98Strong came to being when our Founder, three time NCAA Water Polo All-American, Andrew Mavis, saw a gap in the emerging NIL market.
That gap was the 98% of Student Athletes being ignored by agencies and brands too focused on the top 2% of student athletes vying for lucrative sponsorship deals and professional sports contracts.
All Student Athletes are the top 1% of their college campus peer group. They all have authentic, outsized influence at school, online and within their communities.
98Strong’s purpose is to empower All Student athletes to tell their story and connect them with leading brands seeking to impact the Gen Z Market.
Since 2021, 98Strong has done just that by building a vast Network of Student Athletes across the United States, building a best-in-class technology platform to streamline the deal and campaign process, and offering customizable, White Glove Concierge service to all parties to deliver unbeatable campaign results for brands and athletes alike.
meet the founder
Andrew Mavis George Washington University Water Polo Team, 2016 - 2020
Our Founder/CEO Andrew Mavis was a three time Water Polo All-American Student Athlete training for the Tokyo Olympics in Serbia at the start of COVID. However, he contracted COVID in a match which resulted in scarring on his heart and lungs ending his water polo career.
After returning home, he identified the white space that NIL had created for agencies and brands to engage with the best Gen-Z talent at scale. Thus 98Strong was born, the first ever NIL Company focused on the 98% of Student Athletes who will not turn professional in their sport after University.
At the beginning of 2022, Andrew sought guidance in a new industry and connected with seasoned industry advisor, Matthew Murray. Murray, has extensive experience as a Fortune 500 brand marketer (Oakley, Getty Images) and growth architect for the start-up years at Therabody and Love Wellness. Upon connecting, Matthew appreciated Andrew's vision and became a co-founder. Since then, he has guided the growth of the business and taken it to new heights.
