Opendorse is one of the largest companies in the NIL space and it all began with former Nebraska linebacker Blake Lawrence attempting to help just 1 athlete.
Today, Opendorse has over 100,000 athletes, 3,000 marketers, and 2,000 sports organizations. They have a lot of solutions under management, but at their core, they are a NIL deals platform for athletes, agents, and brands.
Blake Lawrence founded and sold Hurrdat Social Media agency before launching Opendorse alongside his co-founder, Adi Kunalic.
Opendorse has nearly 100 employees today and raised $40M in venture capital to help lead the charge across name, image, and likeness.
Chapters:
(01:25) NCAA’s first NIL infractions
(04:10) Increase in brand deals around March Madness
(08:30) Opendorse one decade later
(10:40) Data and the changing agency model
(14:10) NIL market size + potential
(20:50) Blake’s journey from athlete to entrepreneur
(25:40) Sports market breakdown + trends to watch
(29:55) General managers in NIL (& future of collectives)
(34:20) Opendorse’s current initiatives