Buffs with a Brand
Program Overview
Buffs with a Brand is a comprehensive program specifically designed for current CU student-athletes. The program focuses on three foundational pillars: brand management, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy.
Buffs with a Brand gives student-athletes hands-on, real-world experience led by renowned industry experts. Successful completion of the program includes student-athletes creating a mock venture and pitching the idea at the end of the year, developing a brand and marketing plan to use in their future career, and understanding the basics of financial management.
Program Pillars
Brand Management
- The Darlow Rules – student-athletes will develop their brand and marketing plan following industry expert and author of Brands Win Championships and Athletes are Brand Too, Jeremy Darlow, and his program designed specifically for student-athletes
Entrepreneurship
- Programming developed with Erick Mueller, an award-winning adjunct professor and faculty director of the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship in CU's Leeds School of Business
- Venture Pitch Night - student-athletes will create a mock company/venture and pitch the key facets of the venture to the cohort, instructors, and industry professionals at the end of the program
Financial Literacy
- Led by industry experts, student-athletes will learn and practice the basics of financial literacy, including creating a Profit & Loss statement to complement their company pitch
Meet the Team
Erick Mueller |
| Executive Director • Adjunct Professor |
Lauren Unrein |
| Scripps Leadership & Career Development |
Interested in learning more? Please contact Lauren Unrein at Lauren.Unrein@Colorado.edu.
Venture Coaches
- Venture Coaches will serve as a resource and industry expert for student-athletes as they go through the process of creating their mock venture
- Venture Coaches will be paired with a student-athlete (or a small group of student-athletes) by CU Athletics based on their area of interest and your background/expertise
- Venture Coaches will be notified of pairings in mid-September and will receive an email from Lauren Unrein
- The Buffs with a Brand program, and the role of Venture Coach, runs from September 2020 – April 2021
NCAA Compliance Note: Protecting the eligibility of our student-athletes is of the utmost importance. Through your willingness to assist our student-athletes in their career exploration, you share in this responsibility by agreeing to not provide any benefits or privileges to student-athletes that are not provided to all individuals. This includes transportation, meals, entertainment, apparel, etc. Additionally, student-athletes’ names, images, or appearances may not be used to promote your organization, a commercial product, or anything for your personal gain.