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Athlete Impact Strategies
Sagamore partners with RISE Family Office to help professional athletes become entrepreneurs and high-impact players off the field. Our services range from consulting to managing the athletes’ foundations or non-profits.
Jessie Bates III
Safety, Atlanta Falcons
Fort Wayne, Indiana native and Wake Forest alum Jessie Bates III was selected 54th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Bengals before rising as a star defensive player on the Atlanta Falcons, where he’s been named to both the NFL’s 2024 and 2025 Top 100 Players List.
JESSIE'S IMPACT
Jessie grew up as one of five siblings raised single mom who worked two jobs. His mother’s dedication to their family and his success led him to start the JB3 Single Mother’s Initiative, which supports single moms—especially those experiencing homelessness—through events, donations, and programming in Atlanta and his hometown of Fort Wayne.
Lexie Hull
Forta Cosmetics
Guard, Indiana Fever and Rose BC (Unrivaled)
A three-time All-Pac-12 member and 2021 national champion at Stanford, Lexie took her talents to basketball-crazed Indiana, where she was selected as the 6th overall pick in the WNBA draft by the Fever. Hull has quickly become a fan-favorite in Indy with her mix of physical toughness and fierce loyalty to her teammates.
Lexie's Impact
Not settling for success only on the court, Lexie launched Forta, a makeup brand for athletes that holds up under pressure. Launched with support from Sagamore Venture Commonwealth Impact Investing, Forta is showing that athletes don’t need to pick between looking good, feeling good, and playing good. The results so far have been a slam dunk: Forta was selected as a finalist in Estée Lauder’s pitch competition in Paris, and Lexie was chosen by Glamour as one of the 2025 WNBA Women of the Year.
Credit: Glamour
Jaylon Smith
Minority Entrepreneurship Institute
NFL Linebacker
Jaylon won college football’s top linebacker award at Notre Dame before being selected 34th overall in the NFL Draft. The Pro Bowl Linebacker has gone on to play a key role on defenses in Dallas, New York, New Orleans, and most recently in Las Vegas.
JAYLON'S IMPACT
Off the field, Jaylon has teamed up with RISE and Commonwealth Impact Investing, a Sagamore Venture, to address a critical challenge: the wealth gap between Black and white American families. Jaylon founded the Minority Entrepreneurship Institute to invest in early-stage minority-owned companies, harnessing the power of impact investing to boost financial inclusivity and opportunity for all.
Jaylon Moore
MOORE HOPE FOUNDATION
Offensive Tackle, Kansas City Chiefs
A lineman from Detroit, Michigan, Jaylon Moore played four seasons at Western Michigan before being drafted by San Francisco. Now protecting the blind side for star QB Patrick Mahomes, Moore brings toughness, agility, and experience to the Kansas City offensive line, ensuring elite protection in one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses.
JAYLON'S IMPACT
Jaylon’s Moore Hope Foundation tackles food insecurity in America through compassion, dignity, and action. What began as a commitment to ensure every child has access to a school meal has evolved into a broader mission of supporting families facing financial hardship, especially during seasons when SNAP benefits decrease and the need becomes most urgent.
Kylen Granson
KG'S KIDS
Tight End, Tennessee Titans
After walking on at SMU, Kylen finished his career as an All-ACC First Team player and set a new school record for touchdowns by a tight end. He was drafted in 2021 by the Indianapolis Colts before moving to Philadelphia for the 2025 season.
KG'S IMPACT
A self-described “athletic nerd” at heart who is known to finish a book in a single day, Kylen’s non-profit, KG’s Kids, provides literacy programs for underprivileged kids in his home state of Indiana. From financial literacy workshops to STEM read-alouds and book carnivals, the foundation’s Literacy Support System engages students with educational programs that leverage the power of a good story to inspire lifelong learning.
A KG’s Kids literacy event in Indy.
