SMITHFIELD, R.I.- Bryant Men’s Lacrosse midfielder, Cole Braun, recently announced the launch of his new social networking mobile app; AthLink. Braun, a rising senior at Bryant, co-founded the app with longtime friend Jonathan Moon. Their goal was to allow current and former student athletes of various sports backgrounds the ability to connect with each other about potential employment opportunities. The app officially launched in May of 2024 and currently has a 5 star rating on the App Store. It is also free to download and create a profile.
Braun first came up with the idea for the app in the spring of 2023 towards the end of his sophomore year. He recounts that he and some fellow lacrosse teammates were in a dorm room thinking of different entrepreneurial ideas when he asked himself a question. “Why isn’t there a platform that allows student athletes to connect with one another for job opportunities and helping each other out?” From there, AthLink was born.
Over the course of that summer, Braun would network with a variety of different people but found a connection amongst his peers. In an interview with Tri Tech X, he said “I reached out to anyone I knew a bit, hoping they could help me with a recommendation for interviews. Surprisingly, it was mostly other college athletes who stepped up to help. When asked by Bryant Athletics to identify qualities that help student athletes standout to potential employers, he stated that the main ones he sees are “Good time management skills, a hard working temperament, competitive drive, and determination.”
Before even attending Bryant, Braun has had serious entrepreneurial aspirations. “Me and one of my friends from home actually started up a website design company back in seventh grade and ran that for a couple of years.” However once he stepped foot in Smithfield, he realized his journey had just begun. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial vision and Bryant has been incredibly supportive of that.”
Braun gave personal recognition to Bryant professors Srdan Zdravkovic of the marketing department and Hakan Saraoglu from the finance department. He also acknowledged David Beirne ’85; who served as the Chair for Bryant’s Board of Trustees from 2020-2024 and is a Bryant Men’s Lacrosse Alum. Braun says that Beirne is “One of the most influential people in my journey and has been a big help”.
Another pillar of support for Braun has been his teammates. “You have 60 guys behind your back that are going to help support and promote your brand. They are all my best friends, we all love each other and have a great culture.” His peers have also provided Braun with numerous real-life displays of young entrepreneurship along the way. Brother’s Killian and Tiernan Lathrop have helped with the rise of their personal sports drink Lifted Blends and 2024 graduate Timmy Hackett has recently started his own business/sports podcast; Hack-In. He says that those few examples have helped him grow and learn to collaborate with others. Braun finally alluded that the team may have additional business ventures on the horizon. “I know there’s a lot of other entrepreneurship minors or majors on the team and it shows there might be a want for more companies to be started and I would not be surprised if we see a few more pop out this year.”
To learn more and download AthLink, Click Here: https://lnkd.in/gWMBdkUx
