As NIL Takes Over College Sports, AG1 Is Funding Scientists
As AG1 leans into science-backed marketing, the supplement maker is making a bold statement that scientists are as deserving as athletes of name, image and likeness sponsorships
Since name, image and likeness (NIL) deals were introduced in 2021, numerous college athletes have benefited from sponsorships with the biggest athletic brands. But nutrition supplement brand AG1 is changing the narrative of what kind of college student can access these profitable partnerships — instead of athletes, the company has signed NIL sponsorship deals with three early-career scientists.
The brand reasons that scientists deserve the same level of recognition and investment for their work in health, nutrition and performance.
The three researchers repping the AG1 brand are Chidera Ejikeme, a research assistant at Brigham & Women’s Hospital studying the impact of sleep on health; Hannah Eberhardt, a Master’s student at Florida State University focused on nutrition gaps in female athletes and tactical populations; and Dr. Margaret Hilliard, a postdoctoral fellow at UC Davis exploring how diet and the microbiome shape health outcomes.
AG1, which makes nutritional supplements including a flagship all-in-one daily powder, provided each researcher with a financial grant in addition to the elevated platform for their work. Students were chosen based on five main criteria:
- Alignment with AG1’s mission: The brand selected areas of research that specifically advance the science behind foundational health, nutrition and wellness.
- Scientific merit and innovation: Each researcher demonstrated creativity and novelty in their work.
- Researcher potential: AG1 focused on early-career scientists who show promise as future leaders in their fields.
- Feasibility and impact: Research hypotheses that showed potential to generate actionable insights for the scientific community and real-world applications were prioritized.
- Commitment to integrity: AG1 states it values transparency, ethics and a commitment to sharing knowledge.
Through its novel approach to NIL deals, AG1 is hoping to redefine the whole premise of these kinds of sponsorships, putting scientists on an equal playing field with athletes. And this isn’t the brand’s first investment in scientific research — last month, AG1 announced a partnership with UC Davis, whose research focuses on nutrition, health, and the “food as medicine” concept. The brand is specifically collaborating with the university’s Innovation Institute for Food and Health (IIFH) to research the intersection of nutrition and metabolic health.
The announcement also arrives as AG1 continues expanding, adding new products to its offerings and bringing the greens powders into Bluestone Lane cafes nationwide.