Key Takeaways
- Philadelphia-based Athletes Untapped has facilitated over 100,000 private coaching sessions through its digital platform since 2022
- The bootstrapped company connects families with 3,000+ background-checked coaches nationwide at an average rate of $40-70 per hour
- Founders Gene and Elaine Williams built the platform to solve coordination challenges they experienced as private coaches
- The marketplace model covers 16 sports including basketball, soccer, baseball, tennis, and swimming
- Athletes Untapped plans to add thousands of additional coaches over the next 12 months
Building a Platform from Coach-Side Frustrations
Gene and Elaine Williams, both former college athletes, started offering private coaching lessons in the Philadelphia area in 2022. They quickly identified operational gaps: parents struggled to find reliable coaches, and instructors lacked centralized tools for scheduling and payment processing.
“Parents couldn’t find reliable private coaches, and coaches had no simple way to manage lessons or payments,” said Gene Williams, Founder and CEO. “So we built the platform we wished existed.”
The result is Athletes Untapped, a digital marketplace that handles coach discovery, background verification, messaging, scheduling, and secure payment processing in one interface. The company operates as a bootstrapped, owner-operated business without outside funding.
How the Marketplace Functions
Athletes Untapped requires every coach to complete a background check before accepting bookings. Families can browse coach profiles, review credentials, communicate directly with instructors, and book sessions through the platform.
The service covers 16 sports with basketball, soccer, baseball, tennis, and swimming representing core offerings. Session pricing averages between $40 and $70 per hour, positioning private instruction within reach for families who previously considered it cost-prohibitive.
The platform has processed over 100,000 private sessions since launch and currently hosts more than 3,000 coaches across the United States. Athletes Untapped’s community support team assists families with scheduling and coach matching.
Growth Through Community and Content
Athletes Untapped has expanded primarily through word-of-mouth and local partnerships rather than paid acquisition. The company produces Untapped Stories, a podcast and YouTube series featuring Olympians, professional athletes, and youth sports leaders.
“Our mission is simple,” said Elaine Williams, co-founder. “To make great coaching more accessible while helping coaches grow their business doing what they love.”
The platform serves dual constituencies: families seeking skill development for young athletes, and coaches looking to expand their client base and build flexible income streams around their expertise.
What’s Next for the Coaching Marketplace
Athletes Untapped aims to add thousands of additional coaches over the next 12 months as it scales nationwide availability. The company maintains that its core focus remains connecting athletes with quality instruction regardless of competitive aspirations.
“Not every athlete will play in college or go pro, but every one of them can gain skills that carry far beyond their playing days,” Gene Williams said.
The platform’s growth reflects broader patterns in youth sports: families increasingly seek specialized instruction outside team settings, and coaches pursue technology-enabled ways to reach clients directly. Athletes Untapped’s marketplace approach addresses coordination friction that has historically limited private coaching access to those with existing networks or higher budgets.
via: EIN / Athletes Untapped
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