MESA

What MESA does

MESA Foundation (Mentoring and Empowering Student-Athletes) is a California-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Tax ID 36-5031283), founded in 2023 and headquartered in Coronado, California, that serves as the official Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collective of San Diego State University Athletics. Under a multi-year partnership announced in October 2023, MESA is the first NIL collective of SDSU athletics and the designated community outreach partner for the Aztec men's basketball program, channeling donations into a recruitment and retention fund administered alongside the SDSU Campanile Foundation.

MESA generates revenue through four mechanisms: (1) recurring annual membership donations across seven tiers ranging from White ($240) to Championship ($50,000+), which confer Aztec Club priority points, merchandise discounts, and exclusive access to events such as Top of the Key, March Madness Send-Off, and Open Practice at Viejas Arena; (2) customizable corporate sponsorships sold to local and regional brands (e.g., Blenders Eyewear, Sycuan Tribal, Woodstocks Pizza, Novo Brazil, Puesto); (3) one-time donations of cash, stocks, and securities; and (4) an exclusive members-only MESA Store selling branded apparel and accessories. A single anchor commitment from alumnus Chase Fisher (Blenders Eyewear founder) of $5 million over five years was announced in October 2025.

Operationally, MESA is a five-person team supplemented by LaChica Sports and Entertainment Group, which provides management services. The foundation also operates a community outreach program that places SDSU student-athletes with charitable partners including Feeding San Diego, the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the ALS Association, and Boys & Girls Club, and is the 40th member of the national NIL Collective Association, whose members collectively have an annual payroll of approximately $250 million.

Name

MESA

Legal name

MESA Foundation

Website

https://mesa-aztecs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MESA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit NIL collective and community outreach partner for San Diego State University Athletics, channeling tiered individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and merchandise sales into the SDSU men's basketball recruitment and retention fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

NIL Collective and College Athletics Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Athletics Fundraising, Sponsorships & NIL Support (EDALAIAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

NIL Representation & Compliance Services (Student-Athletes) (MPAKAMAE), Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK), Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

Keywords

• NIL collective
• College athletics fundraising
• Student-athlete support
• Community outreach programs
• Corporate sports sponsorships

Headquarters

HQ city

Coronado

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Donations: Recurring annual donations at tiered membership levels ($240-$50,000+ per year) providing donors with exclusive access, priority points toward Aztec Club rankings, and unique experiences with Aztec basketball student-athletes and coaching staff.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Customizable marketing partnerships connecting businesses with Aztec basketball student-athletes, providing brand visibility and engagement opportunities aligned with the nationally recognized SDSU basketball program.
3. Merchandise Sales: Exclusive MESA merchandise (t-shirts, polos, hoodies, accessories) sold through the MESA Store to members and donors. Store access is exclusive to MESA supporters following donation.
4. One-Time Donations: Lump-sum contributions from Aztec Nation, alumni, and community supporters. MESA can accept stocks and securities in addition to cash donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

MESA Foundation is the official Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collective and community outreach partner for San Diego State University Athletics, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It raises funds for the SDSU men's basketball recruitment and retention fund through tiered donor memberships, corporate sponsorships, and merchandise sales, while connecting Aztec student-athletes with local charitable organizations and providing exclusive member events and experiences.

