Investing "millions" to transform talent activation with James Begley

The Big Deal podcast, episode 41

Despite their brand power, sports stars are mostly under-valued and under-utilised, PickStar CEO and former AFL footballer James Begley tells The Big Deal podcast. 

Begley founded PickStar, and sister-company Vlast, with AFL legend Matthew Pavlich to open up more commercial opportunities for sports stars and celebrities, and better manage their commercial engagements. 

Backed by investors including cricket superstar Adam Gilchrist, Begley and his team have invested "millions of dollars" developing technology that empowers, but also disrupts, talent management and administration. 

The company now works with 3500+ talent and some of the biggest sports organisations in the world, operating in Australia, UK and the US.

But for Begley, who played for St.Kilda and then Adelaide over seven years before becoming a leadership consultant, the transition from athlete to business leader has been filled with highs and lows, and a lot of learnings. 

Listen to the episode and subscribe now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

We talk about:

• The journey from AFL to entrepreneurship

• The rocky road of running a tech startup

• Athletes: Their value, opportunities and challenges

• The future of talent commercialisation and activation

And much more.

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