Cal State Monterey Bay
CSU Monterey Bay Athletics operates the NCAA Division II athletics program for Cal State Monterey Bay, fielding 14 sports for roughly 300 student-athletes in the CCAA and WWPA. Funding comes from Otter Backers philanthropy, alumni fundraising, ticketing, merchandise, and NIL partnerships.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersSeaside, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Cal State Monterey Bay does
Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) Athletics is the athletics department of California State University Monterey Bay, a public university founded in 1994 and part of the California State University system, operating primarily from Seaside, California with sports medicine and training facilities at the Otter Sports Center in Marina. The department fields 14 NCAA Division II sports — baseball, men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, volleyball, and women's water polo — serving approximately 300 student-athletes. It competes in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) for most sports and the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) for women's water polo, governed by NCAA Division II rules and regulations. The program is branded "Otter Athletics" and its central digital asset is otterathletics.com, built on Sidearm Sports CMS.
The department operates a diversified non-tuition revenue and engagement stack rather than a commercial product line: philanthropic giving via the Otter Backers donor club (tiered from Monte's at $100 up to the Legacy Scholarship Circle at $9,187 annual gift), the Otter Alumni Challenge annual team-vs-team fundraiser ($70,000 raised from 1,100+ supporters since 2020), and endowment giving (minimum $25,000) processed through the CSUMB Foundation. Transactional revenue is generated through ticketing on vivenu.com, merchandise sales via BSN Sideline Store and shopotterathletics.merchorders.com, and a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) marketplace through Opendorse. Sports medicine infrastructure includes a partnership with Monterey Spine and Joint as primary team physicians, the SportsWare electronic medical record system, and SWAY baseline concussion testing.
Customer-facing channels include otterathletics.com (Top-of-funnel content, schedules, rosters, news), social media under "Otters Making Waves" for student-athlete features, and broadcast distribution through FloCollege/FloSports for CCAA coverage. The primary customer segments are collegiate student-athletes (program participants) and athletics supporters/alumni (donors, ticket buyers, merchandise purchasers, families). The leadership team is headed by Athletics Director Kirby Garry, with functional oversight split across compliance (Greg Harrod), business operations (Al Zitlau), communications (Kevin Gilmore), development (Jessica Ruiz), and sport-specific head coaches across all 14 programs.
Cal State Monterey Bay firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cal State Monterey Bay
- Legal name
- California State University Monterey Bay
- Website
- https://otterathletics.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CSU Monterey Bay Athletics operates the NCAA Division II athletics program for Cal State Monterey Bay, fielding 14 sports for roughly 300 student-athletes in the CCAA and WWPA. Funding comes from Otter Backers philanthropy, alumni fundraising, ticketing, merchandise, and NIL partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cal State Monterey Bay industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Collegiate Athletics
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Other Spectator Sports (711219)
- akta.pro primary industry
- College/University Athletic Departments & Varsity Programs (MPAKACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Intercollegiate Athletics (Varsity Sports Programs) (EDALAIAA), College/University Sports Events (NCAA & equivalents) (MPAGAMAE)
Keywords
Where Cal State Monterey Bay is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seaside
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Cal State Monterey Bay business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Otter Backers Membership Program: Annual philanthropic support through tiered giving levels from Monte's ($100) through Legacy Scholarship Circle ($9,187), providing consistent unrestricted and sport-designated support for scholarships, team travel, equipment, and sports performance resources
- Ticket Sales: Event ticketing for athletic competitions sold through vivenu.com platform for various sports including baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and water polo
- Merchandise Sales: Official merchandise sales through BSN Sideline Store and Advanced Online Merchandise platform, generating revenue from fan apparel and gear purchases
- NIL Marketplace: Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities for student-athletes through Opendorse partnership, enabling social media promotions, endorsements, appearance fees, and private lessons
- Endowment Giving: Perpetual endowment funds with minimum gift of $25,000 to establish endowments supporting scholarships, coaching positions, or specific sport programs
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Monte's Level: $100 annual membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Legacy Scholarship Circle: $9,187 annual gift |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Endowment Establishment: $25,000 minimum |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cal State Monterey Bay product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cal State Monterey Bay Athletics operates 14 NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports programs for approximately 300 student-athletes, competing in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The department delivers athletic scholarships, sports medicine, strength and conditioning, NCAA compliance, communications, and competitive opportunities across men's and women's programs including baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, volleyball, and water polo.
