Athlete Network adds hall-of-famer Warren Moon to its roster
April 13, 2017 | Bobby Burch
It’s not everyday that you add a hall-of-fame quarterback to your team.
In establishing a new, high-impact advisory board, Athlete Network has landed former NFL superstar Warren Moon as a team member that will help guide the startup moving forward. Moon previously played for the Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings and other pro teams, racking up 70,553 total passing yards and other records that have since been broken.
In addition to Moon, the Lenexa-based firm tapped Mary Davis, CEO of Special Olympics International, and Philip Sanderson, managing director of Ridge Ventures.
Launched in 2015, Athlete Network created an online community for athletes that’s quickly growing around the nation. The community offers members an avenue to connect to like-minded athletes and resources to grow.
Athlete Network CEO Chris Smith said he’s excited to have the trio help advise his company.
“The advisory board that we have begun to assemble is truly exemplary in their individual and combined expertise in leveraging technology and guiding world class athletes. We expect them to help us deliver the same to our members,” Smith said in a release. “I am thrilled to welcome them to Athlete Network’s Advisory Board and I look forward to working closely with them as we grow Athlete Network nationwide and expand internationally.”
In July of 2016, Athlete Network raised $2 million and few weeks later, the firm announced that it landed an agreement with the U.S. Olympic Committee to customize its platform for America’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Led by a team of former collegiate athletes, Athlete Network’s mission is to fuel athletes’ driven lifestyle.
In January, Athlete Network was recognized by Startland News as a Top Kansas City Startup to Watch in 2017.

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Canadian firm to house in KC, Techstars Demo Day announces other developments for cohort (Photos)
Local government has the most impact on people’s lives, said Ryley Iverson, co-founder and CEO of Townfolio, a Canada-based firm providing city data as a service that was among the 2018 Techstars Kansas City cohort. Townfolio announced a partnership with the Kansas City Area Development Council Thursday during the accelerator’s Demo Day: fuel the international firm…
Pure Pitch Rally passes $1 million in prizes; FastDemocracy and TheraWe lead winners
A quick-paced pitch competition Wednesday saw big wins for political tracking startup FastDemocracy and child therapy resource TheraWe Connect, with more than $1 million in prizes awarded between 10 young companies. “Our sponsors felt a funding head-rush like a speeding train — throwing money everywhere,” said Michael Williamson, an IP attorney for Polsinelli, one of…
Be fearlessly honest about diversity gap, Atlanta expert tells KC Techweek panelists (Photos)
Building an inclusive startup community begins with being unafraid to directly state the problem — a diversity gap — free of coded language related to race and gender, said Rodney Sampson. “I am unapologetically about being ‘color-brave’ and ‘race-brave’ — rather than being ‘color blind’ — because when you say ‘color blind,’ you’re saying you…
Hunting access to capital? Do your homework first, Techweek panel says
Imagining overnight startup success is as unrealistic as wanting to become a winning athlete or megastar musician overnight — it all takes time and practice, said Juan Campos. “If you actually have the ambition to create a multimillion dollar company, then the people that are the most successful at that didn’t just wake up one…