Product overview

MESA (Mentoring and Empowering Student-Athletes) is a nonprofit NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) collective that serves as the official partner of San Diego State Athletics and the first NIL collective of SDSU athletics. The organization operates as a unified platform connecting five core offerings: MESA Membership Tiers (donation-based tiers offering exclusive access to Aztec basketball experiences), the MESA Store (exclusive branded merchandise), Corporate Sponsorships (marketing partnerships with Aztec student-athletes), Student-Athlete Community Outreach (connecting student-athletes with local charities), and MESA Events (exclusive member experiences). All fundraising supports SDSU men's basketball student-athlete recruitment and retention through the MESA Fund administered by SDSU Campanile Foundation and SDSU Athletics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MESA Membership Tiers Tiered annual donation/membership program offering exclusive access to SDSU Aztec men's basketball events, experiences, and content. Tiers include White ($240/year), Red ($600/year), Black ($1,200/year), Sweet 16 ($5,000/year), Elite 8 ($10,000/year), Final Four ($25,000/year), and Championship ($50,000+/year), with store discounts, Aztec Club priority points, and unique experiences scaling with the tier.
• MESA Store Exclusive online merchandise store accessible only to MESA supporters who have made donations. Offers branded apparel including Nike t-shirts, polos, hoodies, Bella Canvas items, Stanley Stella hoodies, Eddie Bauer vests, Nike quarter zips, and golf accessories, with member discounts of 10-20% based on tier.
• Corporate Sponsorships Customizable marketing partnership program connecting businesses with Aztec Basketball student-athletes. Offers brand visibility and engagement opportunities aligned with the nationally recognized SDSU basketball program, featuring corporate sponsors and product sponsors including Blenders Eyewear, LCSE, NOVO San Diego, Sycuan Tribal, Woodstocks Pizza, and Puesto Mexican Street Food.
• Student-Athlete Community Outreach Community engagement program connecting SDSU Aztec student-athletes with local charitable organizations and community partners, including Feeding San Diego, Challenged Athletes Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, STARPAL, and ALS Association. Student-athletes volunteer time and raise awareness for these causes.
• MESA Events Exclusive member events including MESA March Madness Send-Off, Aztec Tourney Experience bowling event, Top of the Key ring ceremony, Open Practice at Viejas Arena, Day at the Races, and Walk to Defeat ALS partnership. Higher membership tiers unlock access to events featuring Head Coach Brian Dutcher and personalized student-athlete interactions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully retained key student-athletes while attracting top national talent to the program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 July 2024SDSU's NIL arm partnered with CAF to host a wheelchair basketball clinic for adaptive athletes. MESA Foundation collaborated on this community outreach initiative supporting challenged athletes.
• San Diego State AthleticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2023Official multi-year partnership making MESA Foundation the first NIL collective of SDSU athletics. MESA serves as the official community outreach partner for Aztec basketball, dedicated to fundraising for student-athlete recruitment and retention.
• LaChica Sports and Entertainment GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 25 April 2023LaChica serves as the management team behind the scenes to accelerate and amplify MESA Foundation's mission. They help with operational execution and strategic growth.
• Feeding San DiegominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDSU basketball players donated NIL money to support Feeding San Diego's School Pantry Program. MESA facilitates student-athlete engagement with the food bank organization.
• Blenders EyewearcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor corporate sponsor and donor. Chase Fisher (founder) pledged $5 million over five years. Blenders Eyewear collaborated on March Radness celebration with limited-edition sunglasses launch.
• NIL Collective AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMESA Foundation joined as the 40th member of this national NIL collective association focused on lobbying efforts in Washington D.C. Combined annual payroll reaches $250 million.
• ALS AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Walk to Defeat ALS partnership with MESA Foundation and SDSU Men's & Women's basketball teams. Hosted at Mission Valley De Anza Cove.
• San Diego State Campanile FoundationcoreOthersSDSU Campanile Foundation administers the MESA Fund alongside SDSU Athletics. All gifts go to support SDSU men's basketball student-athlete recruitment and retention.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bluff City NIL: NIL collective supporting University of Memphis athletics through donor memberships and corporate sponsorships. Directly comparable single-university NIL collective model.
• The M Fund: Official NIL collective for University of Michigan Athletics, channeling donor support to Wolverine athletes. Comparable in tiered membership structure and donor benefit ladder.
• House of Victory: NIL collective supporting USC student-athletes with memberships, merchandise, and exclusive experiences. Closely aligned with MESA's product mix of memberships, branded merchandise, and event-based engagement.
• Crimson Collective: NIL collective supporting University of Alabama athletics via donor memberships and corporate sponsorships. Directly comparable in fundraising structure and reliance on a marquee football/basketball program to drive giving.
• 12th Man+: Official NIL collective for Texas A&M Athletics, providing fundraising and membership tiers for Aggies athletes. Directly comparable to MESA in structure, mission, and tiered donor model attached to a major NCAA athletic program.
• The Champion Collective: NIL collective for USC Athletics supporting Trojan student-athletes through donations, sponsorships, and exclusive experiences. Closely mirrors MESA's tiered membership and corporate partnership approach for a single university program.
• St. John Collective: NIL collective for St. John's University athletics, offering tiered memberships and corporate partnership opportunities. Operates the same NIL collective model as MESA with similar donor benefit tiers.

Broad incumbents

• Learfield IMG College: The largest collegiate athletics marketing and sponsorship company in the U.S., representing multimedia rights for hundreds of schools. A broad incumbent in the sports fundraising and sponsorship space that competes for the same corporate sponsor dollars MESA pursues at the school level.

Others

• NIL Collective Association: National industry association of NIL collectives (of which MESA is the 40th member), advocating in Washington D.C. and aggregating the ~$250M in combined annual payroll across member collectives. Industry body and peer network for MESA's operational model.

Regional players

• SDSU Campanile Foundation: The official 501(c)(3) fundraising arm of San Diego State University that administers the MESA Fund alongside SDSU Athletics. Closely adjacent regional player that both competes for SDSU donor dollars and is MESA's fund administration partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mesa_aztecs
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBs6wD4KffpAzvL2tThUIgg
• Facebookfacebook.com/mesaaztecs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mesafoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/mesa_aztecs
• TikToktiktok.com/@mesa_aztecs

Compliance1 record

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 MESA