Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexander Miles. Them and their team share their story with us below:
CEO Alex Miles played professional rugby in Australia and moved to NYC five years ago. Working in tech and coaching high school rugby on the side, Alex was coaching an all-girls rugby team in Harlem, NY. The majority of the girls grew up in the projects and represented the BIPOC community, exposing Alex to a significant problem students were facing… There is no equitable access to student opportunities.
Alex has since partnered with Gean Martinez (cofounder/CTO), who immigrated to NY from the Dominican Republic when he was 5. Gean couldn’t speak English and graduated through the public school system in New York City. Gean faced a lot of the challenges SportsHi is solving today and is now passionate about expanding opportunities for underserved students.
Fast forward to today, SportsHi is a social network to connect students to education and career opportunities for free. They reach over 5 million students every month and have 60,000 students on their app. They have provided thousands of free opportunities to students with a mission of becoming the “Linkedin for Students” through a social impact lens. 60% of SportsHi’s student network are female, 75% represent the BIPOC community.
Tiktok stars Josh Richards and Griffin Johnson have invested in SportsHi as well as all-female investment group 37 Angels. Most recently, Techstars has accepted SportsHi into their Equitech program, becoming their most recent investor.
Some of SportsHi’s partners include Andre Drummond, Anna Shumate, CT Sun (WNBA), Catapult Sports, Team Whistle, WiST, Elizabeth Williams (Atlanta Dream), Girls Who Code, and many more!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting a business is never a smooth road, especially in tech!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Yes!
– Get in front of your customers or users as soon as possible (even if you’re product/service isn’t ready)!
– Surround yourself with successful people who have done something similar to what you’re trying to achieve.
– Diversity of thought. Believe that diversity and inclusivity can be force multipliers to your company, growth, and culture!
Contact Info:
- Email: alexander.miles@sportshi.io
- Website: https://www.sportshi.io/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportshi
