Before June 2021, college athletes were highly restricted from profiting off their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). However, this changed when the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, reviewed the bill; it now allows elite student-athletes to monetize their careers through sponsorship agreements and endorsement deals. However, despite this new policy, only star athletes seemed to reap its benefits, creating a massive disparity in the collegiate athlete ranks. For this reason, Athlete’s Thread, cofounded by Luke McGurrin and Karthik Shanadi, takes the lead in giving everyone an equal shot and helping these athletes monetize their brands and make the most of their careers.
A full-service talent management company specializing in Name, Image, Likeness (NIL), and brand identity for athletes at the collegiate level, Athlete’s Thread provides every athlete with an opportunity to launch their brand and monetize their name, image, and likeness regardless of their team, gender, or social following and make profitable connections that ensure success in their business aspirations beyond their respective sports.
“The best part about this is helping tell the unique story of every student-athlete,” McGurrin remarked. “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. We want to help all these students realize how much they have accomplished and be the driving force to get their story out and help them succeed.”
With the brilliant technology leading to the establishment of Athlete’s Thread, the company provides every athlete with the life-changing opportunity to launch their personalized merch within three days of signing on, complete with fully licensed designs on online stores. Additionally, each successful launch has an added feature of a micro store with 8-12 products for each athlete and College Sports program.
Since opening its doors, the powerhouse brand has already launched with over 2,000 athletes across 12 colleges, with 58 more colleges waiting to introduce their star athletes. Some of the company’s top NCAA clients include Heisman Trophy Winner Bryce Young and break-out athletes Jahmyr Gibbs, Jalen Milroe, and Trashon Holden at the University of Alabama. In the coming months, the company aims to go live with 8,000 athletes by the end of the year.
On top of being the leading talent management company in the country, Athlete’s Thread stands apart for its client-oriented approach. As part of its mission to provide every athlete with equal opportunities to monetize their NIL, the brilliant minds behind Athlete’s Thread aim to educate these athletes and help them expertly navigate licensing agreements to keep the process simple and make the barrier to entry as low as possible.
“It’s already complex enough being a student and athlete simultaneously, so when you start hearing about licensing compliance and taxes, it can become overwhelming. So, there’s also a little bit of a fear of the unknown, and how do I do this safely? So we’re also trying to demystify the name, image and licensing process and make it extremely easy for the athletes to where we’re essentially removing their risk,” McGurrin shared.
In the coming months, McGurrin and Shanadi will continue setting the blueprint for excellence in the NIL space. Through their company, the dynamic duo aims to help elite student-athlete achieve tremendous personal growth and financial success as they explore business opportunities on the horizon. “Our mindset working with all these athletes, the colleges and the athletic directors is to help them tell their story, but also make sure we are helping them be successful both on and off the field,” Shanadi said.
