WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) Department of Athletics, a proud Division II Historically Black College and University (HBCU), has announced an exciting partnership with Influxer. This collaboration will empower WSSU student-athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL) through personalized merchandise.
Influxer, an officially licensed vendor, specializes in creating co-branded apparel customized with players’ names and numbers. This partnership will not only offer personalized merchandise but also provide invaluable education and training on marketing, entrepreneurship, and personal branding. All merchandise will be sold on Influxer’s platform, influxermerch.com.
“I am excited about the opportunity for WSSU student-athletes to capitalize on their name, image, and likeness (NIL) via the Influxer platform,” said Director of Athletics, Etienne Thomas. “They will have individual pages with merchandise they can choose to market to friends, family, alumni, and their fans, receiving a return on their investment. All revenue payments are made directly by Influxer quarterly.”
While NIL deals for Division II student-athletes are still emerging, platforms like Influxer provide a unique opportunity to enhance the student-athlete experience, offer a competitive edge in recruiting, and help students gain business and financial skills while still enrolled.
Justin Fleming, a rising senior from the WSSU football team, was one of the first to sign up and is enthusiastic about this new venture.
“Influxer has opened the door for me and my teammates, creating opportunities that extend beyond the game and benefit our entire team,” said Fleming.
Every WSSU student-athlete will have the chance to leverage this platform fully. The Influxer team will handle customer service and collaborate with the student-athletes to create their personalized pages.
“Influxer is excited about this partnership with WSSU to bring a great NIL opportunity that benefits everyone,” Keith Miller, Influxer VP, added. “Etienne Thomas and the administration have been extremely diligent in not only emphasizing the end product but also recognizing the business experience the process brings to student-athlete development.”
Furthermore, Influxer will create a position for a WSSU student-athlete to manage a WSSU social media page dedicated to showcasing all student-athlete merchandise.
For more information on WSSU Athletics, visit our website at www.wssurams.com.