MOGL
Setting the Scene
In July 2021, the NCAA’s NIL policy finally allowed college athletes to monetize their personal brands.
While top-tier names swiftly inked lucrative deals, many athletes found it difficult to connect with brands.
Similarly, many brands found it challenging to identify athletes who align with their values and marketing objectives.
This week’s company enables athletes to capitalize on their name and likeness by connecting them to brands compliantly.
In a Sentence
MOGL is an influencer marketplace connecting college athletes with brands while providing operations software for athletics departments.
Athletes: Connect with brands and fans, browse opportunities, and leverage AI matching capabilities for optimal partnerships.
Brands: Engage and connect with athletes with additional access to influencer marketing tools.
Operations Software: Real-time compliance reporting, monitoring, and network analytics for athletic departments.
Bulleted Version:
- Think of MOGL as an NIL talent agency, where athletes can showcase themselves to brands and brands can select the best talent for their needs. 🤝
The Basics
- Headquarters: NYC
- Employee Count: 10
- Funding amount: $5.5M
- Business model: Subscriptions model for brands, universities, and collectives
- Early traction: $1.2m ARR forecasted, 2,000 brands and 12,000 athletes on platform, customers include top-tier athletic departments and an exclusive deal with NBC Sports
Due Diligence
WHAT WE LIKE
✅ Market & growth: In a short time, the NIL market has ballooned to a valuation of over $1B, as brands place a premium on micro-influencers.
With multiple revenue streams from brands, universities, and collectives, MOGL is well positioned to tap this market.
📈 Customer Acquisition: MOGL’s acquisition strategy involves universities or collectives purchasing the platform, allowing the onboarding of many athletes all at once, instead of one-by-one.
📐 Compliance for athletic departments: MOGL’s compliance tools provide a crucial value add for universities trying to keep track of hundreds of their athletes navigating the complex regulatory environment of college sports.
POTENTIAL RISKS
🏁 Competition: With a growing number of platforms connecting athletes and brands, MOGL faces stiff competition that could challenge customer acquisition and retention.
🤷🏼 Market uncertainty: The novelty of the NIL policy introduces market instability and the risk of future regulatory changes that might impact MOGL’s operations.
🔄 Bypassing the platform: What’s stopping a brand with reach from promoting an ambassador program without MOGL.
Founder Profile
Ayden Syal, Co-Founder & CEO: Previously at IHS Markit (now S&P Global), Lexington Partners, and Morgan Stanley.
Brandon Wimbush, Co-Founder & CAO (Chief Athletic Officer): Former quarterback at the University of Norte Dame (‘19).
Comps
Opendorse: Backed by Serra Ventures, Flyover Capital, Nelnet, Collaborative Ventures, and others.
INFLCR: Backed by HATCHER+, Tom Patterson, JDS Sports, Stadia Ventures, and others.
OpenSponsorship: Backed by Serena Ventures, Oxford Angel Fund, Isos Capital Management, 500 Global, and others.
NOCAP: Backed by Florida Funders, Acquired Wisdom Fund, and others.
Icon Source: Hawke Ventures, GAN ventures, and others.
Why MOGL
The company’s focus on building a solution to power the entire NIL industry — from athletes, to brands, to athletic departments — positions MOGL to outplay its competition. 🏆