FirstPoint USA
FirstPoint USA is an international collegiate sports recruitment agency, founded in 2001 and headquartered in Manchester, that connects aspiring student athletes with US college coaches, having placed 40,000+ athletes at 2,000+ universities across 87 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What FirstPoint USA does
FirstPoint USA, operating under the legal entity FirstPoint International Limited (registered in England and Wales, company number 10043018), is an international collegiate sports recruitment agency founded in Glasgow in 2001 by Andrew Kean and now headquartered in Manchester. The company connects aspiring student athletes with US college coaches and has placed 40,000+ athletes at 2,000+ universities across NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA divisions, securing $2.4 billion in scholarship deals cumulatively. It covers 16 sports including soccer, basketball, rugby, swimming, track and field, golf, and tennis, operating in 87 countries through 11 offices (UK, US, Singapore, Dubai, Shanghai, Geneva, Athens, Mumbai) and a licensed agent network. Its customer base spans student athletes and their families, professional clubs and youth academies (e.g., FC Cincinnati, Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bulls, Nashville SC, Boston Bolts), international schools through its Educational Partnership Programme, and US college athletic programs.
The company's product portfolio combines a proprietary digital Recruitment Platform — featuring a social-media-style dashboard, athlete profile building, advanced filtering across 2,000+ universities, performance footage upload, and direct athlete-coach messaging — with a comprehensive suite of human-led services including Scholarship Placement, College ID Trials, NCAA Certification, Transfer Portal Assistance, and the SW7 Academy Strength & Conditioning App. The Licensed Agent Programme and the Educational Partnership Programme (with its Partner Dashboard) extend the platform into channel-partner and institutional-buyer models. The company holds official NCAA Certified agency status and runs an event-driven GTM motion via trials, recruiting showcases, and MLS Next participation, supplemented by content marketing, social media, paid digital, and partner referrals.
FirstPoint generates revenue through three primary streams: (1) professional services fees from student-athlete placement, (2) licensing and royalty-style fees from licensed agents (£20,000 upfront + £1,000 monthly + £6,000 annual marketing per territory), and (3) professional services revenue from university and institutional partnerships. Athlete-side services are freemium-to-paid, with free profile creation driving top-of-funnel volume that converts into paid placement engagements. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Founder Andrew Kean remains CEO; the leadership team includes a Chief Marketing Officer (Ross Duncan, ex-Scottish Golf) and a Chief Digital Product Officer (Sid Gupta), with operational staffing drawn heavily from former student-athletes.
FirstPoint USA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FirstPoint USA
- Legal name
- FirstPoint International Limited
- Website
- https://firstpointusa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- FirstPoint USA is an international collegiate sports recruitment agency, founded in 2001 and headquartered in Manchester, that connects aspiring student athletes with US college coaches, having placed 40,000+ athletes at 2,000+ universities across 87 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FirstPoint USA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sports Scholarship Placement and Collegiate Athletic Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- College Recruiting & Scholarship Advisory / Athlete Placement (HSADAEAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Athletic Recruitment & NCAA/NAIA Eligibility Counseling (EDANAEAM), Sports Combine, Tryout & Showcase Programs (MPAKAJAM), Athlete Testing & Combine Prep (metrics, scouting prep) (HSADAEAK)
Keywords
Where FirstPoint USA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices11 records
Markets served
FirstPoint USA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Athlete Placement Services: Fees charged to student-athletes and families for recruitment and placement services into US college sports programs. The service includes profile creation, trial assessments, college matching, coach engagement, and ongoing pastoral support through the scholarship placement process.
- Licensed Agent Model: Revenue generated from licensed agents who pay an upfront fee (£20,000) and monthly fees (£1,000) plus annual marketing contributions (£6,000) to represent FirstPoint in specific territories and sports. Licensees recruit athletes who are then passed to the College Placement Team.
- University/Institutional Partnerships: Partnership arrangements with universities and athletic departments for talent identification and recruitment services, including the Brown University Athletics multi-year partnership.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Licensed Agent/Representative |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Profile Creation |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
FirstPoint USA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FirstPoint USA provides an end-to-end sports scholarship and US college placement service for international student-athletes, combining a proprietary digital recruitment platform with personalized placement management. The company evaluates athletes, matches them with more than 2,000 NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA college programs, brokers scholarship offers, assists with NCAA certification and student visas, and provides ongoing pastoral support throughout the recruitment and college journey.
Product overview
FirstPoint USA operates as a unified platform-plus-services model combining its proprietary FirstPoint Recruitment Platform (the core digital infrastructure) with a comprehensive suite of service modules. The platform enables athletes to build profiles, search 2,000+ university partners, and connect directly with college coaches. Complementary services include Scholarship Placement (targeting, matchmaking, brokering), College ID Trials (in-person evaluation), NCAA Certification Service, Transfer Service, and the SW7 Academy Strength & Conditioning App. The company also offers an Educational Partnership Programme for schools and a Licensed Agent Programme for territory-based recruitment partners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Scholarship Placement Service Full-service scholarship placement assistance for international student athletes, including athlete evaluation, college targeting and matchmaking, scholarship brokering, and placement management throughout the recruitment journey.
- NCAA Certification Service
Quantifiable outcome
- $2.4 Billion in scholarship deals secured for 40,000+ athletes
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use FirstPoint USA
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
FirstPoint USA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
FirstPoint USA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Brown University AthleticsflagshipFirstPoint USA announced a multi-year partnership with Brown University Athletics, becoming the Exclusive Recruiting Agency of Brown Athletics, the first-ever jersey patch sponsor in Bears history (placing brand on men's rugby uniforms), and presenting sponsor of a new content series. This marks the first time an NCAA Division I university appointed an international sports recruiting agency as its official recruitment partner.
