From the NFL to Next Play Capital

INTRODUCING RYAN NECE:

In today’s episode, Sam welcomes former NFL player and entrepreneur, Ryan Nece. Ryan is the co-founder and managing partner at Next Play Capital. Before that, he was a professional athlete, successful entrepreneur, and disciplined investor. He’s a fellow UCLA alumnus. Go Bruins! Today, Sam and Ryan talk about Ryan’s career path, what inspired him to launch Next Play Capital, and the value of fostering relationships. Ryan talks about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and shares why he chose to become a mentor for so many athletes transitioning into their careers outside of sports.

THIS EPISODE FEATURES INSIGHTS ON CAREER TRANSITIONS, SUCCESS & FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS:

Sam welcomes Ryan Nece who talks about his transition from the NFL to a brand new career path
The origin story of Next Play Capital
The emphasis Ryan and Next Play Capital place on providing programs for athletes
The intersection of sports and technology
Ryan speculates on the future of Next Play Capital
The value he places on fostering relationships
Bridging the gap between athletics and other high-profile careers
What Ryan attributes much of his success to
Advice for athletes searching for their next career
Sam thanks Ryan for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can follow him

WHAT DID RYAN SAY?

“The transition is constantly evolving. And so I decided no matter what I was doing, I wanted to try to bring my best self and find ways to bring value to whoever it was I was working with or alongside or for.”

“The reality is that roughly ninety percent of all the returns we read about only come from five percent of the venture funds. So all these returns are generated by a very small concentration of people that we knew our community didn’t have access to those opportunities. So we started Next Play to give our community of athletes and other individuals that were probably new to the asset class the opportunity to invest with these elite managers.”

“The most valuable possession you have is your time. And, if I’m gonna ask somebody to give me their time or share their time with us, I hope that they can walk away and go, ‘Man, that was really worth my time.’”

“Our mission from Day One and will be for the rest of my time here is how do we give our community a seat at the table.”

“Part of it is favor. I’m a strong believer, and I’m a Christian, and I have a lot of faith. And I’ve been very fortunate from a young age to believe in the man upstairs having favor upon the direction I move.”

“Hopefully these schools and the NCAA now have to put resources around the athlete to help educate them and give them guidance in this new arena on how to capitalize not just financially but mentally as well.”