New Consumer Products & Technology Innovations Take Center Stage at 7th Annual NFLPA Pitch Day

Featuring a range of products from Web3, games and human performance to apparel, hardlines and sustainability

WASHINGTON D.C. (January 26, 2023) – Led by women, people of color and other underrepresented thinkers and entrepreneurs, this year’s NFLPA Pitch Day companies will pitch their products to athletes and investors at the 7th annual NFLPA Pitch Day on February 8, in Phoenix. The early-stage companies – Champions Round, Culina Health, For Days, LootMogul, Noggin Boss and Puzzle Huddle – will contend for access to funding, mentorship, and NFLPA assets, which may include player marketing and group licensing rights.

The companies will demonstrate to judges how their products connect to consumers and could leverage the marketing influence of NFL players. In previous years, the NFLPA has highlighted and supported many new sport and wellness concepts with athletes at the epicenter. Previous Pitch Day winners like immersive media company Healium, wearable technology company WHOOP, lifestyle brand round21 and tech platform SwayBrand have all changed their respective industries. This year’s participants are no different and range from Web3, games and human performance to apparel, hardlines and, a new category this year, sustainability.

Highlights of the 2023 NFLPA Pitch Day:

• Pitches will be judged by a panel of professional athletes and industry experts.

• PitchBook joins as the official Prize Package Partner. PitchBook, the leading resource for comprehensive data, research and insights spanning the global capital markets will offer the winning company access to its platform, analyst team and research on venture capital, private equity and emerging technology.

• The winning pitch will also receive a package that includes:
  • $25,000 from the NFLPA in marketing services and player activations.
  • $25,000 in services from OneTeam Partners, which specializes in group licensing, athlete marketing and media.
  • Consultation and one-year membership from Products of Change, a global educational hub driving sustainable change across consumer product markets and beyond.
  • Player marketing strategic consultation from students of the Arizona State University Master of Sports Law & Business sports entrepreneurship class.
• Panels featuring NFL players will explore best practices on collaborating with athletes as well as conversations about the NFLPA Driven business accelerator, which supports diverse entrepreneurs.

NFLPA Pitch Day 2023 Company Profiles:

Champions Round: Co-founders: Carter Russ and Chase Payne

Champions Round is a sports media and consumer technology business focused on redefining the relationship between live sports and Gen Z. Based in Los Angeles, Champions Round offers a variety of skill-based games which can be played along with their favorite content creators.

Culina Health: Co-founders: Vanessa Rissetto, MS, RD, CDN, Tamar Samuels, MS, RD, CDN and Steven Kuyan

Culina Health is a personalized telenutrition platform powered by registered dietitians to help the 300M in the US that have a chronic condition rooted in their metabolism. We support patients with personalized, culturally competent, and accessible care and we’ve delivered more than 1M minutes of clinical nutrition in just 2022 on our path to ensure that every person in this country has at least one session with a dietitian every year. Shape and Verywell named Culina Health the best overall and best in-network coverage nutrition company of 2022 and 2023.

For Days: Co-founders: Kristy Caylor and Mary Saunders

For Days is a recycling and rewards platform that is on a mission to end clothing waste.

LootMogul: Co-founders: Raj Rajkotia and Kuntal Sampat

LootMogul is an athlete-led sports metaverse that is powered by virtual real estate, training academies, blockchain games, meta shops for athletes, and brands with in-real-life (IRL) rewards. LootMogul was competitively selected by National Basketball Player Association in collaboration with Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)’s Cultural Leadership Fund and Patricof Co in their 2022 NBPA Players Accelerator Program.

Noggin Boss: Co-founders: Gabe Cooper and Sean Starner

Founded in 2019, the Noggin Boss big hat company was formed by two former athletes, and club team coaches who have a strong history of building successful businesses. They saw an opportunity to create something fun and innovative to help promote the things fans love and are passionate about.

Puzzle Huddle: Founder: Matthew Goins

Puzzle Huddle offers a wide selection of jigsaw puzzles for kids. Puzzles introduce a fun way to spark a child's imagination. Puzzles provide a fun, challenging, and rewarding experience while spending time with family members. Since launching a line of diversity focused puzzles, the company expanded to include wall decorations, t-shirts, pillows, and blankets. The puzzle images largely represent themes that are important to their family: education, achievement, culture and diversity.

###