Athletes of Valor

What Athletes of Valor does

Athletes of Valor is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based private organization founded in 2017 that operates a recruiting platform connecting active-duty U.S. military members and veterans with collegiate athletic programs. The company targets former and current service members across the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and National Guard who wish to pursue college sports after completing military service, addressing pain points such as loss of structure during civilian transition, NCAA eligibility complexity for veterans, and lack of exposure to college coaches. Its core service is free to service members and consists of an online profile-creation intake plus in-person athletic combines held at military installations including Ft. Bragg (North Carolina) and Camp Pendleton (California), where college coaches evaluate candidates directly. The company has facilitated placements across Division I, II, III, NAIA, and community college programs and lists partnerships with more than a dozen colleges spanning Boston University, Dartmouth, Hampton, Norwich, Sacred Heart, and others.

Operationally, Athletes of Valor runs on a small footprint of 1-10 employees and operates with no disclosed revenue model or pricing. The website functions as the primary enrollment channel, supplemented by blog content featuring individual veteran success stories and earned media coverage in outlets such as the Washington Post, ESPN, and The Paraglide. The only documented external capital is a $50,000 MassChallenge grant received in November 2017. Beyond the profile platform, the organization runs a coach partnership program (involving figures such as former DI coach Dan Dodd) and runs combine events that double as the primary in-person recruitment touchpoint. The website was actively maintained through at least early 2024 based on copyright and blog timestamps.

From a commercial mechanics standpoint, the organization's revenue model is not publicly disclosed and the service appears to be free for military members, consistent with a nonprofit or mission-driven operation. There are no disclosed enterprise customers, paid tiers, sponsorship arrangements, or contract values in the source material. The company has no app, no public API, no technology integrations, and is explicitly described as a service organization rather than a technology company, meaning its underlying platform is a standard web profile system rather than a proprietary technology stack.

Name

Athletes of Valor

Legal name

Athletes of Valor

Website

https://athletesofvalor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Athletes of Valor is a Cambridge, MA-based nonprofit-style organization founded in 2017 that operates a free recruiting platform connecting U.S. military veterans and active-duty service members with college athletic programs through online profiles and in-person combines at military installations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veteran Athletic Recruiting Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

College Recruiting & Scholarship Advisory / Athlete Placement (HSADAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Athletic Recruitment & NCAA/NAIA Eligibility Counseling (EDANAEAM)

Keywords

• Athlete recruiting services
• Military transition support
• College sports recruitment
• Athletic performance combines
• Veteran career services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Not publicly disclosed: The organization's revenue model is not explicitly disclosed on its website. It appears to be a nonprofit or mission-driven organization that provides free services to military members seeking to play college sports after their service.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Athletes of Valor operates a recruiting service that connects active duty military members and veterans with college athletic programs. The organization enables service members to create online profiles, hosts in-person athletic combines at military installations such as Ft. Bragg and Camp Pendleton, and partners with college coaches to facilitate placement of veteran athletes into collegiate sports programs (football, basketball, lacrosse, baseball, soccer). The service is delivered at no direct cost to the service member and includes NCAA eligibility guidance.

Product overview

Athletes of Valor is a nonprofit organization operating a platform that helps active duty military members and veterans pursue college athletics after their military service. The core offering is a recruiting platform that connects military athletes with college sports programs through profile creation and participation in performance combines. The company partners with college coaches and institutions to facilitate placement of veteran athletes in collegiate sports programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Military-to-College Sports Recruiting Service A recruiting service that enables active duty military members and veterans to create profiles and get matched with college athletic programs, including NCAA eligibility guidance for those seeking to play sports after completing military service.
• Military Base Athletic Combines In-person athletic combines held at military installations (including Ft. Bragg and Camp Pendleton) where veterans and active duty personnel showcase their football, basketball, soccer, and lacrosse skills to college coaches for direct evaluation and recruitment.
• Coach Partnership Program A partnership program connecting college coaches with military athletes through combine events, enabling coaches to identify and recruit veteran talent for collegiate sports programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Veterans successfully placed at various college levels including Division I, II, III, NAIA, and community colleges

