The social network that wants to help athletes succeed after sport

Athletes train their whole lives to be the very best at shooting a puck, hitting a ball, and putting their body on the line. But once they’re done with the championships, medals, and accolades, what comes next?? 

Vancouver-based startup Free Agent is molding the next step of their careers with the launch of its professional networking platform just for athletes. It doesn’t matter if someone only played one game, like a modern-day Rudy, dominated internationally like Christine Sinclair, or still actively playing; if they were on a roster, they’re welcome to find their next chapter on Free Agent, says founder, CEO, and former professional hockey player Kirsten Toth.

“Our mission at Free Agent is to support athletes and ensure that they have the right opportunities and resources in order to succeed after sport,” Toth told BetaKit in an interview.

“Sweat does not show up on a resume.”

Kirsten Toth, Free Agent

Athletes sign up to Free Agent’s exclusive social networking platform for no charge. There, they can take advantage of job-matching and marketplace features, and even get training for new careers, such as in sales. Meanwhile, companies pay to access an elite talent pool that they may not find elsewhere. 

“I like to use the phrase ‘sweat does not show up on a resume,’” Toth said. “Who are the people that have proved that they can go the extra mile, get the job done, work harder than anybody else in the world? Who are those people? Athletes.” 

While you might be forgiven for drawing comparisons to LinkedIn or Indeed, Toth isn’t fond of the connection. In her eyes, Free Agent’s specialized focus on athletes’ needs puts it into a league of its own;  on the social side, it also eliminates any feeling of shame that may come with looking for work on another platform. 

“The challenge of transitioning out of sport—the complete identity crisis—it’s something that everyone shares, and it really eliminates the ego from the room,” Toth said. “When people are looking for work and exploring new career opportunities on Free Agent, they wear that on their sleeve.”

“People are almost tripping on themselves running to help … and I think that that’s something that’s really unique and beautiful about what we’ve created,” she added.  

One feature that sets Free Agent apart from other job boards is the Brand Arena, a do-it-yourself marketplace for brands and athletes to find each other for sponsorship opportunities. The offering wasn’t initially on Free Agent’s radar, but became a clear need after speaking with athletes who find their agents unhelpful, particularly after they retire and become an afterthought compared to active players, Toth said. 

RELATED: Free Agent is building a LinkedIn-style career marketplace for athletes

Unlike an agent, Brand Arena takes no fees from the athletes, a disruption that Toth compared to Uber and Airbnb for taxis and hotels.

“We wanted to create a space for [athletes] to come and be able to leverage 100 percent of their earnings,” Toth said.

Free Agent’s launch comes on the heels of a $1.7-million USD ($2.4 million CAD) pre-seed round, which includes $500,000 CAD the company raised in 2024. The round was “non-traditional,” with no institutional investors, instead backed by around 55 angel investors that are almost entirely former college, professional, or Olympic athletes. Toth didn’t name drop any specific investors, but said the cap table is represented by a variety of sports, including gold medalists. 

“Who are the people that have proved that they can go the extra mile, get the job done, work harder than anybody else in the world? Who are those people? Athletes.”

Kirsten Toth,
Free Agent

Launched out of beta last week, Free Agent is being widely adopted, according to Toth. While she did not share hard numbers,  she said the platform has player representation from over 4,100 teams across 104 sports, including athletes from every single male and female professional team and league in both Canada and the United States.  

“I see people [on Free Agent] lifting Super Bowl trophies, and we have one athlete on there that, I think if she spreads her wingspan, she probably has like 30 medals … and that’s just an average athlete on the platform,” Toth said. “The mission is to be above average, to be impactful, and to really represent the athlete community well in business and not be the dumb jocks.”

While Toth acknowledged that $2.4 million CAD is a small amount, especially as Canadian businesses doing work in the United States and enduring “brutal” conversion rates, the funding will be used to grow the platform even more. 

“Ultimately, right now, the goal is to put as many opportunities in front of as many athletes as we possibly can,” Toth said. 

Feature image courtesy Unsplash. Photo by Jerry Yu.