25 Nov Catching Up With… Jay Townsend, Co-Founder & CEO of Motion Sports
We recently had the chance to catch up with Jay Townsend, Co-Founder and CEO of Motion Sports, to talk about his experience raising capital through the IU Angel Network. This interview is part of our ongoing series highlighting IU Angel Network members and portfolio companies reshaping industries across the country.
Motion Sports is a technology platform built by former NCAA athletes, coaches and compliance staff who intimately understood the challenges of modern college athletics. Rooted in Indiana, the company’s mission is to ease administrative burdens so student-athletes, coaches and administrators can focus on what truly matters: performance, growth and the love of the game.
The leadership team includes founders Jay Townsend, Anthony Leal (former IU Men’s Basketball student-athlete) and Nate Ebel, who bring direct experience in athletics, branding and operations to the company’s mission.
Below is our conversation with Jay, lightly edited for clarity.
How did your company first get connected with the IU Angel Network, and what ultimately led you to pursue investment through the Network?
We first got connected through Paragraph Ventures, our venture studio in Bloomington. They introduced us early to Olivia and the IU Angel Network team, and things just clicked from there.
For us, it’s important to have investors who want to be in the battle with us. We look for alignment around mission and mindset, and we felt that immediately with the angel network. It wasn’t transactional — it felt like a true partnership from day one.
What aspects of the IU Angel Network’s diligence or investment process stood out to you compared to other investors or groups you engaged with?
The engagement and clarity were the biggest standouts.
We’ve met with several angel groups, and the IU Angel Network is at the top when it comes to being founder-friendly. They understood that we’re trying to run and grow a company, and ambiguity in a fundraising process creates real pain.
With IU Angels, we always knew where things stood — daily. No guessing, no chasing. And the process kept angels actively involved. It wasn’t a “pitch and disappear” experience; it was pitch, discuss, and go deeper. That led to stronger relationships with the angels themselves.
Can you share a key moment—either during your pitch or after investment—when the IU Angel Network meaningfully impacted your company’s trajectory?
It’s not just one moment — it happens every month.
At least once a month an IU angel reaches out offering to help. Some are great for prospect introductions, others help with hiring, and others support additional fundraising efforts. It’s been continuous, real involvement — not a one-time boost.
So instead of one key moment, it’s been a series of meaningful touchpoints that keep moving the business forward.
What advice would you give other IU-affiliated founders who are considering raising capital through the IU Angel Network?
Engage early and bring them along for the journey. Show up, be present, and keep the network close.
Jon (Barada) and Olivia (Schmitt-Metz) work incredibly hard to build IU connections across the country, and founders get the most out of the network when they invest in that relationship early. If you do, you’ll find supporters who genuinely want to help you win.
Learn more about the IU Angel Network at iuventures.com