It Took A Fullback

In Q2, we had meetings with companies interested in hearing more about the Athletes Launch platform and our discovery regarding the connection between college athletes and higher engagement scores. They expressed excitement, and the big organizations told us they believed in what we were doing but wanted to see the results from other companies first. The gap between belief and adoption for companies and great attributes but lack of work experience on the athlete side were issues that we needed to solve.

That's when Juan Shedrick , former University of Oregon fullback and Vice President, US Sales for RapidAI, entered to clear the path for a generation of athletes to break through. He joined CEO Karim Karti at RapidAI in Q2 and had his list of challenges to solve. He understood the Athletes Launch mission and was committed to helping people and companies grow.

What started as an eight-week Athletes Launch - Ignite pilot program for athletes to train and work in business development and customer support roles at an early-stage medical SAAS company, has exceeded the original time and scope. Juan's time, leadership, and training of this entry-level team have enabled them to catch the attention of both the sales team and the CEO. In addition to outbound calls for new and existing businesses, the athletes are doing account mapping, leveraging the CRM, attending sales team meetings, and having deals they generated in the pipeline.

The type of training, executive support, and exposure for the athletes in this pilot program, are things that most people would never have the opportunity to experience. Juan demonstrated what immense value a fullback on the corporate playing field, and dedicated leader, has to those around him.

The Athletes Launch?Ignite Program is our solution to bridging the gaps in a way that allows both the companies and athletes a way to test things out for themselves within the structure of a win-win program. For companies or non-profit organizations interested in media partnership or the Ignite Program please feel free to connect with us at [email protected].