Product overview
CSU Monterey Bay Athletics operates a unified athletics information and engagement platform centered on its official website (OtterAthletics.com). The platform serves 14 NCAA Division II sports programs and includes complementary sub-products: a Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) program for student-athlete monetization, the Otter Backers philanthropic donor club for fundraising, and a comprehensive staff directory. The core offering provides sports schedules, rosters, news, compliance information, and community engagement features for the university's approximately 300 student-athletes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Otters Making Waves: Student-athlete feature program highlighting individual athletes
- Otter Backers
- NIL (Name, Image, Likeness)
Products and services
- NCAA Division II Intercollegiate Sports Programs
Quantifiable outcome
- 300+ student-athletes supported through alumni fundraising
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Cal State Monterey Bay
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cal State Monterey Bay technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature2 records
Cal State Monterey Bay partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division IIcoreCSUMB is a member of NCAA Division II with full compliance to NCAA rules and regulations governing coaches and student-athletes. The NCAA provides the governance framework for intercollegiate athletics competition and institutional control requirements.
- California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)coreCSUMB competes in the CCAA conference for most sports including baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field, and volleyball. CCAA provides conference scheduling, championships, and regional competition structure.
- Western Water Polo Association (WWPA)coreCSUMB women's water polo competes in the WWPA conference, which provides championship opportunities and governance for water polo programs at member institutions.
- Monterey Spine and JointcoreMSJ serves as the primary team physicians providing a comprehensive, multidisciplinary medical network for student-athletes. Located in the Monterey region, MSJ provides orthopedic and sports medicine expertise for injury evaluation and treatment.
- OpendorsecorePartnership provides student-athletes with educational resources focusing on NIL through Opendorse platform. Opendorse operates the Otters Marketplace (opendorse.com/csumb-otters) for NIL opportunities including social media promotions, endorsements, appearance fees, private lessons, and camps/clinics.
- FloCollege (FloSports)minorFloSports partnership provides live and archived video coverage of CCAA conference sports through go.flosports.tv/partner/ccaa, expanding reach of Otter Athletics events to a broader audience.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cal State Monterey Bay competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cal State East Bay Athletics: CCAA conference peer in the CSU system fielding NCAA Division II sports; shares state-entity structure, Otter-style donor club, and similar regional scope.
- Sonoma State Athletics: CCAA Division II peer and CSU-system school; comparable Northern California footprint and athletic department scale.
- San Francisco State Athletics: CCAA Division II peer competing in similar sports; comparable urban-adjacent CSU system profile and donor-driven revenue model.
- Cal Poly Pomona Athletics: CCAA Division II conference member and CSU-system school; a larger, more established peer within the same governance and competitive structure.
- Chico State Athletics: Long-standing CCAA Division II program in the CSU system, comparable in sport count and structure, often cited as a benchmark within the conference.
- Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics: CSU-system school and CCAA Division II participant; shares the same state-entity governance and Otter-style alumni giving mechanics.
- Stanislaus State Athletics: CCAA Division II peer in the CSU system; comparable sport lineup and donor-funded scholarship model.
- Cal State San Marcos Athletics: Fellow California State University system school competing in the CCAA at NCAA Division II with a similarly sized multi-sport program; nearly identical governance, funding model, and NIL setup as CSUMB.
Broad incumbents
- UC San Diego Athletics: Former CCAA conference peer that has since transitioned to NCAA Division I; relevant comparison for the Division II-to-Division I trajectory some CCAA programs are pursuing.
Others
- FloSports (FloCollege): Distribution partner that delivers CCAA media rights; relevant as a platform peer shaping the program's media and recruiting reach.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cal State Monterey Bay social profiles
Digital presenceCal State Monterey Bay compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Cal State Monterey Bay financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cal State Monterey Bay leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Cal State Monterey Bay funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cal State Monterey Bay 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 Cal State Monterey Bay
What does Cal State Monterey Bay do?
Cal State Monterey Bay Athletics operates 14 NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports programs for approximately 300 student-athletes, competing in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The department delivers athletic scholarships, sports medicine, strength and conditioning, NCAA compliance, communications, and competitive opportunities across men's and women's programs including baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, volleyball, and water polo.
Is Cal State Monterey Bay a public or private company?
Cal State Monterey Bay is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Cal State Monterey Bay founded?
Cal State Monterey Bay was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cal State Monterey Bay based?
Cal State Monterey Bay is headquartered in Seaside, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cal State Monterey Bay make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Otter Backers Membership Program is the primary driver. The others are ticket Sales, merchandise Sales, NIL Marketplace and endowment Giving.
Who are Cal State Monterey Bay's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cal State East Bay Athletics, Sonoma State Athletics, San Francisco State Athletics, Cal Poly Pomona Athletics, Chico State Athletics, Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics, Stanislaus State Athletics and Cal State San Marcos Athletics. UC San Diego Athletics is listed as a broad incumbent. FloSports (FloCollege) is listed as an others.
Does Cal State Monterey Bay have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cal State Monterey Bay.
What industry is Cal State Monterey Bay in?
Cal State Monterey Bay's product category is Collegiate Athletics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKACAB, College/University Athletic Departments & Varsity Programs, with a secondary code of EDALAIAA, Intercollegiate Athletics (Varsity Sports Programs). Its NAICS code is 6113.