UNC Asheville Partners with Opendorse to Launch NIL Marketplace for Student-Athletes

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville athletic department announced Wednesday (June 7) the launch of its official school-specific NIL (name, image, and likeness) marketplace powered by Opendorse. 

UNC Asheville NIL Marketplace 

UNC Asheville's Opendorse page will allow fans, brands and sponsors to find any Bulldog student-athlete who has opted in to the marketplace and book NIL deals. These deals include video shoutouts, appearances, social media endorsements and more.

 All communication for the deal, from pitch to payment, happens through the Opendorse app. When offered a NIL deal, athletes will be notified through the Opendorse app and then will have the chance to review opportunities, receive deals, accept compensation and disclose NIL activities to the athletics compliance office.

"Partnering with Opendorse to allow fans to connect with our student-athletes contributes greatly to our Dream Bigger. Achieve More. strategic plan," Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone said. "We are always looking for ways to improve the student-athlete experience and connect the members of the Asheville community to our student-athletes through NIL opportunities. Opendorse has proven to be an effective NIL company, and I look forward to seeing the benefits of this platform for current and future Bulldog student-athletes."

The Opendorse marketplace is built on a decade of athlete marketing technology and experience. Opendorse has facilitated hundreds of thousands of NIL deals and endorsements with athletes at all levels of sports. The Opendorse marketplace is used by over 75,000 athletes to manage deals from pitch to payment, and even tax preparation.

In addition to the marketplace, UNC Asheville receives full access to Opendorse's all-in-one NIL platform, providing best-in-class compliance, content and education tools to student-athletes. 

"UNC Asheville alumni, fans and supporters better be ready for the unprecedented access they now have to support their favorite athletes on the marketplace," said Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence. "I can't wait to see how Bulldog fans support student-athletes, and I'm proud that Opendorse can provide the marketplace technology trusted by the best in the game."

About Opendorse

Opendorse, the NIL company, is the leading technology provider in the athlete endorsement industry. More than 75,000 athletes use Opendorse to understand, build, and monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL) with support from thousands of brands, fans, sponsors, donors and partners including Team USA, PGA TOUR, NFLPA, MLBPA, WNBPA, LPGA, over 100 professional and collegiate sports teams.