App developer App Cats and website developer Membership Zen are joining forces to create The Membership Co., a joint venture designed to bring together groups such as sports fans to help fund NIL collectives through donations in return for exclusive content.
The Membership Co. will build apps designed to give NIL collectives the opportunity to generate revenue through such things as hosting podcasts, selling merchandise, giving behind-the-scenes content of athletes and integrating social media into one platform.
“Colleges have hundreds of thousands of alumni. If a portion of those folks can contribute financially in whatever way that suits them, then there’s tremendous value in that,” said Josh Wilson, The Membership Co’s director of client experience.
The Membership Co. will be based out of Nashville with most of its employees working remotely.
Penn State’s NIL collective, Happy Valley United, launched its app Jan. 7 and it is powered by The Membership Co.‘s CrowdCollective platform. It’s available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Prior to the partnership, App Cats developed the Volunteer Club’s app, which has garnered 8,529 total installs since its launch last July, according to The Membership Co.’s internal data.
The Membership Co. declined to disclose details of their financial model with the collectives.
Eventually, The Membership Co. will look to take its technology beyond sports and enter into the entertainment, business, and government sectors, said The Membership Co.‘s director of sports business, Collin Wolff.
“We want to create the best experience for membership and affinity groups all over categories like music and entertainment,” he said. “With this partnership, we’re marrying the flashy front-end of fan engagement and the technical back-end to give everyone a seamless platform.”
The Membership Co. is actively seeking new deals with NIL collectives.
