This Former Marine's Startup Wants to Put a Veteran on Every College Sports Team

Update: Athletes of Valor officially launched on Monday, Nov. 7.

After learning that CoachUp founder Jordan Fliegel stepped aside from his full-time leadership role in April, we finally know about one of the new ventures he's been working on.

"Our mission is to help veterans transition from service to career through the power of collegiate sports."

It's called Athletes of Valor, and it's a Cambridge-based startup founded and led by Alex Stone, a former Marine Sergeant and former Under Armour product line manager, who aims to put a veteran on every college sports team through the startup's platform, with the goal of helping veterans re-integrate with civilian life, get a degree and find better employment opportunities.

Fliegel led the seed investment for an undisclosed amount in Athletes of Valor, with Cambridge-based venture capital firm Accomplice backing the round and providing office space for the startup. He has also become its chairman.

The problem Athletes of Valor is seeking to tackle is a big one. According to a 2014 study by Student Veterans of America, a little over 51 percent of veterans who sought a higher education between 2002 and 2013 actually graduated. That's lower than the 59-percent rate reported for younger, non-veteran students.

For Stone, that means there's an opportunity to help more veterans enroll in school and complete their education by keeping them engaged by playing on college sports teams.

"Our mission is to help veterans transition from service to career through the power of collegiate sports," Stone told BostInno. "We’re using sports as structure and a vehicle to help service men and women find success on the collegiate level."

For Stone, his startup's mission is personal. After Stone finished four years serving with the U.S. Marines, he came back to his hometown of Swampscott and had difficulty re-adjusting to life as a civilian. Little did he know, he could have taken advantage of a Military Service Exemption for eligibility to join a college sports team for the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

So after eventually going to North Shore Community College and working at Under Armour for five years, Stone decided to pursue his own venture that would help fellow veterans take advantage of the opportunity he never knew he had.

Similar to CoachUp, Athletes of Valor is an online platform that connects college sports coaches with active service members and recently separated veterans for recruitment purposes. The platform will also have corporate partners who will post internships and career opportunities for the service members and veterans. The platform is free for service members and veterans, and the startup plans to make money by charging an annual access fee for participating colleges and employers.

Stone said colleges will be incentivized to participate because besides the fact that helping veterans is good in itself, these veterans will likely have most of their costs covered and therefore require less financial aid. He said veterans who play on sports team also are known to become leaders to their peers, whether it's on or off the field.

"A lot of the time you talk to coaches who have veteran on their teams, and they might have not been the best player but they are instrumental as a mentor in the locker room," Stone said.

Fliegel added: "It’a a total win-win-win for schools, veterans and the corporate partners."

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