When I began my sports journey in 2021, I felt lonely and disadvantaged.
It was hard to know:
- what investors were legit
- who all the companies were
- who were the best experts to network with
- and how to most effectively build with the right people
I set out to create a central location for the ‘builders in sports’ using media as the tentpole. Profluence was born.
99% of people told me “it’s not possible” and that “the industry isn’t ready”…
Fortunately, I trusted my instincts and found others with the same sentiment:
- We began connecting, exchanging our struggles, brainstorming, and contemplating the future of sports through one-on-one discussions.
- Gradually, these conversations evolved into WhatsApp and Slack groups.
For example…6x MLB All-Star José Bautista was recently on the podcast (he’s also invested millions into sports companies).
José told me that he would “love to help more people, share his insights, and get assistance from others on his sports projects” but doesn’t have the time…
It’s a similar story for me — I get hundreds of messages each week from people wanting to pick my brain, get intros to podcast guests, or find ways to partner.
This has become a repetitive thing…
- athletes want to network, help others, and do deals
- consultants want a central place to engage and connect dots
- founders want better access, vetted investors & service providers
- investors want a spot to evaluate companies in a more intimate way
That wasn’t possible until we decided to build something more scalable that is MOST NEEDED in sports.
Profluence+
A community platform for everyone seriously interested in pushing their initiatives in sports forward.
Those who want to become stronger together, while at the same time keeping their secret sauce and winning an edge.
Everything you need to win in ‘sports business’ in one place:
- Playbooks and best practices
- Early access to market trends
- Community meetups in cities
- Opportunities to pitch investors
- Tech stacks of winning companies
- Live podcasts with industry leaders
- Ask questions to experts (& get answers)
- Exclusive discounts with popular software apps (and service providers)
- Intros to those who can move your initiatives forward (or know those who can)
- Private databases of sports investors, service providers, agents, and every pro sports team in the world
Sign up below to join our private community (this is your accelerant as a builder in sports).
We’re giving all Profluence readers a discount before the price increases:
*You can view the website here, but use the button if you want 25% off.
Profluence Community
The above should have been powerful enough for you to join the community.
But I want to give you some more details about the people involved, the thought process, and a case study.
Profluence+ Team
The Profluence Community has been an 8-month project. We already have hundreds of members from a private launch and are excited to bring it to Profluence readers.
John Haegele
John is one of the most accomplished executives in sports — yet he flies under the radar (as he is extremely humble).
Snapshot of his background:
- Head of Yahoo Sports
- Developed College FG Net Sponsorship Program (acquired by Allstate).
- Built and ran Broadcast(.com)’s Sports Channel in NYC for Mark Cuban
- Advisor to many accelerators/investment groups focused on sports tech
- CEO Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment (leading full-service sports advertising and entertainment agency)
- Co-Founder UPGRADED, a seminal blockchain ticketing platform (acquired by TicketMaster)
John now consults with some of the top companies and investors in sports — but saw a lot of the same problems I did.
He is very picky about what he takes on but said “he’s the most excited about this project” as he’s been in over a decade.
Scott Garber
Scott exited his sports tech company in 2017 and went off the grid before finding his way back to consulting.
One of the best “people-connectors” I’ve met — he is taking on the Profluence Community full-time to help assist others.
I’ve never seen someone know exactly who you need to be talking to better than him.
Scott realizes that one connection can change the trajectory of a company — by being able to do it more formally through Profluence, he’s already helped a community member, Brian Kortovich, raise $100k for his company ACES.
Ok, so why build this?
Why A Community
Other things have greatly accelerated the need for this offering:
- We now have a venture fund “Profluence Capital” but our check sizes aren’t large enough (yet) so we need to help companies get additional funding
- Sports as an asset class is a real thing; industry is growing rapidly
- Early-stage sports companies need help in four major ways
- Talent
- Eyeballs
- Fundraising
- Access to the right networks
No one has built a place for the “builders in sports” that provides events, democratized access, a media platform, and unlimited access throughout the space.
Whatever the need, our community will have it (and if it doesn’t, we can build it).
When you have a diverse group of founders, leaders, and investors special things come out of that.
- The community can help take companies from 0 to 1
- The community can help take founders from 0 to 1
- The community can help take you from 0 to 1
Let me give you a success story from our private launch…
Case Study: Sweet Chameleon
Michael Dub has long been a fan of Profluence, so he reached out for ways to collaborate. We gave him early access to the community.
Here’s everything that went down:
- Joined the community and was active in it.
- Signed a deal with the PTPA through a mutual contact.
- We got to know Michael better and invested through Profluence Capital.
- Came on the podcast to share more about the company.
- Landed some additional angel investors and is in late-stage discussions to close out the seed round.
- Came to one of our partner events in the Hamptons and is now negotiating a deal with one of the big four leagues.
And these are just the tip of the iceberg…
Community = Success
Communities have helped individuals succeed in other niches:
- Women executives (Chief)
- Tech executives (The Generalist)
- High-growth founders (Hampton)
Profluence+ will be that community for sports founders, operators, and leaders.
At the end of the day…
Sports-thematic founders shouldn’t need to turn anywhere else other than our community.
We’ve already built a media platform that all of the smartest founders, executives, athletes, and investors consume daily. This incredibly powerful asset is ready to be leveraged by and for Profluence+.
Exciting times ahead. See you in the community!
We’re giving all Profluence readers a discount before the price increases.
*You can view the website here, but use the button if you want 25% off.
