Michigan Sport Business Conference

What Michigan Sport Business Conference does

Michigan Sport Business Conference (MSBC) is an undergraduate-run, student-led organization that produces a single annual sports business conference hosted at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The conference, which has been held for at least 13 consecutive editions (MSBC 13 in 2025; MSBC 2026 scheduled for October 24, 2026), serves as a networking and career-development platform connecting students and emerging talent with established sports industry leaders, with a stated emphasis on diversity (44% female speakers and 33% speakers of color at MSBC 13, with TNT Sports serving as the Official DEI Partner).

The organization's sole product is the annual conference; there is no disclosed proprietary technology, software platform, or recurring service offering. Ticketing is processed through the MSBC website (umsbc.com), and the pricing model is structured as a one-time per-event purchase. Beyond ticket sales, the organization maintains a portfolio of strategic and philanthropic partnerships including Special Olympics at the University of Michigan (since 2025), Give Merit's FATE program (since 2023), Downtown Boxing Gym, and the MSBC Foundation — a centralized charitable donation hub supporting causes such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Kick the Odds, Sami Foundation, ALS Association, Chad Tough, and Michigan Humane.

MSBC is organized by undergraduate students at the University of Michigan, with a leadership team that includes co-founder and board member Brandon Rhodes. The organization is privately operated with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or venture funding. Its geographic footprint is limited to the Ann Arbor campus, and its operational scale (11-50 personnel, almost entirely student volunteers) is consistent with a campus organization rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

Michigan Sport Business Conference

Legal name

Michigan Sport Business Conference

Website

https://umsbc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Michigan Sport Business Conference is an undergraduate-run organization at the University of Michigan that hosts an annual sports business conference connecting students and emerging talent with industry leaders. It operates as a single-event, student-led initiative based in Ann Arbor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Business Conference Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Community Relations & Grassroots Program Management (MPAKAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

Keywords

• Sport business conference
• Student networking events
• Sports industry careers
• Conference event management
• Diversity in sports

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Conference Tickets: The primary revenue stream is from selling tickets to the annual Michigan Sport Business Conference. Ticket purchases are processed through the organization's website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Michigan Sport Business Conference (MSBC) organizes and operates an annual sport business conference hosted at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, bringing together top sports industry leaders and emerging student talent for networking, career development, and educational sessions. The undergraduate-run student organization also operates the MSBC Foundation, a charitable initiative that funnels donations to philanthropic causes in the sports and broader community.

Product overview

Michigan Sport Business Conference (MSBC) is a single-product organization centered on its annual conference — a premier student-led event that brings together top industry leaders and emerging talent in the sports business sector. The organization hosts its annual conference at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, offering attendees access to industry speakers, networking opportunities, and professional development in the sports industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MSBC Foundation: A charitable initiative created to empower MSBC's network to support meaningful philanthropic causes selected by each branch of the team. Acts as a centralized donation hub for current members, alumni, and supporters to make tangible impact on the community.

Products and services

• Michigan Sport Business Conference (MSBC) Annual Conference The premier student-led annual sport business conference uniting top industry leaders and emerging talent to shape the future of sport, held at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology and attended by students, young professionals, and sports industry participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• MSBC 13 featured 44% female speakers and 33% speakers of color

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Special Olympics at the University of MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Growing partnership beginning in 2025. Dedicated to fostering inclusion and empowerment through sport, Special Olympics provides individuals with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to compete, connect, and thrive. MSBC team helped lead the games alongside student organizers, supporting athlete engagement throughout the day.
• Give Merit's FATE ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Ongoing partnership beginning in 2023. Rooted in principles of academic enrichment, career development, mentorship, and cultural awareness, FATE prepares Detroit high school students for success in higher education and beyond.
• Downtown Boxing Gym (DBG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with Detroit's Downtown Boxing Gym, a nationally recognized out-of-school time program that empowers students through academic support, mentorship, and community engagement.
• TNT SportscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial DEI Partner for MSBC 13. Helps amplify underrepresented voices in sports as part of the conference's diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• MSBC Foundation CollaboratorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable collaborators including Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, FATE, Kick the Odds, Sami Foundation, AFA (ALS Association), Chad Tough, DBG (Downtown Boxing Gym), and Michigan Humane. The Foundation acts as a centralized donation hub for philanthropic causes.
• Wasserman ProgramsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSBC 13 funded attendance for students from Wasserman, FATE, and DBG programs to promote equal opportunity in sport for diverse students nationwide.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Special Olympics: MSBC's growing philanthropic partner (since 2025) and the type of community-sport nonprofit MSBC channels student engagement toward; not a direct competitor but a key ecosystem collaborator for benchmarking mission-aligned partnerships.
• Wasserman: Global sports marketing and talent agency that already partners with MSBC by underwriting student attendance. Not a direct competitor, but a relevant adjacent industry participant for benchmarking sponsor relationships and career destination patterns.

Direct peers

• USC Sports Business Association Conference: Student-run conference and organization at the USC Marshall School of Business bringing together industry leaders and emerging talent in the sports business; same student-led, single-day, networking-and-recruitment model as MSBC.
• Stanford Sports Business Conference: Student-organized sport business conference at Stanford GSB targeting students interested in sports industry careers; same single-day, student-led, university-affiliated model as MSBC.
• Indiana University Sports Industry Workshop: Student-affiliated sports industry event hosted in Indiana with a focus on connecting students to sports industry careers; directly comparable to MSBC's audience and mission of sport-industry talent development.
• Wharton Sports Business Summit: Student-led annual sport business conference at the Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) connecting students with sports industry executives; mirrors MSBC's model of a single-day, student-run, university-hosted sport business event.
• NYU Sports Business Conference: Student-led annual sport business conference at New York University targeting undergraduates and graduate students interested in sports careers; highly comparable to MSBC in audience, format, and value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• National Sports Forum: Established multi-day sports business and sales summit serving industry professionals and students; overlaps with MSBC in serving students seeking sports careers and in partnering with leagues/agencies, but operates at larger professional scale rather than as a single student-run event.
• MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference: The largest student-affiliated sport business/analytics conference in the U.S., run out of MIT Sloan. Overlap with MSBC is in audience (students seeking sports industry access) and theme (sport business careers) though it operates at materially greater scale and has a data/analytics orientation.
• Leaders Week: Global portfolio of sports business networking events and conferences (Leaders Week, etc.) serving commercial sport stakeholders; comparable to MSBC in being a sport-business content and networking event, but established and commercially scaled rather than student-run.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UMSBC
• Facebookfacebook.com/UMSBC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Michigan Sport Business Conference