Austin Simmons
Simmons Family Foundation
Quarterback, Missouri Tigers (Mizzou)
Rated as one of Florida’s top MLB prospects, Austin Simmons chose to pursue both baseball and football at the collegiate level. After beginning his career at Ole Miss, where he excelled as both a pitcher and quarterback while earning his bachelor’s degree as a sophomore, Austin now serves as the quarterback for the Missouri Tigers (Mizzou).
AUSTIN'S IMPACT
In collaboration with his brother Kenneth Simmons—who is also a dual-threat football and baseball high school standout—Austin launched the Simmons Family Foundation to raise awareness, promote understanding, and foster an inclusive environment for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Credit: Ole Miss Athletics
NIL
Austin Simmons
Quarterback, Missouri Tigers (Mizzou)
Rated as one of Florida’s top MLB prospects, Austin Simmons chose to pursue both baseball and football at the collegiate level. After beginning his career at Ole Miss, where he excelled as both a pitcher and quarterback while earning his bachelor’s degree as a sophomore, Austin now serves as the quarterback for the Missouri Tigers (Mizzou).
AUSTIN'S IMPACT
In collaboration with his brother Kenneth Simmons—who is also a dual-threat football and baseball high school standout—Austin launched the Simmons Family Foundation to raise awareness, promote understanding, and foster an inclusive environment for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Luke Bamgboye
Forward, TCU Horned Frogs
Luke Bamgboye is a forward for TCU Men’s Basketball whose athletic journey reflects discipline, leadership, and the opportunities student-athletes have to create impact through NIL. As part of the Horned Frogs program, Luke represents the next generation of athletes committed to excellence on and off the court.
LUKE'S IMPACT
Credit: Ole Miss Athletics
Our Director
Shadece McFadden is Director of Athlete Impact at Sagamore, where she connects athletes with platforms for meaningful community change. With 13 years in banking leadership, she brings expertise in CRA credits, donor-advised funds, and social finance—transforming capital into investments that build equity and strengthen families, schools, and communities.
Our Services
The Athlete Impact Strategies team offers the following services to professional athletes: nonprofit and foundation management, tax savings, all regulatory compliance, fundraising and impact partnerships.
Our Ventures
The Augusta Summit
The Augusta Summit convenes leaders from across the nation to help accelerate community renewal catalyzed by the rebuilding of the town’s historic municipal course. Now called the Patch to honor its community roots, the new course has been designed by Tom Fazio and Tiger Woods. Tiger is also building a TGR Learning Center to heighten minority educational outcomes. Augusta Tech is building an agronomy center on the course and an auto institute downtown to bolster workforce readiness. The annual Summit will report the progress on these and related endeavors and anchor new investments in similar innovations.
Marvella
Marvella is the nation’s first uniquely designed sports and leadership campus for young female athletes. Designed with state-of-the-art technology, the athletes will have access to premium sports facilities, a health and wellness center, leadership development material, and a museum that celebrates women’s sports accomplishments.
RISE DAF
Michael Ledo founded RISE Sports Advisors to serve as a multi-family office dedicated to athletes with entrepreneurial ambitions. Through RISE, he provides comprehensive support for athletes looking to build businesses and create lasting impact. The firm offers a Donor-Advised Fund, operated in partnership with Commonwealth and Sagamore Ventures, empowering athlete-entrepreneurs to extend their purpose beyond the game and make a difference in their communities.
WORLD SHOE & NBPA
Sagamore Ventures partner World Shoe has teamed up with the National Basketball Players Association and the Organization of African First Ladies for Development to prove that athletes’ capital can catalyze social change. Founded by basketball player-turned businessman Manny Ohonme, World Shoe’s manufacturing facility in Akosombo, Ghana, supports local livelihoods while manufacturing cutting-edge anti-microbial footwear. World Shoe supports Manny’s humanitarian work at Samaritans Feet, a non-profit he formed to accomplish the vision of a world with zero shoeless people.
Defense at Green Bay's TitletownTech
Sagamore established a partnership with TitletownTech to host an annual defense tech event at Lambeau Field. The event is held in tandem with a Packers home game against a Great Lakes rival to promote dual-use technology from the region, keeping Americans safe while creating jobs and enhancing economic vitality across the Midwest.
