Key Takeaways
- Rally Ventures led the $8 million Series A, joined by Newbound VC, Scrum Ventures and UpHonest Capital, per the company’s November 12 announcement.
- More than 35,000 athletes have used the platform since 2023, and the company reports annual growth above 100%.
- College athletes from more than 300 universities serve as paid mentors, an NIL income path for players without endorsement deals.
- Rally’s Luke Zaientz said CEO Anthony Waller sent monthly performance updates for a year and a half before the firm invested.
Athlete To Athlete, a Santa Monica, California-based platform that pairs youth athletes with current college athletes for one-on-one virtual mentorship, has raised an $8 million Series A led by Rally Ventures, the company announced on November 12, 2026. Newbound VC, Scrum Ventures and UpHonest Capital also participated. The youth sports mentorship company says it has served more than 35,000 athletes since launching in 2023 and has grown more than 100% annually.
How Athlete To Athlete’s Youth Sports Mentorship Model Works
Former Division 1 athletes Anthony Waller and Zach Maisus founded the company in 2023. The two met as lifting partners at UCLA and launched the business while still undergraduates, according to the release. Waller serves as CEO and Maisus as COO.
The platform matches a young athlete with a college athlete who plays the same sport. Programs run 12 or 24 weeks and are delivered through one-on-one virtual sessions. The company says the programs are designed to build confidence, resilience and habits that extend beyond athletics.
The scale figures come from the company. Its mentor network spans more than 300 universities, and it expects to facilitate more than 100,000 mentorship sessions in 2026. More than 90% of parents report that their child is noticeably more confident after taking part, per the announcement.
“Our focus is to develop these young athletes as people, helping them build the character, work ethic and belief in themselves that shapes who they become,” said Waller.
A Paid NIL Path for College Athletes Without Endorsement Deals
Mentors are paid for their time. Athlete To Athlete launched after the NCAA changed its name, image and likeness (NIL) rules in 2021, which opened the door for college athletes to earn money through a wider range of activities.
The company’s pitch to those mentors is direct. NIL is often associated with high-profile brand endorsements, but the vast majority of college athletes do not have those deals, according to the release. Mentoring gives them a way to earn income from their own playing experience while working with younger athletes in their sport.
Why Did Rally Ventures Lead the Series A?
Rally Ventures’ partners have built companies in this category before. Operating Partner Luke Zaientz was co-founder, COO and later CEO of Reigning Champs, the parent of college recruiting platform NCSA. Managing Director Justin Kaufenberg was co-founder and CEO of youth sports platform SportsEngine.
Zaientz compared the opportunity to the recruiting business he ran. “Recruiting matters for a couple of years in high school, while mentorship is useful from middle school until retirement,” he said in the release.
Eighteen Months of Updates Before an $8 Million Check
The round followed a long courtship. Zaientz said Waller sent Rally a performance update every month for a year and a half before the firm invested, and that “the numbers got better every single time.”
Athlete To Athlete said it will use the funding to expand partnerships across youth sports, strengthen protections for young athletes and scale the platform to reach more families nationwide.
The release did not disclose a valuation or name the youth sports partners the company plans to add. The clearest marker is the one the company set for itself: more than 100,000 mentorship sessions by the end of 2026.
Source / Adapted From: PR Newswire, Athlete To Athlete, November 12, 2026, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/athlete-to-athlete-raises-8-million-series-a-led-by-rally-ventures-to-expand-youth-sports-mentorship-302935560.html
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How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
Who founded Youth Sports Business Report?
Youth Sports Business Report was founded by Cameron Korab, a sports marketing veteran with more than a decade in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Korab also co-founded Vertical Sports, a sports marketing advisory serving brands across youth, college, and pro sports.
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YSBR delivers original reporting and market intelligence on youth sports facilities, youth sports technology, sponsorship and brand partnerships, private equity and venture capital deals, NIL policy, coaching development, equipment and apparel, tournaments and events, and community sports initiatives. Readers include industry executives, investors, facility owners and operators, league administrators, and youth sports parents.
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Hosted by Cameron Korab, founder of Youth Sports Business Report, Jr. Sports Marketing features candid 1-on-1 conversations with the brands, athletes, leagues, and innovators building the future of youth sports. Each episode breaks down how the smartest brands are activating, building equity, and winning with youth sports families. If you’re an operator, founder, investor, or marketer trying to understand where this space is headed, this is your show.
Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
