ZIYNX creates model for athlete empowerment through self-discovery, internships, NIL success

Joe Carney knew there had to be a better way.

After working at ESPN, the NFL, MLB and The Players’ Tribune, Carney saw first-hand how student-athletes were at a competitive disadvantage when it came time to enter the job market.

Student-athletes do not have the same free time to pad their resumes with traditional internships and extracurricular activities most recruiters look for when evaluating resumes for entry-level roles. Most student-athletes also struggle to realize their GPA potential by having a minimum of 20 hours less per week than a non-athlete to study and get extra help. 

“Student-athletes have a hard time networking and figuring out life beyond sports because of their packed schedules,” Carney said. “They struggle to attend career fairs and don’t have the time to explore all the different industries out there. I saw there was an opportunity to rethink job recruiting for athletes while helping them discover their passions and interests beyond the sports they play.”

That’s why he founded ZIYNX.

ZIYNX is an innovative early career and NIL marketing app for student-athletes. The company connects student-athletes and recent graduates with corporations looking to source student-athletes for internships and entry-level roles. In addition, ZIYNX executed more than 500 NIL deals in 2023 and is already among the most prolific brands in the NIL industry.

ZIYNX launches new NIL initiative

But now ZIYNX is ready to take things to a whole new level.

Announced on Wednesday, ZIYNX launched a “transformative partnership” with Opendorse, a leading NIL marketplace. The collaboration between ZIYNX and Opendorse is driven by a shared commitment of empowering athletes at all levels of sport. It delivers one of the largest commitments to female student-athletes since NIL’s inception in 2021.

ZIYNX will execute 100 deals in 200 days with female college athletes. With almost 150,000 athlete users, Opendorse will support ZIYNX in sourcing the athletes who will then apply to NIL opportunities on the ZINYX app by creating 24-second or less videos.

Opendorse will manage the deals from pitch to payment. The opportunities will be distributed across all sports and will vary by activity type, including identifying podcast hosts and guests, launching athlete apparel lines, long-form content, athlete-generated content and more. ZIYNX and Opendorse say compensation will be determined on a per-deal basis, considering the participant’s unique marketability and the activity performed.

“NIL has opened an incredible opportunity to not only work alongside student-athletes but to empower their growth by supporting their professional development through content-driven marketing opportunities,” Carney said. “To discover those athletes and to activate their collective voice, there’s no better NIL partner than Opendorse.

“We share a mission to help every athlete, at every level regardless of their social follower counts, and this partnership brings us both a step closer to accomplishing our goal.”

Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence is a big fan of what ZIYNX created and how it supports today’s student-athletes by “taking action.”

“ZIYNX walks the walk as well as anyone,” Lawrence said. “The model that Joe and the ZIYNX team are executing will be looked to as a blueprint for student-athlete empowerment. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together so far and am excited to take it to the next level in 2024.”

Key areas ZIYNX focuses on with student-athletes

You’ve probably seen the NCAA’s commercials that highlight the fact that only 2% of college athletes ever play professionally. Helping the 100,000-plus student-athletes every year who go pro in something other than sports is a key focus of ZIYNX. That’s especially true with athletes who struggle with what Carney calls “identity foreclosure.”

“If I am no longer an athlete, ‘Who am I?,'” Carney said. “These feelings lead to anxiety, depression and even worse.”

That’s why ZIYNX concentrates on helping student-athletes with an approach that’s different than other early career and internship recruitment platforms.

ZIYNX boasts a strong athlete-only network of more than 2,500 athletes with 80% identified as underrepresented. It also offers a video-first platform that gives student-athletes a chance to be seen and heard. All the videos are on a “24-second shot clock” that gives the athletes a concentrated pitch to recruiters about why they’re difference makers.

ZIYNX also offers student-athletes inspirational tips and guidance throughout the entire process.

“We’re here for them,” Carney said. “We can’t stress that enough. Our focus is to inspire and empower these athletes. Many of them are first-generation college students. They have an opportunity to change their family’s trajectory if they can find the right opportunity.”

ZIYNX continues to add more and more top companies to its platform, but a sampling of the current corporate partners includes ESPN, Fox Corp/Fox Sports, Millenium Management, DICK’s Sporting Goods, IPGMediabrands, Suvon Surgical Devices, Harry Winston and Steve Madden.

ZIYNX offers paid internship opportunities

Coming off the success of its fall marketing internship program, ZINYX is running a spring semester student-athlete internship program that will work around the packed schedules of its athlete community.

Carney said 35 student-athletes from 30 different schools and 16 different sports are involved in the program. The program has a strong emphasis on professional development, consuming playbooks that cover pre-, live and post-interview preparation and learning how to produce quality short-form content.

“We wanted to use NIL like a micro-internship that gives student-athletes great experience for them to put on their resume while being flexible with the hours required as an athlete,” Carney said. “We want student-athletes to not wait for that ‘Oh, no,’ moment before they start thinking about what’s next. This program is meant to build up their confidence by being able to nail their elevator pitches.”

Original content is another key component

Along with the strong athlete community and internship opportunities, ZIYNX also creates original content through its ZIYNX Studios. The content division of the company produces user-generated content and long-form content in partnership with its brand partners.

Carney said ZIYNX Studios’ emphasis is “strategically designed to build emotional connections with our athlete audience,” and he prides himself on how the studio generates “authenticity, equity and relatability by not chasing the number of followers but rather sourcing true leaders with real impact.”

“We create content under four pillars – mental health and wellness, financial literacy, gender equality and building your brand authentically,” Carney said. “I’m so proud of the powerful impact we’ve already made in the NIL community in our content studio’s short existence. It has allowed us to do something unique that nobody else is doing – and do it through powerful storytelling.”

Two highlights from ZIYNX Studios are its “Art of Faith” and “Strength in Numbers“ documentaries. “Art of Faith” focuses on how Monmouth women’s soccer player A’Liah Moore’s faith played a key role in her overcoming an ACL injury. “Strength in Numbers” captures the essence of individual prowess harmonizing with team dynamics through the eyes of Columbia women’s tennis players Anna Zhang, Sophia Strugnell, Julia Haynes and Rachele Rimondini. In addition, ZIYNX Studios’ Starting From X, First Generation U and Investing in Women’s Sports features have also been well received.

ZIYNX’s long-term goal

Carney is pleased with the impact ZIYNX has already made on supporting student-athletes beyond the sports they play. But he also knows there’s a lot of work ahead to help student-athletes discover who they are beyond their athlete identity.

Carney’s main goals moving forward are to give athletes more than a resume to help market themselves to companies looking for difference makers. Plus, he wants to grow the community on the app, so ZIYNX can support athletes’ professional development while connecting them with brands they may want to work with or work for.

Through the studio, Carney hopes ZIYNX will continue to deliver authentic brand connections by having athletes apply to brand deals via videos proving their passion for a given product or service they may want to partner with.

“I care deeply about this athlete community well beyond the sports they play – which is why we do this,” Carney said. “If I didn’t get help and have doors opened for me, I would not be here today. I feel it’s my responsibility to pay it forward and help them however I can.”