Sports industry has been growing very fast, and this isn’t just talking about mainstream leagues such as NFL and NBA, which have always had the big stage, but it’s also about other sports. Different countries are embracing sports from other ends of the world. An example of this would be Saudi Arabia hosting and arranging some of the most amazing boxing fights, which would be pretty hard to make given the money demands from all the sides.

Similarly, each year, the Super Bowl, the most famous and eagerly anticipated sporting event in America, gets more animated, with reported figures for each ad costing millions of dollars for brands.

Only movie stars and musicians enjoy the same level of compensation and stardom as sports stars. So obviously, this has led to a lot of young kids dreaming of themselves becoming one. Until a bit of reality kicks in the form of academic and career stress, and they have to leave it, because unfortunately, the money and stardom are only for those at the top.

There aren’t any few stories about those who couldn’t make it and had to choose another way to make a living, and certainly these are a lot more in number than the stories of LeBron and Curry.

This would not be the case if these kids would have gotten opportunities in the same sports they love. Like, what if you could work at a soccer team, a basketball team? Surely, a lot of young graduates would like that instead of filling cells in a spreadsheet at a job they hate.

But that’s too idealistic and simple. first, the opportunities are very low, and second, you wouldn’t know where to find them, especially if you don’t have any friends and family involved in these sports, which is more common than not.

This was the same situation Cole faced when he could foresee himself leaving sports, more specifically lacrosse, which he loved dearly. And when he started reaching out to different people, he found something unusual (later on this).

Something clicked in Cole’s head, and he knew he could follow this trail to a bigger puzzle, and he did. We had a chat with Cole to find out about him and his new startup AthLink, which he started to help student athletes like himself to get the jobs they’d love.

Our Chat with Cole – Founder of AthLink.

Q. Give us a little background on how you got into sports, because usually it’s the father or in competition with elder brothers, or friends, how did your beginning look like.

Cole: I’ve always been into staying active. When I was a kid, I played all kinds of sports, but I really fell for lacrosse. Being outside and playing with my neighbors was the best. I’ve always loved being part of a team and working together. As a D1 athlete, I’m pretty competitive and always give it my all.

Q. How did you get the idea for AthLink, what problem did you come across which led to the creation of AthLink?

Cole: I got the idea for AthLink when I was looking for a summer internship in my sophomore year. I reached out to anyone I knew a bit, hoping they could help me with a recommendation for interviews. Surprisingly, it was mostly other college athletes who stepped up to help. They understood our dedication and knew we always give it our best shot. That’s when I knew I had something special on my hands—AthLink was born.

Q. You have a co-founder, tell us about him and your relationship with him.

Cole: Johnathan Moon is one of the brightest people I’ve met. We first met at a lacrosse camp in 2017. When I had the idea for AthLink, he was one of the first people I reached out to. I knew he’d see the same potential in AthLink as I did, and I was sure he’d give it his all to help make it successful.

Q. How do you plan to take AthLink further, to different colleges and across different sports?

Cole: We’ve got a waiting list on our website (JoinAthLink.com) with hundreds of current and former college athletes eager to download and sign up for AthLink.

Additionally, we’re gearing up to launch ads across various platforms to connect with our audience. Our initial marketing strategy involves targeting specific schools to maximize our user base on AthLink.

Q. Are you guys bootstrapping AthLink or looking to raise funds?

Cole: Currently, we are looking to raise $500,000 to enhance our growth and development.

Q. What stage are you guys in right now and when is the expected launch?

Cole: We’re in the final stages of development and gearing up for launch very soon. Our plan is to roll out on all major app stores by May 2024.

We hope student athletes like Cole could benefit from AthLink and do their best at something they love. We are grateful Cole could take out time from his schedule to tell us more about him and AthLink.