DENVER (KDVR) – Sarah Hendrickson is a world champion ski jumper as well as a two-time Olympian. 

“I was the first-ever woman ski jumper in 2014 to jump at an Olympic Games,” Sarah Hendrickson, now retired ski jumper said. 

She was lucky enough to have brands like Nike backing her, but for other athletes it can be difficult to secure those big-name brands. 

“A lot of athletes in our nation today are training super hard, but they have no way to connect to brands,” Hendrickson said. 

That’s when you cue in Chase Garrett. 

“I decided to create a platform that would allow the 99% of companies that don’t have a large sports marketing organization to have access to work with all different types of athletes,” Garrett, CEO of Icon Source said.

That digital marketplace is based in Denver, and it connects aspiring brands and professional athletes. Icon Source launched in September of 2019 and represents thousands of athletes, including Mason Plumlee, Red Gerard and Hope Solo. 

“We want brands to actually want to get to know the individuals they are going to be working with, so we allow that direct connection to happen right away,” Garrett said.

Icon Source also helps lower-level athletes get deals as well.

“What’s great is that you can find athletes that will do deals with 100 bucks, and that’s their groceries for the week,” said Hendrickson. 

Another key part to Icon Source is the push for exposure for female athletes. This is a part of the 50 for 50 campaign. 

“We said why don’t we run a campaign to drive brands to make moves?” said Garrett. “People talk about the issue and protest, but we actually have a solution to say put your money where your mouth is.” 

Icon Source is waiving its normal fee to all 50 companies committed to spending at least 10K within 12 months, on athletes they select to support.