Tempe Sun Devils Cash In As GoDaddy Pours Millions Into Campus Startup Lab
GoDaddy is doubling down on its partnership with Arizona State University’s athlete-focused venture studio, adding a multimillion-dollar boost and handing out hundreds of free domains to Sun Devil student-athletes. SportX, the university program that pairs athletes with mentors, free digital tools and incubation space, launched in 2025 and has been steadily gaining traction on campus. The expanded backing is already showing up in more mentorship sessions and an uptick in early business launches tied to NIL and personal-brand ventures.
GoDaddy expands funding and tools
As reported by Phoenix Business Journal, GoDaddy recently increased its support for SportX with a multimillion-dollar gift and has helped activate roughly 350 participant websites through free domain and hosting support. The outlet also notes that the Student-Athlete Venture Studio has run about 200 one-on-one mentorship sessions and engaged more than 500 student-athletes since the studio launched in 2025. SportX is anchored by ASU’s J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute in partnership with Sun Devil Athletics, which combine campus resources with industry partners to help athletes launch ventures, according to ASU News.
What students actually get
"We're thrilled to combine the business-building power of GoDaddy Airo with the drive and immense potential of these enterprising student-athletes," Jared Sine of GoDaddy said in the program announcement, underscoring the company’s hands-on role. Through its Empower program, GoDaddy supplies AI-powered site builders, free domains and in-kind mentoring that let athletes spin up a professional digital presence quickly. Organizers say the goal is to help athletes shift from relying on follower counts to building owned platforms they can control and monetize.
Early results and participation
Numbers vary by source, but the story is the same: momentum is building. SportX’s own Student-Athlete Venture Studio page cites more than 275 websites and dozens of mentoring meetings since launch, while the Phoenix Business Journal reports that GoDaddy has activated about 350 participant sites and that the studio has hosted roughly 200 one-on-one sessions. Taken together, those tallies suggest the program has moved from small pilot runs into a real pipeline for athlete-led startups. The mix of in-kind digital tools, seed opportunities and dedicated campus space is designed to strip away as much friction as possible for athletes testing product ideas and small businesses.
Why Tempe is a testing ground
SportX’s headquarters inside Mountain America Stadium put the venture studio in the literal middle of Sun Devil athletics, which organizers say makes it easy for teams to swing by between practice and classes, as covered in inside Mountain America Stadium. That proximity, combined with ties to local venture partners, helps explain why the program has been able to draw volunteer mentors from industry and run frequent, hands-on sessions. For Tempe-area investors and founders, the setup offers a steady stream of athlete-entrepreneurs with built-in audiences and early pilots ready to test.
What comes next
Program leaders are planning more Demo Days and an expanded mentor roster as they try to convert early curiosity into funded ventures. Industry observers note that ASU’s trajectory fits into a national push to turn college athletics into an innovation pipeline. Sports Business Journal highlighted ASU’s jump in student-athlete startup activity, from a single Sun Devil competing in the Venture Devils pitch playoffs to about 20 this season, a sign that top-of-funnel interest is turning into serious venture competition. The Edson E+I program pages describe semesterly Demo Days where student teams can win seed funding and move into further incubation, building a clear pathway from idea to launch.
For Tempe’s athletes, the practical aim is straightforward: build sustainable businesses that outlast their playing days. With fresh funding on the table and hundreds of new domains already live, SportX leaders say the studio now has more runway to turn websites and mentorship into market-ready products and funded startups.
