ELV8

ELV8 Inc. operates under the brand Scout, a financial platform serving college athletes, coaches and athletic departments navigating Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) income. For schools, Scout offers a single system covering budgeting and roster planning, payment processing and compliance, including cap management (setting a cap and allocating it by position or player with real-time visibility), processing of per diems, bonuses and NIL payments with an auditable record, and automated approval routing through a program's approval chain. The administrative portal for these functions is branded Scout Command.

On the athlete side, Scout provides tracking and management of NIL earnings and payouts, spending plans that adjust to changing income, assistance with establishing an LLC and business bank accounts, guidance on taxes, compliance and filing deadlines, one-on-one financial support, education on evaluating deals, and longer-term financial habit building intended to extend beyond a playing career. Engagements are described as beginning with a guided platform demo, followed by structured onboarding for athletes and staff that includes financial education and platform setup, and ongoing one-on-one access to Scout's team of experts.

Per disclosures on the company's website, investment management and advisory services are provided by ELV8 Inc. ("Scout"), an SEC-registered investment adviser, which also provides financial planning tools; the company states it does not provide tax advice.

Founding story

The company's founding is attributed to Mike, who observed his father, a top-10 NFL Draft pick, lose nearly all of his wealth by retirement, prompting a long-running question about why high earners often end up with little. He pursued the question through Columbia Business School and roles at Goldman and Lazard, and through managing money for athletes including Steph Curry and Michael Phelps. The introduction of NIL in college sports prompted him to build Scout, together with co-founder Cindy, described as an immigrant and startup builder.

Business model

Scout sells a platform and accompanying advisory services to athletic departments and schools, which use it for cap management, payment processing, approvals and compliance, while athletes on partner programs receive income tracking tools, financial education and one-on-one guidance. Prospective institutional customers are asked to book a demo or schedule a call.

Investment management and advisory services are provided by ELV8 Inc. as an SEC-registered investment adviser, alongside financial planning tools and a school-facing software platform; specific pricing is not disclosed publicly.

Traction

The company states it works with 30+ school partners and has 7,000+ athletes on the platform, and publishes testimonials from deputy athletic directors at the University of Louisville and Old Dominion University.

Latest developments

The company's website, carrying a 2026 copyright, reports 30+ school partners and 7,000+ athletes on the platform and promotes the Scout Command admin portal for budgeting, roster planning, payments and compliance.