The Profluence Pod 🌐

A former college athlete, Matt Wheeler and his teammate started a sports recruiting platform in 2008 and have grown it substantially over the years. 

SportsRecruits offers student-athletes a platform to handle their college search and recruiting process from end to end. 

Using robust analytics around who is looking at your profile, video and academic information, SportsRecruits helps student-athletes and their families navigate a stressful and expensive process. 

Chapters:

(00:45) SportsRecruits background

(02:25) Recruiting transformation 

(06:00) Solving marketplace dynamic 

(09:10) Navigating different sports

(11:00) Staying capital efficient 

(15:30) Private equity in youth sports

(17:45) Competitive landscape

(20:30) Future of SportsRecruits

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Matt Wheeler:

Website: https://sportsrecruits.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattkwheeler/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.

Before becoming an NBA agent and a trailblazer in shaping the college NIL space, Daniel Poneman spent over a decade as a scout and consultant for more than 300 Division I colleges, NBA teams, and international franchises. 

Profiled in The New York Times and Sports Illustrated, Daniel rose from teenage scout to Chicago basketball mainstay. 

Since then, Daniel Poneman has helped hundreds of young men from Chicago's most underserved neighborhoods receive college scholarships through the "Undiscovered" basketball showcase he founded in 2009.

Chapters:

(00:30) Daniel Poneman background

(01:25) Sports agent journey  

(07:20) NIL ecosystem

(11:20) College sports landscape 

(13:50) NIL collectives

(18:30) Market valuations

(23:00) Peak college salaries

(24:30) Private equity impact 

(27:15) Future plans

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Daniel Poneman:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-poneman-a1237920/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.

Peter Simon runs the sports investment division for Simon Group Holdings, which was founded by his father Sam Simon. 

Sam Simon is a legendary immigrant entrepreneur having launched Atlas Oil Co. in 1985 with a single delivery truck, and has built it into a multi-billion gallon-a-year fuel wholesaler with over 500 employees.

Formed in 2022, Simon Sports is a sports investment firm and management group that serves as an umbrella for Sam and his son Peter Simon’s sports ventures.

Peter Simon attended Wayne State University and is an avid sports fan cheering for most Detroit teams (and the Dallas Cowboys). 

Chapters:

(00:35) Simon Group Holdings

(05:00) Current portfolio 

(11:00) How they think about community 

(12:30) Evaluating opportunities 

(15:00) Private family capital 

(16:40) What they look for 

(19:00) Trends in sports

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Peter Simon:

Website: https://simonsports.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/simon-sports/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts. 

Chris Van Dusen is a Senior Partner at Solyco Capital, a vertically Integrated PE/VC, Action Services, Public & Private Wealth Investment Firm that delivers capital solutions for late-stage startup and growth companies. 

Solyco Capital has made some of its first sports investments since its inception, showcasing the industry's appeal. 

Chris Van Dusen was a former D1 baseball player and successful entrepreneur having sold multiple businesses before entering the investment world. 

Chapters:

(01:20) Exiting 3 companies

(08:20) Solyco Capital

(11:50) Making first sports investments 

(14:30) Going through their sports portfolio 

(18:00) Artificial intelligence 

(23:20) Advice on raising capital 

(30:15) Mistakes he learned from 

(32:15) Areas in sports to watch

(36:35+) Q/A session available for Profluence+ Community members

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Chris Van Dusen:

Solyco Capital: https://www.solycocapital.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismvandusen/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.

Minutely works with the largest media properties in sports as a video optimization platform for digital publishers. 

Amit Golan's background boasts a wide spectrum of talents having served as a special forces unit Commander to being a teacher, mentor, entrepreneur, and mentor at Google. 

Minutely was founded in 2014 to drive video engagement and revolutionize the online video consumption process into a more financially rewarding and compelling content source. 

Chapters:

(00:50) From B2C to B2B

(06:50) Special Forces background

(09:00) Why Israel tech is strong 

(12:40) Building in sports as not a fan 

(13:30) Minutely products 

(20:50) Business model 

(22:50) Future of media & AI

(29:10) Minutely’s growth plans

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Amit Golan:

Minutely: https://minute.ly/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-golan-7b291042/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

*Disclaimer: Minutely is a portfolio company of Profluence Capital Holdings LLC in which the host is a partner. 

