Sports

Data analytics firm SponsorUnited, one of CT's fastest

Stamford native Bob Lynch has created transparency within the sports and entertainment sponsorship industry, having slowly pulled back the curtain on the multibillion-dollar sector with data analytics hub SponsorUnited. In 2016, the marketing veteran saw a need for easier access to information on sponsors and sports teams, after heading up sponsorship efforts for the Miami […]

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1 week ago

April 21, 2025

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Data analytics firm SponsorUnited, one of CT's fastest

Stamford native Bob Lynch has created transparency within the sports and entertainment sponsorship industry, having slowly pulled back the curtain on the multibillion-dollar sector with data analytics hub SponsorUnited.

In 2016, the marketing veteran saw a need for easier access to information on sponsors and sports teams, after heading up sponsorship efforts for the Miami Dolphins and Brooklyn Nets.

“I saw a gap in information around how these sponsorships are bought and sold,” he told the Hartford Business Journal. “The sponsorship industry and the endorsement industry were growing like a weed, but it was all very opaque. That’s what kind of planted the seed.”

After five years with the Dolphins and a year with the Nets, Lynch realized the information he sought out was hard to come by in all professional sports.

“I thought there was an opportunity to start a company and bring value to this industry,” said Lynch, who lives in Stamford and works out of his home. “I finally said, … you ought to kill the dream or go for it.”

Lynch founded SponsorUnited in 2018 and has quickly grown the 175-employee company, which provides market intelligence on sports sponsorship deals.

The company’s subscription-based platform offers users access to information on 350,000 sponsors — such as Walmart, Wells Fargo and Dick’s Sporting Goods — and more than 75,000 organizations that generate revenue from sponsorship deals. That includes sports teams and leagues, events, media companies, athletes and influencers.

Lynch said SponsorUnited’s user base includes more than 1,200 organizations ranging from global brands like PepsiCo, Verizon and Anheuser-Busch, to major sports teams and leagues like the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Lakers and the NFL.

“It’s a diverse mix that reflects the full ecosystem of sponsorship buyers, sellers and strategists,” he said.

Subscribers pay anywhere from several thousand dollars to several hundred thousand dollars per year to use SponsorUnited’s platform, Lynch said.

The company’s early growth has attracted investors and other attention.

SponsorUnited in 2022 raised $35 million from Boston-based private equity firm Spectrum Equity. And last year, the company was named the sixth-fastest growing private business in Connecticut, according to Inc.’s annual 5000 list. SponsorUnited grew its revenue 507% over a three-year period ending in 2023, according to Inc.

Recruiting ‘scouts’

To launch his business, Lynch said he used his own funds and learned all he could about data platforms, sales-as-a-service technology and online marketplaces from Boston venture capitalist Chase Garbarino, founder of online real estate experience platform HqO, and one of SponsorUnited’s investors.

Lynch began collecting sponsorship data in 2017 using an innovative approach. He recruited college students from across the country majoring in sports management to take videos and photos of sponsor signage and displays at local stadiums, while also teaching these “scouts” about the industry.

“I had created an infrastructure of kids in every city with smartphones, so I could essentially do this at no cost at scale, getting hundreds of people,” he said. “Buying tickets to the games was probably my biggest expense at the time, and trying to live with a newborn and a 2-year-old and all that stuff that goes along with it.”

Lynch hired a few students to train other scouts and brought on Stamford investor Alain Benzaken as chief operating officer in June 2017, to help SponsorUnited build and test its online platform of sponsorship industry data.

“We had to make sure that the technology actually worked,” Lynch said. “The very first paid client we had was the San Francisco 49ers in January 2018.”

By the end of 2018, SponsorUnited had developed sponsorship data profiles on 28 teams throughout the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and other professional leagues.

‘Smarter, faster decisions’

SponsorUnited provides users a range of information, including detailed profiles on brand sponsors and the organizations that use them, including key contacts, sponsorship spend estimates, active partnerships and marketing deal structures.

