2009, the friends posted their first video on their brand-new channel: Dude Perfect. The group had no expectation for the video would fare on the YouTube landscape, and left it thinking it would maybe amount to a few hundred views. But they were wrong. The video grew into an overnight sensation, garnering hundreds of thousands of views and attention from several top media outlets. Over the next few months, the friend group would continue dropping trick shot video after trick shot video, each one trumping the previous. As the attention and popularity of the channel grew over the years, the group had a choice, give up on the channel to pursue a “normal” career, or quite each of their jobs and go all in. The choice was clear, and not long after each of the friends had quit their jobs in pursuit of their passion. Almost immediately the channel exploded yet again, with tons of deals and sponsors pouring in, and the views and subscribers continuing to rack up.

 

As the channel grew in popularity, the videos and deals grew in magnitude. Through their channel, Dude Perfect broke numerous Guinness World Records, traveled the world, partnered with big brands like Nerf, made videos with many celebrity appearances, and even went on tour.

Throughout it all, there were three things always at the center of Dude Perfect: faith, family, and friends. Through these cornerstones, Dude Perfect was able to not only excel, but reach levels far beyond their imagination. Each member of the group admits that if it were not for their strong family connection, friendship, and Christian faith, Dude Perfect would have been nowhere close to its current level.

Dude Perfect is an excellent example of what is possible when pursuing one’s passion. Each member of the group made a risk when chasing their dreams. Through hard work, focus, prayer, and dedication, these friends reached new heights; but the best may be yet to come.

 

1 Comment
Categories : Athletics, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Sports, USA, YouTube

The Mac Life

Posted by WilhelmME20 
· Sunday, December 13th, 2020 
· 3 Comments

 

Greatness starts with a dream. For a young, broke, Irishman, this was all he had. A dream. Conor McGregor did not seem like anyone remarkable in his early twenties. The young Irishman, fresh out of school seemingly had no plans for life. He was working a grueling job as a plumber and hated life. Something had to change. That change came in the form of fighting, and McGregor took to it like a fish to water. Conor broke onto the Irish MMA (mixed martial arts) scene, rising through the ranks and eventually becoming champion of Cage Warriors, a fighting promotion popular in many European countries. Eventually, Conor became a two-weight division champion, earning him fame and recognition all over the world. This caught the eye of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and its owner Dana White. Conor later signed to the UFC, arguably the leading fight promotion company, and was set on a new path to greatness.

McGregor continued to rise through the ranks of the UFC, earning win after win. Eventually, Conor earned a title shot, winning it, and becoming the UFC’s first ever Irish Champion. However, this was not enough for McGregor, who then jumped weight classes and fought for another belt, becoming the UFC’s first ever double champion (holding two division belts at the same time). These two incredible accomplishments gave McGregor countless fans and high prospect fights. From 2013-2016 Conor would dominate the sport, raking in win after win. Eventually, he stepped away from MMA, instead pursuing an enormous fight against boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and developed his own Irish Whiskey company: Proper Twelve.

In late 2018, Conor returned to MMA and the UFC, only to have a major loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, Conor’s troubles were only just beg

 

inning, over the next year McGregor was constantly surrounded by public drama and scandals. This prompted Conor to take a step back and rethink some of his choices. In early 2020, Conor returned yet again to the UFC, this time more dominant than ever, defeating legend, Donald Cerrone in only 40 seconds.

Conor McGregor is an example of what it is to be driven, dedicated, and tough. All attributes every entrepreneur should try to imbody. McGregor’s rise to fame and fortune through his skill and businesses further show him to be the excellent entrepreneur he truly is.

 

 

3 Comments
Categories : Athletics, Celebrities, Martial Arts, Uncategorized

Juju Smith-Schuster: Having Fun While Balling Out

Posted by christieac17 
· Monday, November 2nd, 2020 
· 3 Comments

Since beginning his NFL career, Juju Smith-Schuster has been a fan favorite with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not only is he an excellent player, but he has one of the best personalities in football. His enthusiasm radiates throughout the whole team and helps to lift everyone up during good and bad games. This outgoing personality translates directly to what Juju does outside the game of football as well. Although he is very good at football, he isn’t wide receivers in football (yet at least). Nevertheless, he is still one of the best marketed players in the NFL even though he is not the best player in the league. Through his own self marketing efforts, Juju has been able to become one of the most well-known athletes and exemplifies how to branch out to be more than an athlete.

Since making it to the NFL, Juju has made it known that he stays true to himself. He has not changed who he is because of his rise to fame and this has benefitted him. He loves having fun and is not afraid to go against the norms. When he first got to the NFL, Juju started making YouTube videos and streaming video games because he enjoyed doing it. He began to amass a very large social media following and now has over 1 million subscribers on YouTube alone. He was one of the first athletes to begin doing this and now this is the norm for athletes. He got criticized that this was taking away from his NFL career, but it has not proven to be true yet as he is still performing well. Not only this, but Juju even played Fortnite with the Ninja, Drake and Travis Scott. This got everyone talking whether it be the video game community or sports world. This blew up Juju’s popularity and as said before, started the trend for athletes to stream and play video games. Besides video games, Juju has also released clothing designed by himself for fans and followers. In addition to this, Juju has (or has done) endorsements with Oakley, Adidas, Pizza Hut, New Era, Call of Duty, and Art of Sport just to name a few. This is very impressive for someone so young like Juju, but is due to his own marketing efforts and following on social media. Juju has not shied away from being himself since coming into the NFL and has changed how players can gain popularity not only in the NFL, but in sports as a whole. He did not follow what everyone else was doing and went down the path less traveled by others in sports and is benefitting because of it.

 

How Star Wide Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster Became His Own Brand

3 Comments
Categories : Athletics, Sports, Video Games

Gymshark- Ben Francis

Posted by Rachel Goetz 
· Friday, October 2nd, 2020 
· 5 Comments

Gymshark is a fitness and sports apparel brand founded in 2012. Ben Francis, the founder of the company, created this company with some of his high-school friends. He was only 19 years old when starting the company. He was a full-time college student and worked night shifts at a pizza shop. The money he earned helped him to start his company. Francis couldn’t find athletic apparel that he wouldn’t want to wear. He started making his own clothes after learning how to sew from his grandmother. He would work out of his parents’ garage and create around 10 clothing items a day. He created clothing pieces while earning a degree and working.

After two long years of hard work, he made over $320,000. He realized this company had potential and dropped out of college. After focusing on Gymshark full-time for eight years, he is about to make over $130 million in sales. Francis said the secret to his company’s success was “using social media influencers with large followings to wear the brand and spread the word online.”

Francis sold the company to Steve Hewitt, sportswear expert and Gymshark’s new CEO. Hewitt had experience in business and has helped the business grow, as well as their sales. Francis is still a major stakeholder in the company.

The three main values of Gymshark are family, progression, and vision. The family of Gymshark are athletes, artists, and visionaries. They are all around the world and all bring the visions of the company to life. Progression is making the products with a mindset of the future. Vision is bringing the ideas to life. All ideas are accepted.

I think it’s inspiring that Francis created the company at 19 years old. He found a way to balance college, work, and building a company. Francis shows us that we can achieve anything though hard work and determination.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6227737/Gymshark-owner-entrepreneur-Ben-Francis-26-Birmingham-tells-story.html

https://www.gymshark.com/pages/about-us

5 Comments
Categories : Apparel/Accessories, Athletics, Business, Fashion, Fitness, Uncategorized
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