EndorseMate, a startup founded by Lucas Vanroboys, a former D1 college hockey player, partnered with Scrapbox to create a marketplace app designed to help college athletes monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL) through brand sponsorships. We developed an MVP that connects athletes with brands for sponsorship deals, launching a new revenue avenue for student-athletes.
The EndorseMate platform empowers college athletes to leverage their NIL (name, image, and likeness) rights by connecting them directly with brands for sponsorship opportunities. To achieve this, we developed a marketplace that facilitates smooth negotiation and transaction processes for sponsorship deals. Our approach prioritized launching a scalable MVP quickly to kickstart user acquisition and engage stakeholders in meaningful conversations around the platform’s potential. The project was featured in Bentley University's Newsroom: bentley.edu/news/getting-game.
The NIL marketplace was built using React and Next.js, ensuring a responsive and high-performance user experience. To protect user data, we integrated secure authentication through Auth0, enhancing overall platform security. In just four months, we delivered a functional MVP, which allowed EndorseMate to successfully attract over 150 student-athletes and initiate brand partnerships.
The MVP launch was a great success, allowing Lucas and the EndorseMate team to begin conversations with universities, brands, and potential investors.