It also creates competitive benchmarking reports on sponsorship deals that track creative and social media performances, he said.

“We provide a comprehensive view of sponsorship and media partnerships across sports, entertainment and lifestyle,” Lynch said. “They can also understand category and industry trends in real time.”

SponsorUnited currently collects its sponsorship data by sending about 500 scouts to stadiums in 150 countries, and using data-scraping technologies to gather information from social and digital media.

The company also gets information from news and media sources, and uses artificial intelligence to process and structure the data it collects.

Lynch would not disclose exact revenue figures, but he said the company has made more than $10 million in annual sales over the past several years.

SponsorUnited hit a milestone in November 2024, when it launched a new tech platform called SPND, which stands for sponsorship prices of negotiated deals.

The AI-backed service provides financial terms for over $13.3 billion in actual sponsorship deals.

“For a long period of time, people said it would be great if we could know how much they pay for the sponsorship,” he said. “It took us four years to learn how to do that.”

Paula Beadle

Paula Beadle, founder and CEO of the Sponsorship Marketing Association, said she believes SponsorUnited is the first company to offer this level of detail on estimated transaction prices of sponsorship deals.

“There are other notable companies in the space that provide valuation models, but I believe the technology and level of data that SponsorUnited can deliver is unique,” Beadle said. “This kind of intelligence empowers smarter, faster decisions. It’s likely SponsorUnited has become the Redfin of the sponsorship industry.”

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Boise State beach volleyball opens NCAA Tournament against Stanford | Boise State other sports coverage

State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces PacificArmed Forces EuropeNorthern Mariana IslandsMarshall IslandsAmerican SamoaFederated States of MicronesiaGuamPalauAlberta, CanadaBritish Columbia, CanadaManitoba, CanadaNew Brunswick, CanadaNewfoundland, CanadaNova Scotia, CanadaNorthwest Territories, CanadaNunavut, CanadaOntario, CanadaPrince Edward Island, CanadaQuebec, CanadaSaskatchewan, CanadaYukon Territory, Canada Zip Code Country United States of […]

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May 1, 2025

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TCU headlines Big 12 Yearly Awards

Story Links FORT WORTH – In the Big 12’s first year of sponsoring the sport, TCU has earned three of the four beach volleyball yearly awards. The undefeated duo of Anhelina Khmil and Ana Vergara garnered the Big 12 Pair of the Year honors, followed by Sofia Izuzquiza as Big 12’s Freshman of […]

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25 minutes ago

May 1, 2025

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FORT WORTH – In the Big 12’s first year of sponsoring the sport, TCU has earned three of the four beach volleyball yearly awards. The undefeated duo of Anhelina Khmil and Ana Vergara garnered the Big 12 Pair of the Year honors, followed by Sofia Izuzquiza as Big 12’s Freshman of the Year. Head coach Hector Gutierrez has been named the Big 12 Coach of the Year.

In addition, six Horned Frogs took a spot on the conference’s All-Big 12 Team: Daniela Alvarez, Maria Gonzalez, Hailey Hamlett, Khmil, Tania Moreno and Vergara.

Heading into the NCAA tournament this weekend Khmil and Vergara boast a record of 18-0, with 17 of those wins coming from the No. 4 spot. The two are the only Horned Frog pairing to remain undefeated this season. Additionally, Khmil leads the team in ranked wins, with 20 victories under her belt.

In her first year at TCU, Izuzquiza earned herself a record of 26-5, and has appeared in the most matches of anyone in her freshmen class. Her 26 wins put her at the third most wins for a Horned Frog this season. Starting with a ranked win over then-No. 5 Stanford, she has earned herself 18 ranked wins on the season. This is the fourth consecutive year for TCU to win Freshman of the Year honors in their respective conference.

In his ninth year as a head coach for TCU, Gutierrez led the squad to a season record of 28-5. In the last AVCA Coaches poll before the NCAA tournament, the Horned Frogs are ranked No. 1 for the third time this season. The top ranking additionally marked TCU’s six consecutive week ranked in the AVCA Top Two.

