Ontheside, Inc.

Like all good ideas, Ontheside came after a 50 mile ultra trail race off the coast of California. It could have been the thrill of the finish, the clarity of thought, or simply having the mental space to think through a problem. Whatever it was, it worked. The spark for Ontheside was small—solve the problem of analytics—but that alone was not enough. We could develop a great tool, but would it do anything to help athletes? Nope. We needed something that could span an athlete’s lifecycle. We needed something robust and flexible for the sports community. We needed a more comprehensive solution. So, I spent the next 6 months thinking through the goals and needs of athletes, in particular, athletes of niche sports without the benefit of agencies to support them. I spoke to pro and elite athletes from beach volleyball, mountain biking, triathlons, and ultra running. I researched the issues with the existing systems, the algorithmic biases towards certain influencers, and the challenges olympic athletes face to afford their sport. The solution—we would build a platform for athletes to gain sponsors, for fans to support athletes, and for brands to enhance and expand their brand value. And here it is—Ontheside—built for people who don’t live life in the mainstream, where life is on the fringe, with early starts and late nights, through freelance and flexible work, by any means possible, to defy the odds and be exceptional. Life is lived by choice, one mile, one climb, one leap at a time. Life is lived Ontheside. Oh, and if you're interested in where the logo came from, let’s just say, a cocktail napkin was involved. - Richard Lee