Grandstand, an athlete empowerment startup, has secured $2.75 million in funding led by Will Ventures. The company is preparing to launch an app that enables fans to follow and financially support their favorite athletes.
This tool is designed to help athletes better engage with their fans, offering interactive features, exclusive content, and financial opportunities. During early access and testing, Grandstand is partnering with pro golfer James Nicholas.
Users will receive free updates on Nicholas, while premium content will be available behind an athlete-specific paywall. Grandstand will take a percentage of revenue generated through the app and offer equity to participating athletes.
The platform aims to simplify fan engagement for athletes and plans to allow stars to promote their Grandstand offerings on existing social media platforms. Initially, Grandstand will focus on individual and Olympic sports.
The startup has also partnered with Parity, an online sponsorship platform, with a special focus on promoting women’s sports and narrowing the gender income gap. Grandstand anticipates being especially valuable for college athletes looking to leverage their name, image, and likeness rights.
The creator wars are beginning across sports and entertainment.
