What MatchPoint Connection does

MatchPoint Connection is a privately held two-sided marketplace founded in 2021 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that connects collegiate athletes and influencers with brands seeking endorsement and influencer-marketing deals. The company was established immediately after the NCAA's July 2021 NIL rule change and built its workflow — Discover, Offer, Match (auto-generated contract execution by an NFL-agent-authored template), Chat, Payment (Stripe-powered direct deposits), and Report (automatic NCAA data submission plus 1099 tax distribution to athletes) — specifically around the compliance, contracting, and payment friction inherent to collegiate NIL deals. Its customer base spans collegiate athletes, individual influencers, NIL collectives, university athletic departments, and brand marketers; named brand relationships include Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux, Kendra Scott, BBQGuys, Raising Cane's, Smoothie King, Mercedes-Benz, ExxonMobil, Gopuff, Orange Theory, State Farm, and GameCoin. The product surface has expanded from a web app to a mobile app (NILSU, launched May 2023) and a custom-build enterprise channel for university NIL platforms.

The company monetizes by taking a 9% commission on User Fees paid by brands on each completed deal; talent receives 91% of the agreed User Fees. Distribution is primarily self-serve via iOS, Android, and web, supplemented by a campus ambassador program and direct enterprise sales for custom university deployments. Leadership is led by CEO Brian Oliver (formerly Hilton and a 14-year healthcare-CEO tenure), CFO Zack Oliver (Citigroup AVP, JP Morgan, Northwestern/Kellogg MBA), COO Mackenzie Landry (commercial real estate, restaurant franchise growth from 4 to 60+ units), Chief of Content Krystal Faircloth (former LSU Athletics creative director with 300k+ personal social reach), and VP Athletic Operations Jonathan Pixley (former Samford basketball player). The company is currently running an undisclosed funding round and has a secondary office in New York in addition to its Baton Rouge headquarters.

Name

MatchPoint Connection

Legal name

MatchPoint Connection, LLC

Website

https://matchpointconnection.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MatchPoint Connection is a two-sided marketplace that connects collegiate athletes and influencers with brands for NIL and endorsement deals, automating contracts, NCAA compliance reporting, payment processing, and 1099 distribution through its web platform and NILSU mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Commission on User Fees: The Brand pays MatchPoint a commission on the User Fees as consideration for platform services. Talent receives 91% of the agreed User Fees, with MatchPoint retaining the remaining 9% as commission.
2. Platform Facilitation Fee: MatchPoint acts as facilitator for deal organization and payment processing, charging a fee for transaction management services including contract generation, payment processing, and compliance documentation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MatchPoint Connection operates a two-sided marketplace platform that connects brands and businesses with collegiate athletes, influencers, and content creators for NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) endorsement deals. The platform automates contract generation, secure payment processing (via Stripe), automatic NCAA compliance reporting to universities, and 1099 tax document distribution. It also offers a dedicated module for NIL collectives to manage pooled donor funds and process athlete payments with third-party separation.

Product overview

MatchPoint Connection offers a unified marketplace platform for NIL and influencer marketing deals, with a companion mobile app called NILSU. The core platform enables brands to discover and transact with collegiate athletes and influencers through auto-generated contracts, integrated payment processing, and NCAA compliance reporting. A specialized collective management module serves NIL collectives and university athletic departments. The platform's key workflow stages are Discover (talent/brand matching via algorithm), Offer (send/receive proposals with real-time notifications), Match (auto-generated contract execution), Chat (in-platform communication), Payment (secure payment processing and 1099 distribution), and Report (NCAA data auto-reporting to universities).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NILSU: Mobile application for NIL deal management and athlete-brand matching. The NILSU app is referenced on the website as a separate branded product for verified influencer marketing and NIL deals.

Products and services

• MatchPoint Connection Platform The flagship two-sided marketplace platform enabling brands to discover, communicate with, and transact endorsement deals with collegiate athletes and influencers. Provides auto-generated contracts, real-time notifications, secure payment processing, automatic tax documents, and NCAA compliance reporting.
• NILSU App Next-generation mobile application built by MatchPoint for verified influencer marketing and NIL deals. Serves as the mobile-first interface for athletes, brands, and collectives to manage their endorsement partnerships. Available on iOS App Store and Google Play Store.
• Collective Management Platform A specialized module within the MatchPoint platform designed for NIL collectives and university athletic departments. Provides management, documentation, compliance tracking, and secure payment processing for pooled donor funds directed at athlete endorsement deals, with built-in third-party separation.
• Custom University NIL Platform Development Bespoke NIL platform development service for universities, collectives, and large athletic programs that require a customized NIL management and compliance solution. Distributed via direct sales.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000+ verified talent across all 50 states
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• INFLCRcoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership announced September 2021 to connect athletes using INFLCR platform to MatchPoint's exclusive network of businesses and brands for NIL deals. INFLCR provides content and performance tracking while MatchPoint handles deal facilitation.
• Walk-On's Sports BistreauxflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerWalk-On's partnered with MatchPoint in September 2021 to award NIL deals nationwide, expanding its family of athletes. Walk-On's was among the first major brands to use the platform for nationwide collegiate athlete partnerships.
• Athlete AssetscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnounced October 2021 - first on-chain NCAA athlete NFT partnership. Athlete Assets and MatchPoint Connection teamed up to enable NFT capabilities for collegiate athletes on the platform.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing integration. Stripe's technology is used for secure payment processing within the MatchPoint platform, handling transactions between brands and talent.
• Get Engaged MediaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgency partner representing talent (e.g., Kendra Scott represented by Get Engaged Media). Serves as intermediary for talent representation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Opendorse: Category-leading NIL marketplace connecting college athletes with brands and collectives for endorsement deals; offers a directly overlapping product, customer base, and revenue model to MatchPoint Connection.
• INFLCR: Athlete content and performance platform with NIL marketplace capabilities; competes directly with MatchPoint while also maintaining a strategic partnership with the company, indicating direct overlap in product and target customers.
• NIL Network: NIL marketplace and educational platform facilitating endorsement deals between collegiate athletes and brands; overlaps with MatchPoint in product scope and primary customer segments.
• MOGL: NIL marketplace and athlete marketing platform focused on connecting college athletes with local and national brands; closely comparable marketplace model and athlete/brand customer base.
• Brandr: NIL deal-making platform for college athletes and brands, offering discovery, contracting, and analytics; directly comparable offering targeting the same NIL buyer and seller personas.

Broad incumbents

• Grin: Established influencer marketing platform serving enterprise brands; comparable two-sided creator/brand marketplace mechanics but addresses commercial creators broadly rather than specializing in NCAA NIL compliance.
• NeoReach: Influencer marketing platform and agency serving enterprise brands with marketplace-style talent discovery; comparable go-to-market motion toward enterprise brand buyers even though it is not NIL-specialized.
• Aspire: Enterprise influencer marketing platform with marketplace-style creator discovery and campaign management; overlaps with MatchPoint's brand-side workflow but covers commercial creators of all types rather than NIL-specialized athletes.
• IZEA: Public influencer marketing platform operating a marketplace connecting brands and creators; broader scope than MatchPoint but operates an analogous brand-talent transaction model with similar revenue mechanics.
• CreatorIQ: Enterprise influencer marketing platform used by major brands for creator discovery, relationship management, and campaign measurement; targets the same brand buyer persona but does not focus on NCAA NIL compliance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/matchpconnect
• Facebookfacebook.com/Matchpointconnection
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/matchpoint-connection
• Instagraminstagram.com/matchpoint_connection

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 MatchPoint Connection