Pittsburgh based Ready® Nutrition added LA Rams superstar and noob, Aaron Donald, to Team Ready as a co-owner and investor but don’t think just because he is new to the fitness drink investment game this athlete didn’t do his business homework on the investment. Founder and President Pat Cavanaugh announced on Tuesday that his sports nutrition company was adding the former University of Pittsburgh All-American defensive tackle, thirteenth pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and two time AP defensive player of the year in 2017 and 2019, because he was a user and believer in Ready Protein Water. Founded in 2012, Cavanaugh says Ready Nutrition will top $100 in sales by 2020 due to double-digit sales growth annually. The target market for their protein-centric sports drinks, protein powder and various snacks are high school and youth aged athletes.
Aaron Donald Talks The Talk
Aaron is not a shy man nor is he quiet when it comes to talking a good game. His commitments to football, training and performance are evident in the results. All that confidence, effort and willpower led to earning a six-year, $135 million contract extension that I am certain he and his family are proud of and rightfully so. Now Donald wants to give back though Team Ready as an active participant in product development, working with the young athlete and increasing brand awareness programs.
“I play hard and I train even harder,” said Donald. “I’ve learned during my career through a lot of trial and error that getting the right quality nutrition products in my body can make a big difference in how I perform. So, I am very particular about what I put in my body, very particular. Ready Water’s combination of protein, no sugar, and all-natural electrolytes checked all the boxes for me. The fact that Pat, also a Pitt guy, shares the same mindset about hard work and helping others, and runs the business with that mindset every day, made Ready the perfect fit for me.”
Donald is all-in with the Ready Mobile Training Table Program and will contribute via Ready Talks with Aaron providing advice to fellow athletes. The company also plans to donation Ready products to qualified high school and youth programs across the nation.
Donald added, “I’ve looked at hundreds of brand partnerships over the past couple years and have found very few that match my standards and interests in making a difference in a global community.”
When a person is constantly told they are too small or too slow to make it on the team and then play as a starter, the best players take that as a challenge and look for ways to help them achieve goals as was the case with Donald. One way to separate yourself from the competition is making sure you are consuming the right food and drink when working out, during camp and throughout a season. Ready Water is all-natural making the premium sports hydration drink stand out in a crowded field because it is made with 15 grams of protein, ZERO sugar and 5 natural electrolytes mixed together to refresh and revive.
Aaron was back home in Pennsylvania last week to play the Steelers and spent a good part of his bye week time helping to mold the company marketing plan.
“You don’t see too many guys doing that,” Cavanaugh added. “He wants to be involved with the brand beyond using the product, which he has been. He wants to get into the weeds. He’s a guy that likes to understand the business and at the end of the day. He wants to help the product. He wants to talk to the kids.”
SportsBiz
The new partnership between Pittsburgh entrepreneurs aims to shift the sports, workout and nutrition world by helping athletes achieve their most ambitious goal.
Ready has an internal goal to assist one million athletes tackle a single far-reaching goal by 2025.
Most recently Ready and Aaron made a large donation of Ready Water to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation to help hydrate the firefighters during their recent battles with wildfires across Southern California.
“We are proud to have Aaron join our Team, especially how well he matches our brand mentality.” said Cavanaugh. “Most importantly, he’s a caring person who likes to help others. We’re excited to partner with someone who is so engaged in helping young people and at the same time is known to be a relentless worker, on and off the field. We LOVE people who believe in our products and our philosophy that it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. Aaron epitomizes this.”
Look for Ready Nutrition’s line at more than 8,000 nationwide outlets and growing fast. You can find it at Sam’s Club, on the web on Amazon, in numerous grocery and convenience stores, at 200 NCAA universities, and the company’s website www.readyismade.com. Ready Nutrition has signed on as the “official sports nutrition brand” of the Atlantic 10, Big Sky, Conference USA, and Southland Conference.
Follow Ready® Nutrition @ready_nutrition and Donald on Twitter @AaronDonald97 respectively and Aaron on Instagram at aarondonald99.
Sports Techie, investing in sports tech is a natural fit for professional athletes. The fitness drink industry has already shown the way when Bodyarmor added Kobe Bryant as in investor for a reported $6 million earning the Black Mamba 10% ownership that was worth around $200 million after Coca-Cola bought into the company last year.
Investment terms were not made public but according to CNBC, Donald is set to take a small stake of ownership as a growth investor adding more significance as the value of the company increases.
Will something like what happened to Bodyarmor after partnering with Kobe repeat itself for Ready Nutrition after landing Donald?
Cavanaugh wants the personal story about Donald to reflect the company’s core messaging.
Sounds like an investment and performance winner to me, drink up!
See you later sportstechie in Seattle, Atlanta and around the world!
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