KC-built sports tech startup acquired by AI-powered fundraising, engagement platform

The acquisition of Kansas City-built Athlete Network — a platform designed to foster lifelong connections between student-athletes and athletic alumni — deepens the startup’s work a decade after it launched, its founder said.

“This is a huge milestone for our team, and I want to take a moment to sincerely thank our teammates, partners and investors who have supported our mission over the years to revolutionize athlete engagement, career resources, and communication,” Chris Smith, who debuted Athlete Network in January 2015, said in a message to supporters and colleagues.

The company on Tuesday announced its acquisition by Seattle-based Gravyty, a provider of AI-powered engagement and fundraising solutions for higher education. Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.

Athlete Network has established a strong presence in the collegiate athletics space, providing a trusted platform for engaging student-athletes and alumni that reaches leading athletic institutions — including Penn State, Texas Tech, and Alabama.

With the acquisition, Gravyty — a K1 investment management portfolio company — will integrate its advanced fundraising and engagement solutions into Athlete Network’s ecosystem, helping athletic departments modernize development efforts as they take on increasing responsibility for donor engagement and fundraising efforts related to athlete revenue sharing opportunities, the companies said.

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“I’ve always believed that athletics is one of the greatest human development systems in our society. It transcends culture, religion, and politics — teaching us how to lead, collaborate, and win. The pursuit of competing at the collegiate level has inspired millions of youth athletes to train hard, make sacrifices, and develop life skills that serve them far beyond the field of play.”

— Chris Smith,
Athlete Network

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“As collegiate athletics undergoes a transformational shift — driven by NIL, the transfer portal, and revenue sharing — athletic departments face mounting pressure to reduce costs and increase revenue,” Smith said. “To succeed, they need a unified platform that leverages AI-powered targeting and video storytelling, delivers personalized stewardship to alumni, boosters, and supporters, and converts that engagement into philanthropic support.”

“With Gravyty’s fundraising automation, donor intelligence, and scalable outreach tools, I’m confident athletic departments will be better positioned than ever to meet the moment,” he continued, noting Gravyty serves more than 25 million students and alumni through its SaaS platforms and partners with thousands of institutions nationwide. 

The acquisition builds Gravyty’s broader category leadership in engagement infrastructure, the company said. Following its 2025 merger with Ivy.ai and Ocelot, Gravyty worked to unify best-in-class AI and automation across enrollment, student services, and advancement, said COO Ned Myers.

Now, with Athlete Network, Gravyty becomes the only provider enabling seamless engagement across every phase of the education lifecycle, including athletics, he added.

“Athletics has always been a powerful force for connection on campus,” Myers said. “This acquisition gives us the opportunity to provide athletic departments with the same market-leading fundraising infrastructure that advancement teams rely on every day.”