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
DivvyHQ landed Novel’s first investment by avoiding hockey-stick growth, co-founder says
It was a marriage of the minds, said DivvyHQ co-founder Brody Dorland, describing his marketing tech firm’s recent investment from Novel Growth Partners. The company’s leadership — Dorland and co-founder Brock Stechman — is honored to be recipients of NGP’s first investment, Dorland said. But the pairing didn’t come by accident, he added. “I think they viewed…
In talent showdown with corporate neighbors, startups must hire smarter, say Digital Sandbox experts
Kansas City heavy-weights like Garmin and Cerner court developers at the student level, said Brody Dorland, discussing a talent showdown seen by startups across the metro. “How am I supposed to compete with that?” asked Dorland, co-founder of marketing tech firm DivvyHQ, during a recent Digital Sandbox: Summer in the Sand panel about growing startup…
KC Fed: Want to strengthen Kansas City’s job market? Narrow skills gap caused by digital division
Digital division in Kansas City is taking its toll on the local workforce, said Jeremy Hegle. More must be done to allow skilled workers access to technology — in turn offering them a chance to succeed in a rapidly growing electronic economy, added Hegle, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City senior community development advisor. In…
Vote now: Kansas Citians vie to lead tech, education panels at SXSW 2019
A cadre of Kansas Citians are hoping to take the podium at one of the nation’s largest tech and innovation conferences in 2019. At least four Kansas City tech and entrepreneurship leaders are vying for panel or speaking spots at the 2019 South by Southwest conference March 8-17 in Austin, Texas. SXSW recently opened voting…
