Jacksonville tech company Podium X is partnering with Jacksonville University Athletics to better students prepare for their post-collegiate career.
Podium X is an online platform that aims to translates the experiences and soft skills of the athlete into a shareable profile and instant resume with a connection to a job board. The Podium X application also changes how students market themselves for Name, Image and Likeness opportunities.
“JU is dedicated to supporting our student-athletes and delivering leading solutions to promote career readiness,” JU's Athletic Director Alex Ricker-Gilbert said in a statement. “We are excited to be working with Podium X to enhance the personal brands of our student athletes and highlight their accomplishments in a way that positions them for the best careers possible upon graduation.”
In a previous interview with the Business Journal, Podium X CEO Rich Thompson said his vision for his new technology platform was for current and recent former student athletes to have a “podium” that gives them the confidence and connections Thompson himself didn’t have coming out of college.
Thompson, a former Adecco Group chief human resources officer for the Americas, UK and Ireland, said he thinks companies will pay to recruit student athletes because high-level athletics produces many of the traits necessary for high-level performance in many careers — more so than many student athletes themselves recognize.
“We are especially excited to be working with JU here in our own city,” Thompson said in a statement. “With the close proximity, it enables us to offer additional services and workshops to give the greatest support to help these athletes continue to win beyond sports.”