This is the third conference coach of the year award for Gutierrez. In the Gutierrez era he has coached an all-time record of 216-81.

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A positive influence, and a huge victory total

Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum was all smiles after the Redhawks won the 2009 Class 4A Benedictine University supersectional softball championship in Lisle, 2-0 over Bartlett. DAILY HERALD FILE PHOTO When asked about major milestones, veteran coaches have a stock answer. Naperville Central’s Andy Nussbaum was ready. “First of all, it means I’m old,” said […]

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29 minutes ago

May 1, 2025

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When asked about major milestones, veteran coaches have a stock answer.

Naperville Central’s Andy Nussbaum was ready.

“First of all, it means I’m old,” said Nussbaum, who by beating Plainfield Central in an April 8 softball game earned his 1,500th victory spanning Redhawks softball and girls basketball.

His 758 softball wins entering Wednesday rank eighth all-time on Illinois High School Association records. His 746 basketball wins also rank eighth.

Like coaches always do, Nussbaum thought more about it.

“Honestly, it’s pretty gratifying,” he said. “It just gives me the opportunity to remember all the players we’ve ever had who have played here, both softball and basketball,” Nussbaum said Tuesday on the team bus bound for St. Charles East.

“I just hope that I’ve been a positive influence not only as far as softball and basketball are concerned but as an educator, that I’ve been a good example. At least that’s what I hope,” he said.

If he weren’t, the first baseman on his first softball team in 1984, Mary Baumgartner, wouldn’t have come up to say hello at a recent game.

And Naperville Central principal Jackie Thornton and athletic director Jeff Plackett likely wouldn’t have bothered to watch Nussbaum get win No. 1,500 last month.

“The relationships, really, are what endure,” said Nussbaum, also an assistant Redhawks football coach since 1981.

His back-to-back Class AA girls basketball titles in 2003 and 2004 are memorable, too, with arguably the best female player ever, Candace Parker.

Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum celebrates a 65-63 triple-overtime win over Naperville North at the 2018 Class 4A Naperville Central regional championship.
DAILY HERALD FILE PHOTO

He has yet to hoist the big trophy in softball, but his 1989 team finished second in Class AA and his 2009 team was fourth in Class 4A.

Nussbaum coaches a third team, too, his seven children: Christian, Joe, Carly, Jessica, Amy and the twins, who will graduate from Naperville Central on May 18, Aaron and Daniel.

All of them played one or more sport all four years in high school, and Daniel is a 12-season athlete. Except for Joe, who is in the Air Force, all the older Nussbaum children are teachers and/or coaches.

They keep their dad young. So does being around high school students, which is why Nussbaum hopes to continue coaching at Naperville Cental after his scheduled retirement as a teacher in 2028.

“We’ll take that bridge when we come to it, I guess,” he said. “I love doing what I’m doing. I love teaching statistics, I love coaching. Just walking through our hallways … there’s life in our hallways.”

Hersey girls water polo coach Megan Brownley has won 310 matches, and counting, over 17 seasons.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com

Way up there

Megan Brownley also achieved a coaching milestone — 300 victories as Hersey’s girls water polo coach.

Up to 310 entering Wednesday’s match against Libertyville, that stands as No. 5 all-time on IHSA records.

At 15-4-1, the Huskies are ranked No. 6 in the state by illpolo.com. (Stevenson is No. 1, Naperville North No. 2, York No. 5.) Sectional champions each of the last four seasons, Hersey placed fourth at the state tournament in 2021 and 2023.

The secret of Brownley’s success: “Working with the girls and building your program, your family, team-first. The wins come after that,” she said.

“At the end of the day, I’ve been really lucky in my 17 years of coaching, I’ve just had real nice groups of girls. Talent and winning has come kind of secondary to that.”

One sign of a quality coach and that family atmosphere is when former players stay in the game. Brownley has 2018 graduate Madison Burkhalter as an assistant. After volunteering at Hersey last season, Claire Lutz is now assisting at Prospect.

