Approach
First Team Capital is built around four objectives: an eight-figure annual NIL contribution to schools at maturity, a recruiting tool with personalized cards and experiences, deeper fan engagement through membership status and exclusive content, and a way for fans to support the non-revenue programs that need it most.
The whitespace
~60M U.S.-based Power 4 college sports fans. ~$40K of average annual credit card spend. 59% likely to have high disposable income. And no scaled platform exists to connect the billions of dollars they spend every day to the teams they're passionate about. Capturing just 1% cash-back from that everyday spend represents a $3.3B untapped NIL opportunity.
Operating Principles
I
The program partner makes no investment and assumes no risk. Universities participate as a partner — and receive a recurring NIL contribution funded entirely by the everyday spending of their fan base.
II
There are ~60M Power 4 college sports fans spending an average of $40K a year on credit cards. Attaching NIL contribution to that act — instead of asking for another donation — is what unlocks the scale.
III
Members aren't buying cash-back; they're accessing membership. Locker-room content, members-only exclusive experiences, meet & greets, and a curated blue-chip partner network they actually want to use.
IV
The fan's everyday spend contribution routes straight to the university's NIL program — with audited reporting and a clean monthly view of exactly where every dollar went.
The triangle offense
01
Fans
A branded card that becomes a platform for membership. Ambassador meet & greets, a fan app with exclusive locker-room push notifications, merchant discounts, and gamified challenges — plus the satisfaction of knowing every swipe contributes to the program you love.
02
Merchants
Targeted access to the most passionate consumers in America — segmented by program, category, and intent. Featured offer placement and co-branded marketing replace generic loyalty noise, with measurable lift inside an audience that's already 'ride or die.'
03
Universities
A new, recurring source of NIL funding tied to the everyday spending of the fan base — projected at $6–8M of annual NIL contribution per 30K active cards, growing with adoption. Card-required experiences become a recruiting tool for elite athletes and a re-engagement tool for the alumni base.
