141. How to Partner with Pro Athletes with Ishveen Jolly
Welcome back to Mastering E-Commerce Marketing with your host, Eitan Koter. Today’s episode is all about sports sponsorships, data-driven marketing, and how brands can connect with athletes in a smarter way. Ishveen Jolly, founder and CEO of OpenSponsorship, joins us to break it all down.
Ishveen has built OpenSponsorship into the largest marketplace for brands looking to partner with athletes for digital campaigns. With over 17,000 athletes on the platform and deals with brands like Walmart, Footlocker, ESPN, and FanDuel, she knows what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to athlete marketing.
In this conversation, she shares how she got into the industry, why she saw a gap in sponsorship deals, and what brands often get wrong about working with athletes. She also talks about shifting from a self-service model to a more hands-on approach, the rise of female sports, and how AI and data are changing the game. If you’ve ever wondered how brands—big and small—can use athlete partnerships to boost their marketing, this episode has plenty of takeaways.
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Guest: Ishveen Jolly, Founder & CEO at OpenSponsorship
Watch the full Youtube video here:
https://youtu.be/DXdXcsSafh0?si=_XUgVdz3drOoJg8d
Takeaways:
- OpenSponsorship connects brands with over 12,000 athletes.
- Sponsorship deals can be affordable for non-top athletes.
- Athletes engage in sponsorship for various reasons, including passion and financial security.
- Building a two-sided marketplace requires careful strategy and iteration.
- Funding and investment strategies are crucial for startup growth.
- Data and AI play a significant role in optimizing sponsorship deals.
- Smaller brands can leverage agility to compete with larger companies.
- Expanding services beyond athletes can open new market opportunities.
- Content creation remains a challenge for athlete partnerships.
- Investing in brand storytelling is essential for long-term success.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Sports Sponsorships and Technology
01:05 The Aha Moment Behind OpenSponsorship
02:22 Misconceptions in Athlete Sponsorships
04:23 Building the OpenSponsorship Marketplace
08:30 Funding and Financial Strategies
10:50 Growth Challenges and Strategies for 2025
12:55 The Role of Data and AI in Sponsorships
15:03 Competing with Larger Brands
16:41 Expanding Beyond Athletes
19:16 Content Creation Challenges
20:31 International Market Strategies
22:22 Lessons Learned from Starting OpenSponsorship
23:21 Emerging Trends in Sports Sponsorship
24:05 Marketing Strategies and SEO
27:21 Final Thoughts on Brand Investment