Cade Fennegan, BYU quarterback and entrepreneur, co-founded AIMS with Brad Neuhaus to connect local athletes with businesses for NIL deals, fostering long-term partnerships beyond one-off social media promotions.
Cade Fennegan wore many hats during his time at BYU: entrepreneur, husband, co-founder, and quarterback. As he graduates this year after a four-year career with the Cougars, he leaves not only with a degree but also with a growing business.
During his time at BYU, Fennegan was involved in NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals. However, as a backup player, he had to work harder to market himself and secure partnerships.
Cade Fennegan, Co-Founder of AIMS, said about how he came up with the idea for his startup:
"I've been a backup my whole career, so my NIL experience has looked very different from guys like Jaren Hall, Puka Nacua, or Jake Retzlaff. I've had to hustle for deals, find partnerships on my own, and really get creative. So I went to one of my buddies and said, 'Hey, I think there's an opportunity for local businesses to connect with more athletes who aren’t making big NIL money.'”
And with that, AIMS—Athlete Influencer Marketing Solutions—was born.
Fennegan and co-founder Brad Neuhaus launched AIMS to help local businesses connect with college athletes for marketing and sponsorship deals. Their goal is to foster long-term partnerships rather than one-off social media promotions.
Fennegan grew up as the oldest of four siblings in Dallas, Texas. He began his football career at Woodrow Wilson High School in East Dallas, where he was heavily recruited by Division 1 programs. However, he deferred his offers to serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Rosario, Argentina.
"Rosario is a blessed place, man. A lot of good people down there. It still holds a little piece of my heart," Fennegan said.
After returning from his mission, he accepted an offer to play at Boise State, where he spent a year before transferring to BYU.
"I was only there for a year, but it was divine design because I met my now-wife there. She later went on a mission, and after she returned, we got married. Now, we’re both about to graduate from BYU."
During his time at BYU, Fennegan secured NIL deals with companies like Built Bar (American Fork, UT) and the Provo, UT-based dating app Walkbye, where he met his future co-founder, Brad Neuhaus.
"Working for Walkbye, I became the face of the company. I was doing a ton of social media, and it was fun," Fennegan recalled.
At the time, he was single, so promoting a dating app felt natural. But this experience sparked an idea: What if more athletes could align with brands that fit their personal interests beyond just sports?
That’s the vision behind AIMS.
"At AIMS, we want to build a community for NIL—one that focuses on long-term partnerships rather than quick, one-off social media posts. We want athletes working with businesses that truly fit them—relationships that could even extend beyond their playing careers."
AIMS isn’t targeting big-name athletes with major endorsement deals. Instead, the platform is designed to help local businesses connect with college athletes who don’t often get high-profile NIL opportunities.
"You see Dr. Pepper commercials with guys like Caleb Williams and Quinn Ewers—huge names with huge brands. That’s great, but not every athlete gets that kind of opportunity. We're focused on the 90% of athletes who don’t and the 99% of small businesses looking for partnerships."
AIMS streamlines the NIL matchmaking process with an innovative online marketplace. Fennegan explains how it works:
"A brand can say, 'Here’s the campaign we’re looking to run. We want athletes to promote this for us.' On our platform, they can easily create a campaign, outlining objectives, deliverables, and compensation for athletes. Once the campaign is built, they can publish it and send personal invites to athletes who fit their brand."
To keep the platform affordable, AIMS charges a $50 monthly subscription fee for businesses and takes a 10% cut from any deals made. It’s free for athletes to join.
"As a college athlete myself, I know money is tight. That’s why we don’t charge athletes any fees—just a small commission from their deals."
As Fennegan moves on from BYU, he leaves not only as an athlete but also as a business leader, helping reshape NIL opportunities for college athletes.
After a successful launch event at BYU, AIMS signed up 16 businesses to try out the platform as beta users. Planning to officially launch within the next few weeks, AIMS hope to reach $15,000 in monthly recurring revenue this year.
“We've gotten some great feedback from brands, like Quick Quack Car Wash, Just Ingredients, and some other local startups in the area.”
“We're building a wait list right now. We’d like to convert that waitlist at a 75% rate, take 75% of who we have on the waitlist and then onboard them onto the platform.”
“Brands want this. Athletes want this. We will launch a web app first here in the next few weeks. A mobile app will come shortly after that,” said Fennegan.
Fennegan is looking towards the future with gratitude and acknowledges the spiritual side of his journey. “God has been in everything. I do believe that we control our own destiny and we can, like success is based on what we put into it, but at the same time, there is an aspect of faith.”
Click here for more information about AIMS—Athlete Influencer Marketing Solutions.
