TheLinkU Selected as Title Sponsor for AthleteCon 3.0, Powering All Athlete and Brand Engagements During the Event

Three-day NIL convention to convene student athletes and brands for live dealmaking, content creation, and hands-on education

LAS VEGAS, April 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AthleteCon today announced it has named TheLinkU as the title sponsor of this year’s event. Sam Green Presents AthleteCon 3.0 Powered by TheLinkU, a three-day NIL convention will take place June 3–5, 2026, at the Sahara Las Vegas. The event is strategically timed ahead of the 2026 NACDA Convention, bringing athletes, brands, and college athletics administrators together in Las Vegas just days before the industry’s largest annual gathering.

AthleteCon has quickly established itself as a leading event in the NIL space by combining education, access, and execution in one setting. Unlike traditional conferences, this event is designed to produce real outcomes, with athletes creating content, brands identifying partners, and deals taking shape on-site. TheLinkU will serve as the operational backbone of the event, managing athlete onboarding, contract execution and management, payments, compliance, and the systems that support how opportunities are activated, amplified, and scaled throughout the event. As title sponsor, TheLinkU will power all athlete-brand engagement throughout the conference, streamlining brand participation, expanding athlete exposure, and supporting content-driven activations that extend beyond a single deal.

This year’s event is expected to bring together more than 500 attendees, including NCAA, professional, and Olympic athletes alongside brands, creators, college administrators and brands. Brands participating include SnapChat, Meta, GoFundMe, NOCCO, Barebells, Good Molecules, Rootnote, Klean Athlete, FireFly Recovery and more. Notable individuals and student-athletes like Eli Ellis, Isaac Ellis, Julz Dunne, Tatum Bittick and many more will participate. Institutions like Michigan, Louisville, San Diego State, Cincinnati, Boise, Arkansas, and Wisconsin will be represented by sending student-athletes and or administrators.

“Everything we build at AthleteCon is designed with the student-athlete in mind,” said Sam Green, founder of AthleteCon. “And this year, with attendance anticipated to be significantly higher than previous years, the volume of NIL activity taking place will be substantially higher. Attendees are relying on us to ensure that every deal is being handled properly and amplified to the fullest extent. TheLinkU is essential to that experience, serving as the platform that keeps each contract compliant, organized, and built to protect the parties involved.”

AthleteCon’s expansion is backed by strong performance from previous events. In 2025, AthleteCon generated 18 million impressions, more than 1,500 Instagram stories, and 600 athlete-created videos across three days. The event featured more than 100 Division I athletes, 35 active brands, and over 300 total attendees, with athletes representing a combined social following of more than 15 million.

“NIL environments like AthleteCon 3.0 combine scale with real-time engagement, which raises the bar for how brands need to show up,” said Austin Elrod, CEO of TheLinkU. “Whether brands are entering NIL for the first time or building on existing strategies, they need to move quickly without sacrificing structure. Our role is to provide the foundation behind the scenes that allows brands and student-athletes to activate efficiently, while ensuring everything is handled carefully and compliantly. That support gives both sides the confidence to focus on building real partnerships.”

AthleteCon 3.0 will also feature live brand activations, a content creation competition, and Athlete Awards Night, where brands engage directly with athletes and select partners on site. Tickets for this year’s event can be purchased at Athletecon.io.

About TheLinkU
Founded in 2022 by Austin Elrod, TheLinkU is a pioneering NIL platform dedicated to simplifying and enhancing opportunities for college athletes and institutions. With a focus on integrity and compliance, TheLinkU offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to empower athletes and support colleges in navigating the evolving NIL landscape. For more information, visit www.thelinku.com.

Media Contact:
Sterling Randle
Digital Sport by Hot Paper Lantern
srandle@hotpaperlantern.com

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