Last week in Frisco, RISE Family Office brought athletes, investors, and business leaders into one room for its 9th Annual Athlete Enterprise Symposium.

RISE is a sports advisory firm built for pro athlete entrepreneurs. This year's theme was Cowboy Culture: Protect The Ranch, organized around three pillars: discipline, stewardship, and ownership.

The guest list ran deep. Terron Armstead (Saints HOF), Jessie Bates III (Falcons), Dorance Armstrong (Commanders), EJ Smith (Chiefs), Terrace Marshall Jr. (Dolphins), and FC Dallas players Osaze Urhoghide and Slade Starnes were all in the building. So were business heavyweights like H. Jerome Russell, President of H. J. Russell & Company, and Peter Brodsky, owner and developer of The Shops at the Redbird.

The event was backed by the Frisco Economic Development Corporation, and organizers called it the strongest turnout in the series to date. More important than attendance: the room produced concrete next-step deals between athletes and investors.

NFL Defensive End Maurice Hurst Jr inks a long term with Athlon. Here’s why it’s a big deal:

First off, Athlon are the creators of Rallee, a mobile app which gamifies movement and mental health for kids 5-14 through an immersive, avatar-led experience.

Christina Milano-Damaskos and team have raised capital from Comcast Spectator, White Rose Ventures, Miles Sanders, to expand Athlon across the country.

Enter Mo… Mo met Christina through the Athletes & Assets™ platform and was really interested in the direction of the company due to his passion for youth fitness. As an active NFL athlete, Mo knows he’s got one strong deliverable to provide the company while training.

But it’s not views and impressions. It’s his credibility.

Christina and Mo had the awareness and foresight to strike a deal where Mo’s presence on Zoom calls is actually way more valuable for customer acquisition efforts than being on a bunch of commercials. They knew were his strengths lie, acting as a fractional sales rep rather than just posting a bunch of content for the company.

While Rallee is getting into programs across the country, Mo is behind the scenes driving real impact. This won’t make ESPN, but it should because the standard endorsement deal is changing rapidly because of the long term value these type of partnerships provide.

And they are happening all in the same place.

Our case study series resumes over the coming weeks...

ONSIDE is a men's performance personal care brand built around one idea: skin in motion. Its 10-product line covers body, face and hair, anchored by 3 hero products (Hybrid Body Spray, Aluminum-Free Deodorant, Body Wash), every item priced under $16. Founder Bradley Churchill built it inside Non Normal Ventures, the studio behind Daring Foods, with former Estée Lauder EVP Georgia Garinois-Melenikiotou on the board. Beauty Independent + 2

Jayson Tatum was the founding athlete investor. ONSIDE raised $5 million from athletes, operators, strategic partners and individual investors to get off the ground, and Tatum spent roughly 3 years in development before launch, testing body spray, deodorant, body wash, lotion and face cleanser at home and giving scent feedback. Jude Bellingham recently joined as the second athlete investor and ambassador. Each has a signature scent: santal leather for Tatum, eucalyptus mint for Bellingham.

Target, where the brand rolled out nationwide in May, has ONSIDE under a one-year exclusive, and its Hybrid Body Spray moved more than 1,000 units of each scent on Target.com in the past month.