Endstate Announces New Collaboration Endstate U: New Heights

Company is first to offer Sneaker Collaboration with College Athletes

BOSTON, Feb. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — High-tech lifestyle startup Endstate is thrilled to announce “Endstate U: New Heights,” a first-of-its-kind NIL collaboration with six elite athletes from Boston College. Handpicked for their swagger, talent, kindness, and unique stories, each member of the New Heights team designed their own luxury, signature sneaker for the drop.

Hyper-limited per athlete, the physical and digital sneaker combination unlocks a special experience curated by each athlete in addition to some surprises and events from the Endstate team. There is also a digital portrait of each athlete that gets you a physical autographed photo and unlocks similarly aligned experiences.

The athletes include Zay Flowers, Cayla Barnes, DeMarr Langford, Maria Gakdeng, Christian Mahogany, and Marne Sullivan. Creative direction focused on nostalgia, looking back to celebrate growth, evoked by images of each athlete in a 1980’s yearbook setting.

“It’s fun to travel back in time because so much has developed in our culture since then. Now in 2023 you can buy a digital asset that unlocks a physical sneaker manufactured to the highest quality standards. That same sneaker has a chip inside of it that unlocks unique experiences. In fact, until last year, the notion that a college athlete could have their own signature shoe deal was plainly against the rules. Playing professionally after they graduate should not be the only way for college athletes to achieve success,” said Stephanie Howard, Endstate cofounder.

“Endstate flexes who I am and what’s important to me through my shoe,” exclaimed Cayla Barnes, star hockey player for Boston College, former Olympian for the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team, and now a signature athlete in the Endstate U: New Heights sneaker collection.

Secure your limited edition pair of Endstate U: New Heights sneakers starting on February 15th at 12PM ET at https://mint.endstate.io/.

This NIL athlete drop comes on the heels of Endstate’s successful partnership with DeVonta Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles. Smith worked with Endstate’s renowned designers to create his signature sneaker, the Honey Drip. 

Throughout the season, his fans received a cheesesteak for any receptions of 41+ yards, hitting their inboxes immediately after the play. When he eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards, customers who bought his sneaker earned a limited edition football card. The crowning event was an in-person meet-and-greet where DeVonta’s fans got to meet their idol the month before he played in his first Super Bowl, by virtue of owning his shoes. 

“I’ve always been the type of guy to do my own thing, be in my own lane. Knowing that I was going to be [Endstate’s] first signature athlete, it was a no brainer for me,” Smith declared. 

About Endstate

Endstate was founded by Bennett Collen and Stephanie Howard in 2021 out of a lifelong passion for sneakers and a deep understanding of the power of blockchain technology, specifically NFTs.  Bennett is the former Founder/CEO of Cognate, which was acquired by GoDaddy in 2018 for its pioneering use of smart contracts/NFTs to represent trademark rights, and Stephanie is a veteran design director known for her work at Nike, New Balance, and Reebok, including one of her most notable designs – the New Balance 850. She was recently featured in the books Sneaker Law, She Kicks, and London Design Museum’s Sneakers Unboxed.

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SOURCE Endstate