Ben Nichols is the Founder of Padel 22, the first Communications and Marketing Consultancy dedicated to the fastest growing sport in the world, padel.

He shares his journey from sports journalism to working at the World Anti-Doping Agency during the Russian doping scandal, and now to promoting padel - the world's fastest-growing sport.

Timestamps:

(0:00) – Intro to Ben

(0:22) – Ben's Background in Sports Marketing & PR

(8:07) – The Move to Padel

(11:12) – Social Media & Growth Drivers for Padel

(14:15) – What is Padel?

(16:45) – Why Padel is Exploding Globally

(17:01) – The Investment & Business Opportunity

(22:37) – Challenges Expanding in the US Market

(25:27) – Storytelling Across Different Demographics

(27:16) – The Community Aspect of Padel

(31:40) – Padel vs Paddle: Setting the Record Straight!

(33:36) – What's Next for Padel

(35:51) – Padel as a Sport of Its Time

(37:24) – Where to Find Ben Nichols

Links:

Padel 22 Website

Ben Nichols Instagram

Padel 22 Instagram

The Post Game Podcast:

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Post Game Podcast (@JoePod24) / X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Email me: joe.poduslenko@gmail.com

Christopher Knowles is a former D1 Volleyball player at LIU Brooklyn.

He shares his story from college sports to entrepreneurship, content creation, and building a brand for athletes navigating life after sports.

We also dive into UnJerseyed, Chris’s platform focused on helping former athletes rebuild routines, mindset, and direction after sports.

Timestamps:

(0:00) – Intro & Chris’s Volleyball Background
(4:00) – Growing Up in a Pro Sports Family
(7:00) – Recruiting Reality & College Disappointment
(8:15) – Discovering Personal Development on YouTube
(10:00) – Dropping Out, Trying Entrepreneurship, and Failing Forward
(12:00) – Building Volleyball Growth Coach (247K+ Followers)
(14:30) – Viral Content, Growth Explosions, and Branding Lessons
(17:15) – Monetization Mistakes & Selling the Account Too Early
(20:15) – Playing at LIU Brooklyn & Finally Finishing the Dream
(22:30) – Identity Collapse After Sports Ends
(25:00) – Why Athletes Struggle After the Jersey Comes Off
(27:30) – The Vision Behind UnJerseyed
(30:30) – Surveying Athletes Instead of Guessing What They Want
(33:30) – Community, Career, and Mindset vs. Just Job Placement
(37:00) – Corporate vs. Entrepreneurial Paths for Young Athletes
(40:30) – Why Degrees Are Losing Signal (and What Replaces Them)
(42:30) – Where to Find Chris & Final Thoughts

Links:

Unjerseyed

LinkedIn

Instagram

The Post Game Podcast:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://postgamepodcast.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thepostgame_podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Post Game Podcast (@JoePod24) / X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-post-game-podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email me: joe.poduslenko@gmail.com

Vasu Kulkarni is a tech entrepreneur, investor, and lifelong basketball fanatic best known as the founder of Krossover, one of the first sports analytics platforms to bring video breakdown and data insights to high school and collegiate teams.

After scaling and exiting Krossover, Vasu moved into venture capital, investing in early-stage sports, media, and technology companies including The Athletic.

He has worked closely with high-profile athletes like Larry Fitzgerald, built a reputation for spotting outlier founders, and now spends his time backing innovative startups and advising entrepreneurs.

What You’ll Learn:

• How Vasu founded Krossover and scaled it from a college project
• The underrated lessons sports teach entrepreneurs
• Why former athletes often thrive in startups
• How venture capitalists choose where to allocate dollars
• Why being wrong 90% of the time is part of the job
• Behind the scenes of working with Larry Fitzgerald
• The art vs. science of venture capital
• How top teams prioritize product features
• What makes certain founders “outliers”
• The story behind the investment in The Athletic and their retention data
• Losing a competitive deal to Andreessen Horowitz
• The key questions he asks early-stage founders
• Vasu’s watch collecting hobby

Timestamps:

(1:30) – Intro to Vasu, childhood, and love for basketball
(5:30) – Getting to Penn & playing JV hoops
(9:30) – Entrepreneurship in his blood
(11:15) – Breaking down the venture ecosystem
(13:00) – Lessons from sports you carry into business
(15:45) – The fine line between quitting & persisting
(18:30) – Why most venture dollars go toward people
(20:30) – Why VCs are wrong 90% of the time
(21:30) – PE vs. VC: What’s the difference?
(25:15) – Working with Larry Fitzgerald
(26:50) – Venture capital: art and science
(27:40) – Prioritizing product features as a founder
(30:20) – Are there true outlier founders?
(31:40) – The Athletic deal & retention numbers
(34:00) – Are founders calling them first?
(35:30) – Why it’s not hard to go 0 for 30 in VC
(37:10) – Early work ethic stories
(39:15) – Vasu’s love for watches
(42:00) – Michael Jordan vs. Steph Curry

Links:

Vasu Kulkarni - Athlete, Entrepreneur, Blogger

Courtside Custom

Vasu Kulkarni | LinkedIn

x.com/Vasu

The Post Game Podcast:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://postgamepodcast.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Post Game Podcast (@JoePod24) / X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-post-game-podcast/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email me: joe.poduslenko@gmail.com