Named customers15 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ft. BraggcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2019U.S. Army base where Athletes of Valor hosted football and basketball combines on June 21-22, 2019, working with soldiers interested in pursuing college sports after service.
• Camp PendletoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2019U.S. Marine base where Athletes of Valor hosted a Football Performance Combine in March 2019, with former DI coach Dan Dodd on the coaching staff.
• Becker CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution shown on the Athletes of Valor website as part of their college partner network for veteran athlete placement.
• Bentley UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution shown on the Athletes of Valor website as part of their college partner network for veteran athlete placement.
• Boston UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution shown on the Athletes of Valor website as part of their college partner network for veteran athlete placement.
• Curry CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution shown on the Athletes of Valor website as part of their college partner network for veteran athlete placement.
• Dartmouth CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution. Kevin Price, a former Army Ranger, walked onto the Dartmouth football team with assistance from Athletes of Valor.
• Hampton UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution shown on the Athletes of Valor website as part of their college partner network for veteran athlete placement.
• Lawrence Technological UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution shown on the Athletes of Valor website as part of their college partner network for veteran athlete placement.
• Norwich UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution shown on the Athletes of Valor website as part of their college partner network for veteran athlete placement.
• Pfeiffer UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution shown on the Athletes of Valor website as part of their college partner network for veteran athlete placement.
• Sacred Heart UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution shown on the Athletes of Valor website as part of their college partner network for veteran athlete placement.
• Suffolk UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution shown on the Athletes of Valor website as part of their college partner network for veteran athlete placement.
• Union CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution shown on the Athletes of Valor website as part of their college partner network for veteran athlete placement.
• William Peace UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner institution shown on the Athletes of Valor website as part of their college partner network for veteran athlete placement.
• Bloomsburg UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDivision II university where Alex Findura was placed. Head Coach Paul Darragh was one of the first coaches to partner with Athletes of Valor on recruiting military athletes.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Student Veterans of America: Student Veterans of America is a national nonprofit supporting military veterans in higher education through campus chapters and programming — comparable to Athletes of Valor's veteran-to-college mission, but focused on academic rather than athletic integration.
• Pat Tillman Foundation: The Pat Tillman Foundation provides scholarships and support to veterans and military spouses pursuing higher education — an adjacent veteran-education organization with overlapping beneficiary population and college-network characteristics.
• Team Red, White & Blue: Team RWB is a veteran-support nonprofit that builds community through physical and social activity — comparable to Athletes of Valor in using athletics to ease veteran transition, though its model is community-based rather than college-recruitment-driven.
• Hire Heroes USA: Hire Heroes USA is a veteran-services nonprofit focused on employment transition and job placement — adjacent to Athletes of Valor in the broader veteran-transition space, but oriented to civilian careers rather than college athletics.

Direct peers

• FieldLevel: FieldLevel is a verified athlete-recruiting and networking platform used by college coaches to discover and evaluate prospects — comparable to Athletes of Valor in the underlying function of facilitating coach-athlete evaluation, though delivered as a digital platform rather than in-person combines.
• CaptainU: CaptainU is a college athletic recruiting platform that helps high school athletes build profiles, get discovered by college coaches, and manage the recruiting process — overlapping directly with Athletes of Valor's profile-and-recruitment model for a different athlete segment.
• SportsRecruits: SportsRecruits provides an online platform for student-athletes to create recruiting profiles and connect with college coaches across multiple sports — closely aligned with Athletes of Valor's athlete-profile and coach-connection offering.
• BeRecruited: BeRecruited is a college athletic recruiting network where high school athletes build profiles and communicate with college coaches — a comparable profile-driven recruiting product aimed at a different athlete segment than Athletes of Valor.
• NCSA (Next College Student Athlete): NCSA is the largest college athletic recruiting platform in the U.S., connecting high school athletes with college coaches — directly comparable to Athletes of Valor's core recruiting function, though NCSA serves the general student-athlete population while Athletes of Valor specializes in the military-veteran subset.

Broad incumbents

• Reigning Champs (parent of NCSA): Reigning Champs is the broader sports-platform company that owns NCSA and other youth-sports media and technology brands — relevant as a well-capitalized incumbent operating in the same college-athletic-recruiting category where Athletes of Valor competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/athletesofvalor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Athletes of Valor