TheLinkU buys Sam Green University and AthleteCon in NIL services push
What's the deal? Houston-based TheLinkUDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired Sam Green University (SGU) and AthleteConDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, two athlete-development businesses founded by former Division I athlete Sam Green. The deal expands TheLinkU's name, image and likeness (NIL) offering into athlete education, personal branding, and content development. Financial terms were not disclosed.
What's the endgame? AthleteCon will become TheLinkU's athlete development arm, with SGU's services folded underneath. The company plans to grow AthleteCon beyond its annual conference into a year-round platform backed by its technology.
Who's involved? Green, who has worked with more than 3,000 NCAA athletes and partnered with more than 32 athletic departments, will keep leading both businesses. Her brand partners include Nike, PepsiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Twitch, Meta, Marriott, and JBLDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
Founded in 2022 by Austin Elrod, TheLinkU provides NIL technology and compliance services to athletes and schools. It already works with Ole Miss, Cal, and Baylor, and launched StreamU with Twitch for athlete streaming.
Why now? Colleges paid athletes roughly $1.8 billion in revenue sharing in 2025–26 following House v. NCAA , while third-party deals face College Sports Commission review. Athletic departments increasingly need resources that help athletes build brands and manage sponsorship obligations.
"Athletic departments need practical resources that help athletes build their brands and pursue opportunities beyond revenue sharing," said Elrod, founder and chief executive officer of TheLinkU.
The signal: The acquisition marks a shift from NIL software and deal operations toward athlete-facing services as the post- House market institutionalizes. With no price disclosed, though, the deal's scale and commercial impact remain hard to assess.
Read more: citybiz.co
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