Hersey practices and plays its home games at Prospect. Brownley’s 310 wins have come without a pool at Hersey.

“People don’t believe me,” said Brownley, married to Hersey baseball coach Walter Brownley.

It’s not the pool that makes it happen.

“It’s all of them in the pool and putting it all together,” she said. “Kudos to them and the great groups of kids I’ve been able to have. It doesn’t come without that. They come first.”

Dig route

Judson University in Elgin is breaking ground this Saturday on the Scislowski Family Football Facility, a complex next to the university’s Lindner Fitness Center.

The Scislowski Facility will replace Judson’s original football offices and provide locker rooms, position meeting rooms, a team film room and player lounges.

“This is a game-changer for our program,” Judson coach Quintin Demps said in a release.

Beforehand, Judson will dedicate the Flynn Football Offices, inside its university building. Named in honor of alumnus and university trustee Shawn Flynn, these new offices will be the headquarters of Eagles football.

Also, at 1 p.m. the Eagles will play their spring football game at Judson’s own Dawson Field. Judson plays its regular-season games on Saturdays at Streamwood High School’s Millennium Field.

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

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Three Waves Garner WCC Postseason Awards

Story Links SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Kate Clermont, Emma Eden and McKenna Thomas of the Pepperdine beach volleyball team earned West Coast Conference postseason honors, the conference announced Wednesday afternoon. Seniors Clermont and Thomas each earned their third consecutive All-WCC first team selection, while Eden was named the WCC […]

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54 minutes ago

May 1, 2025

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SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Kate Clermont, Emma Eden and McKenna Thomas of the Pepperdine beach volleyball team earned West Coast Conference postseason honors, the conference announced Wednesday afternoon.

Seniors Clermont and Thomas each earned their third consecutive All-WCC first team selection, while Eden was named the WCC co-Freshman of the Year, earned her first All-WCC first team nod and made the WCC All-Freshman team.

Clermont (Burlington, Ontario, Canada) earned her third All-WCC first team selection, making the squad the prior two seasons. Alongside her partner Thomas in slot No. 1, Clermont collected 24 wins during the 2025 campaign. In her career, Clermont has played in 136 matches and holds a record of 92-44. She’s also garnered plenty of awards, earning All-WCC first team acclaim three times, making the WCC All-Freshman team in 2022 and earning an AVCA Top Flight award in 2023.

Thomas (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) also collected her third All-WCC first team nod this year as she posted 24 wins on the top court during her senior season. In her career, she’s competed in 126 matches and picked up 57 wins in position No. 1. Along with her three All-WCC first team selections, Thomas has earned many awards during her career, garnering an AVCA Top Flight award, being the WCC co-Freshman of the Year and making the WCC All-Freshman team 2022.

Not only did Clermont and Thomas pick up 24 wins in the No. 1 slot this year, but the duo also finished their decorated careers with the second most wins by a Waves pair in program history, ending with 58 victories on the No. 1 court.

Eden (Albuquerque, N.M.) made an immediate impact in her first collegiate season. Playing primarily on court three, Eden posted a total record of 25-8 and picked up two wins against top-ranked teams this season. Eden and her partner Ella Foti defeated then-ranked No. 1 UCLA’s third pair in addition to picking up a victory over then-ranked #1 TCU’s second pair. Eden is the fourth Wave to win the WCC Freshman of the Year. Kaydon Myers won the award last season, while McKenna Thomas earned a share of the award in 2022 and Brook Bauer won it in 2018.

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Follow @WavesBeachVB on Facebook and X for immediate updates, results and more. Go to PepperdineWaves.com for all information, releases and schedules. Find the Waves on Instagram @peppbeachvolley.

