How AI & 30,000 Athletes Are Changing NIL Marketing | Inside MOGL's Rise

What we talked about.

In this episode, Sunny Ray sits down with Aiden, co-founder of MOGL, an AI-powered NIL athlete influencer marketing platform connecting over 30,000 college athletes with brands like Toyota and Under Armour. Aiden traces his path from a Canadian upbringing and time in New Jersey through Notre Dame, where he met future co-founder Brandon Wimbush, the school's former starting quarterback, to a finance career at Morgan Stanley and Lexington Partners. He explains how California's move to allow athlete monetization in 2023 pushed him to build MOGL ahead of the NCAA's 2021 name, image and likeness ruling. The conversation covers how MOGL's AI matches athletes to brand campaigns based on audience data, a case study with Liquid IV involving over 4,100 athletes and 11,000 pieces of content, the company's $2.6 million seed round, and strategic partnerships with groups like NBC Sports and Dentsu. Aiden closes by outlining his vision for MOGL's expansion beyond college sports into the broader creator economy.

MOGL co-founder Aiden explains how AI and 30,000 college athletes are reshaping NIL influencer marketing for brands.

The questions, and the answers.

Can you share a quick overview of what MOGL does?

MOGL is an NIL athlete influencer marketing platform. We use proprietary AI and a network of 30,000 athlete influencers to help brands reach Gen Z audiences and build awareness and adoption for their products. We were founded in 2019 and have been operating for just over six years, capitalizing on the name, image and likeness opportunity in US collegiate athletics.

What does NIL actually stand for?

NIL stands for name, image, and likeness. It refers to a landmark ruling on July 1st, 2021, which permitted NCAA athletes across the US to monetize their publicity rights and get paid for sponsorships, endorsements, influencer marketing campaigns, appearances, and everything else their platform and performance warrant.

Tell us about your backstory and where the idea for MOGL began.

I was born in Calgary, Alberta, moved around as a kid, and was ultimately raised in New Jersey. I attended Notre Dame, then worked at Morgan Stanley and later in private equity at Lexington Partners, where we raised a $14.1 billion secondary fund. I came up with the idea for MOGL while there, initially prompted by California's move to let athletes monetize NIL starting in 2023, and eventually left to build it full time.

How did your relationship with co-founder Brandon Wimbush go from college friendship to business partnership?

Brandon and I actually knew each other since high school at rival New Jersey Catholic schools, then had classes together at Notre Dame. After graduation I reached out to athletes across many sports to understand what a platform like this needed. Brandon, who was a major name in college football, was really interested and came on board around January 2020, and we formally founded the business together.

When did you realize this was something you had to fix?

The real moment was seeing a news article that California had made it permissible for college athletes to monetize starting in 2023. I knew this would be a major domino, since other states like Florida, Georgia, and Texas would follow to stay competitive in recruiting. That night I stayed up writing the business plan, even though I didn't know much about social media at the time and had to learn the space from scratch.

How many athletes are on the platform now, and what does the experience look like for athletes and brands?

We have 30,000 athletes on the platform. Athletes create a free profile, authenticate their social media, and source NIL deals from small businesses up to brands like Toyota. Our AI matches them to campaigns based on audience demographics, skills, and location, sending push notifications for good fits. Brands subscribe for access, chat with AI agents to build campaigns, and get matched with applicants within minutes.

Can you give an example of how the AI matching engine performs at scale?

With Liquid IV, over a five month period we connected them with 4,115 athletes who returned 11,000 pieces of content promoting the product. The AI accelerated how quickly we found fitting athletes, followed up to ensure content matched the campaign brief, and helped manage product shipping, essentially acting as an influencer marketing manager for the brand.

You raised $2.6 million to go after this market. How are you thinking about scaling from here?

That $2.6 million seed round was led by Magarac Venture Partners, formerly part of Draper Triangle. Since it's a marketplace, we need to grow both athletes and brand demand. We're sourcing brands directly and building channel partnerships with groups like Odyssey, Blue Wire Podcasts, NBC Sports, and Dentsu, giving traditional advertisers a scaled way to reach Gen Z through social media.