Key Takeaways
Koomba’s partnership with True Sports Group opens its platform to more than 30,000 club sport athletes
The platform connects youth and college athletes with 150+ providers in sports psychology, mental performance and nutrition
Former NCAA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brian Hainline serves as a key advisor, grounding the platform in the American Development Model
Koomba is a graduate of the Headstream Accelerator funded by Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures
The startup plans to seek strategic capital from family offices with sporting ties this spring
A Healthcare Platform Built Around the Athlete Identity
Koomba, a health and wellness platform founded by former college athletes, recently partnered with True Sports Group to deliver mental health, nutrition and mental performance resources across its club sports network of more than 30,000 athletes.
The platform operates on a tiered subscription model and uses AI to match athletes with providers based on individual goals and experiences. Its provider network includes more than 150 professionals in sports psychology, sport dietetics and mental performance coaching.
“Why have these sports psychologists, sport dietitians and mental performance coaches been reserved for the elite of sport when there’s so much downward pressure on youth and college athletics in a really big way?” Koomba CEO Greg Milnarik said.
Koomba currently works with seven colleges, including Bates, Bowdoin and Middlebury, alongside youth sports operators. The platform is starting with lacrosse, soccer and volleyball through the True Sports Group partnership, with plans to expand into flag football.
Grounded in the American Development Model
Dr. Brian Hainline, former NCAA Chief Medical Officer, is a key figure behind the platform’s development. A decade ago at the NCAA, Hainline led the creation of best practices for supporting student-athlete mental health, work that led to his co-chairing an IOC summit on the same topic for Olympic athletes.
Hainline pointed to a gap in coaching education around mental health. “Coaches were very poorly educated about mental health,” he said. “They really understood how to logically talk about performance but didn’t understand the bi-directionality of mental health and performance.”
Without a centralized ministry of sport in the U.S., the 54 Olympic national governing bodies serve as caretakers of athlete development pathways. Though all are signatories to the USOPC’s American Development Model, Hainline said few truly adhere to it, creating an opening for platforms like Koomba to support implementation at the club and youth level.
What Athletes and Parents Actually Want
When Koomba’s founding team embarked on a listening tour of youth clubs, two themes stood out. Athletes said they didn’t want another static app with no real infrastructure behind it. They also expressed a desire to connect with providers who understand the athlete identity and experience firsthand.
On the parent side, Koomba growth lead Russell Chase said the message was clear: “Parents don’t want more advice. They just want more tools.”
Chase also noted that concerns around private equity’s growing presence in youth sports may be overstated, arguing that increased capital, deployed responsibly, can be a resource for operators focused on athlete development.
Funding and What Comes Next
Koomba is a graduate of the Headstream Accelerator, funded by Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures. The startup has raised an angel round that includes Chris McGowan, who has held EVP-level or higher roles across all five major North American men’s professional sports leagues.
The company plans to pursue strategic capital from family offices with ties to the sports world this spring, positioning itself to scale its provider network and expand sport coverage beyond its current offerings.
via: SBJ
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