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University of Utah Athletics

SALT LAKE CITY – The Big 12 Conference announced its all-conference team and season awards for Beach Volleyball today, and two Utah Utes were recognized by the conference. Senior Kylie Pitzak earned the prestigious Scholar-Athlete of the Year award while senior Bella Vezzani was named to the All-Conference Team. Pitzak is the first Ute […]

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1 hour ago

May 1, 2025

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SALT LAKE CITY – The Big 12 Conference announced its all-conference team and season awards for Beach Volleyball today, and two Utah Utes were recognized by the conference. Senior Kylie Pitzak earned the prestigious Scholar-Athlete of the Year award while senior Bella Vezzani was named to the All-Conference Team.

Pitzak is the first Ute to earn Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year in beach volleyball. She has compiled a 3.83 cumulative GPA and is graduating this semester with a bachelor’s degree in Quantitative Analysis of Markets and Organizations. Pitzak played in every match this season, splitting time between the No. 3 pair and No. 4 pair. She posted 22 wins on the season and started the year with a 12-1 record. Pitzak recorded her 50th career win against Stanford (3/15/25) and went on to break the program record for wins in a season.

Vezzani posted 17 wins on the season, highlighted by a two-set win (21-19, 21-16) over the No. 17 FIU duo of Kate McLaughlin and Kendall Mignerey. She posted an eight-match win streak with partner Langley Griffin at the No. 2 pair. Vezzani recorded her 50th career win against Loyola Marymount (4/19/25) and helped the Utes in a 3-0 victory over Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament by picking up a 21-17, 21-18 win at the No. 2 spot. Vezzani is graduating this week from Utah with a bachelor’s degree in Communication.

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Coach of the Year, Pair of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Seven All-Conference First Team Honors Among LMU’s WCC Accolades

Story Links LOS ANGELES – LMU Beach Volleyball continues to accumulate a significant number of West Coast Conference season awards, and 2025 continued that trend. The Lions have received Coach of the Year, Pair of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, seven All-Conference First Team Honors, […]

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1 hour ago

April 30, 2025

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LOS ANGELES – LMU Beach Volleyball continues to accumulate a significant number of West Coast Conference season awards, and 2025 continued that trend. The Lions have received Coach of the Year, Pair of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, seven All-Conference First Team Honors, three All-Conference Second Team Honors, and an All-Freshman Team Selection.

For the fifth season in a row, LMU has claimed the WCC Pair of the Year. Isabelle Reffel and Magdalena Rabitsch have broken the program record with 36 wins so far this season.

In addition to her All-American selection, Chloe Hooker has become the fifth Lion in a row to earn WCC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Following his sixth-consecutive WCC Championship, Head Coach John Mayer has now been named WCC Coach of the Year six consecutive times dating back to 2019.

In her first season on the courts at LMU, Tanon Rosenthal has earned WCC Co-Freshman of the Year honors. Rosenthal has won 34 duals this year and lost only five. In additional to her individual accolade, Rosenthal has also been named to the All-WCC First Team and All-Freshman WCC Team.

The 10-member All-WCC First Team featured seven Lions. Reffel, Hooker, and Rosenthal were joined by Lisa Luini, Anna Pelloia, Michelle Shaffer, and Abbey Thorup as All-Conference First Team Performers.

The All-WCC Second Team included Giuliana Poletti Corrales, Vilhelmiina Prihti, and Magdalena Rabitsch. In total, all 10 of LMU’s starters were named to either the All-WCC First or Second Team.

The #4 Lions will open the NCAA Championships Friday morning at 8:00 AM CT / 6:00 AM PT against #13 Florida Atlantic. The match will air live on ESPN2 from Gulf Shores, Ala.

2025 NC beach volleyball championship format
The 2025 NC beach volleyball championship bracket will consist of 16 teams, with eight making it as automatic qualifiers via conference championships. The selected teams will be seeded Nos. 1-16 in the bracket.

The championship will then be played in single-elimination duals with 10 student-athletes split into five pairs from each team. The dual meet match is formatted in five best-of-three sets, pairs matches, with each pairs match being worth one point.

For more information on the sport’s championship format, click or tap here

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