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After successfully exiting Rivals (Yahoo) and 24/7 (CBS), Shannon Terry began building his third sports media platform in On3. 

On3 is a top resource for college sports, recruiting, and NIL. 

Shannon Terry and On3 are consistently in the news cycle thanks to their proprietary “NIL Valuation” system. 

Chapters:

(03:40) Rivals

(06:00) 24/7 Sports

(10:45) On3 inception 

(13:05) NIL valuations 

(18:00) College sports utopia 

(22:40) Future of the NCAA 

(24:40) Women’s sports 

(26:40) Shifting media world 

(29:00) Future of On3

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Shannon Terry:

On3: https://www.on3.com/

X: https://x.com/ShannonTerry

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts. 

Lance Dietz is an investment partner who focuses on sports, collectibles, well-being, and gaming.

KB Partners raised a $100M+ fund to deploy capital into the early stages of sports. 

Lance Dietz played college basketball at Army West Point, has an MBA from the University of Chicago, and joined KB Partners in 2018 as a principal before reaching partner status in 2021. 

Chapters:

(01:15) Top trends in sports

(03:15) How to learn new verticals 

(08:50) Talent entering industry 

(11:40) How to get investors attention

(15:40) US vs international 

(17:20) Characteristics of successful companies 

(20:10) Evaluating emerging leagues 

(22:30) Approach to AI startups

(27:45) Sports Tech insights 

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Lance Dietz:

KB Partners: https://kbpartners.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lancedietz/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.

Mike Nicoll is a former hooper turned award-winning filmmaker focused heavily on basketball's business side in his documentaries. 

The Spoils penetrates a shadowy financial system: America’s youth basketball industrial complex. With unprecedented access to the money game that dominates the sport, the film unravels the raw capitalism of the American basketball machine.

Mike Nicoll has directed 3 feature films, best known for writing & directing "At All Costs" - a feature documentary acquired by Netflix in 2017.

Chapters:

(01:20) The Spoils

(07:20) Shocking revelations

(10:10) How the AAU system works 

(13:05) Why travel basketball exists

(20:20) Reimagining the system

(26:55) Business of basketball

(35:20) Next films

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Mike Nicoll:

Website: https://thespoilsmovie.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-nicoll/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.

After 15 seasons in Major League Baseball, José Bautista has made the jump into entrepreneurship and investing. 

He took a majority position in Marucci Sports and helped them to an exit and has also invested in outwear company Canada Goose.

José Bautista recently bought the majority position in a USL team, Las Vegas Lights FC. 

Chapters:

(01:45) Owning a pro sports team

(05:45) Transition from athlete to investor 

(08:15) Marucci Sports to exit

(11:30) Due diligence and evaluating deals

(14:15) MLB players vs other sports

(20:50) What stands out in founders

(22:45) Deals he’s looking at

(26:00) Baseball tech and robot-umpires

(32:10) Las Vegas Lights & USL

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José Bautista:

X: https://x.com/joeybats19

Las Vegas Lights: https://www.lasvegaslightsfc.com/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.

With soon-to-be 16 eatertainment facilities, Chicken N Pickle is expanding across the country with their “TopGolf for Pickleball” concept. 

Chicken N Pickle is an entertainment complex that includes a restaurant, sports bar, pickleball courts, and a variety of yard games. 

Kelli Alldredge joined part-time at the first location and went full-time as the president in 2023. 

Chapters:

(01:15) Landing at Chicken N Pickle

(04:25) Rollout of more locations 

(07:10) Chicken N Pickle description 

(09:30) GTM strategy 

(12:20) Learnings/Mistakes in eatertainment

(17:20) Building partnerships team

(20:20) Sponsoring athletes 

(24:00) Eatertainment trends

(27:00) 3 categories of pickleball players

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Kelli Alldredge:

Website: https://chickennpickle.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelli-alldredge-553920249/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.