- Belfast TrojanscoreFirst-of-its-kind partnership for Irish American Football talent, announced May 2026.
- US Development Rugby Camp at DartmouthcorePartnership encouraging young rugby players to showcase skills in front of top-tier college rugby coaches at Dartmouth.
- UCLA RugbycorePartnership for 2026 UCLA Summer Rugby Camp with Sean Lamont as Special Guest Coach.
- The Scholars CupminorHeadline sponsor of The Scholars Cup, a landmark elite college rugby competition.
- Rockstar TutorscoreStrategic partnership with NYC-based boutique tutoring service to enhance academic support for high-achieving students, particularly for SAT preparation and academic readiness.
- Nashville SC AcademycoreCollege pathway partnership extending Academy support for Nashville SC youth players transitioning into college.
- Boston BoltscoreUS expansion partnership with Boston Bolts Academy launched October 2023.
- FC CincinnaticoreOfficial partner providing college pathway services for FC Cincinnati Academy players seeking collegiate opportunities.
- Philadelphia UnioncorePartnership with Philadelphia Union Academy to support youth players transitioning into college programs.
- New York Red BullscoreAcademy partnership providing college pathway services for New York Red Bulls youth players.
- Nashville SCcorePartnership with Nashville Soccer Club extending Academy support for youth players transitioning into college, announced August 2024.
- IGBIS School (Malaysia)coreEducational Partnership Programme member school providing US university guidance to students.
- SGA School (Shenzhen, China)coreEducational Partnership Programme member school providing US university guidance to students.
- WISS School (Shanghai, China)coreEducational Partnership Programme member school providing US university guidance to students.
- Mount Pleasant Academy (Jamaica)coreEducational Partnership Programme member school providing US university guidance to students.
- GEMS Metropole School (Dubai, UAE)coreEducational Partnership Programme member school providing US university guidance to students.
- South Coast Baptist College (Australia)coreEducational Partnership Programme member school providing US university guidance to students.
- St Columba's High School (Kilmacolm, UK)corePartner school with students progressing to prestigious institutions like Brown and Yale.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
FirstPoint USA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- FieldLevel: FieldLevel is a college recruiting network that facilitates athlete-coach introductions and recruiting workflows for high school athletes. It is a direct peer to FirstPoint USA in the digital college athletic recruiting category, serving a similar athlete persona with profile and matchmaking functionality.
- CaptainU: CaptainU is an athletic recruiting platform that helps high school athletes create profiles and connect with college coaches, with offerings spanning multiple sports. It is directly comparable to FirstPoint USA in product (digital profile + coach matching) and target customer (aspiring college student-athletes), competing in the same US college recruiting market.
- BeRecruited: BeRecruited is a free college athletic recruiting platform connecting high school athletes with college coaches across multiple sports. It is directly comparable to FirstPoint USA's freemium profile creation model and athlete discovery offerings, competing for the same college-bound athlete persona.
- International Sports Recruiting (ISR): ISR provides recruitment advisory services helping international athletes secure college sports scholarships in the US, similar in scope to FirstPoint USA's core service. It is a direct peer given its international sourcing orientation and scholarship placement focus.
- NCSA (Next College Student Athlete): NCSA is the largest US-focused college athletic recruiting platform, connecting high school athletes with college coaches across NCAA divisions. It is a direct competitor to FirstPoint USA in the scholarship placement and athlete-coach matchmaking space, though its sourcing is predominantly US-domestic versus FirstPoint's international model.
- SportsRecruits: SportsRecruits is a college athletic recruiting platform focused on connecting high school athletes with college coaches, particularly in club sports. It overlaps with FirstPoint USA in providing profile creation, coach discovery, and athletic matching tools targeted at prospective college athletes.
- Athletic Scholarship Corporation: Athletic Scholarship Corporation is a recruiting service that helps athletes secure college sports scholarships in the US, providing athlete evaluation and college matching services. Comparable to FirstPoint USA in core service offering and target persona.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
FirstPoint USA social profiles
Digital presenceFirstPoint USA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FirstPoint USA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
FirstPoint USA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FirstPoint USA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about FirstPoint USA
What does FirstPoint USA do?
FirstPoint USA provides an end-to-end sports scholarship and US college placement service for international student-athletes, combining a proprietary digital recruitment platform with personalized placement management. The company evaluates athletes, matches them with more than 2,000 NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA college programs, brokers scholarship offers, assists with NCAA certification and student visas, and provides ongoing pastoral support throughout the recruitment and college journey.
Is FirstPoint USA a public or private company?
FirstPoint USA is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was FirstPoint USA founded?
FirstPoint USA was founded in 2001.
Where is FirstPoint USA based?
FirstPoint USA is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does FirstPoint USA make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Athlete Placement Services are the primary driver. The others are licensed Agent Model and university/Institutional Partnerships.
Who are FirstPoint USA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are FieldLevel, CaptainU, BeRecruited, International Sports Recruiting (ISR), NCSA (Next College Student Athlete), SportsRecruits and Athletic Scholarship Corporation.
Does FirstPoint USA have an API?
No public API is recorded for FirstPoint USA.
What industry is FirstPoint USA in?
FirstPoint USA's product category is Sports Scholarship Placement and Collegiate Athletic Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSADAEAL, College Recruiting & Scholarship Advisory / Athlete Placement, with a secondary code of EDANAEAM, Athletic Recruitment & NCAA/NAIA Eligibility Counseling. Its NAICS code is 611620 and its SIC code is 8200.