Chiefs star Travis Kelce's newest venture aims to help college athletes

Pete Grathoff, The Kansas City Star on Aug 18, 2026

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce often speaks fondly about his days at the University of Cincinnati, but he played for the Bearcats before the dawn of the NIL age.

The landscape of college sports since Kelce’s playing days has changed, as athletes have many more money-making opportunities.

Athletes can use their name, image and likeness for advertising deals, and Kelce joined with the French advertising agency Publicis Groupe to help those players find those new financial opportunities.

A Wall Street Journal story said the Publicis Groupe on Tuesday launched Tekta, an NIL business “to help brands select, structure and measure partnerships with student athletes and schools. Kelce will serve as an adviser, while the talent management firm that represents him, 3 Arts Sports, steps in as strategic operating partner.”

The number of NIL deals has exploded the past few years.

A2A Academy projected NIL spending reached an estimated $1.9 billion in 2025.

“I am excited to leverage my lived experience and professional perspective to help close the gap for brands and athletes alike,” Kelce said in a statement, per Variety. “Streamlining the process will allow everyone to fully realize the potential of engaging across the board, including the significant opportunity that lies in those untapped sports and undiscovered personalities.”

The Wall Street Journal story said Kelce will be involved with Tekta’s clients.

“Publicis Sports will hone clients’ strategies, then hand them over to Tekta to identify promising athletes and schools based on those brand objectives,” the Wall Street Journal wrote. “Kelce, who already balances his NFL career with a podcast, a beer brand, a steakhouse and a sportswear line, will advise at a high level.”

Publicis Sports CEO Suzy Deering noted that Kelce’s focus is on the Chiefs, who are preparing for the 2026 NFL season at their training camp in St. Joseph.

“Needless to say, he has his day job right now,” Deering told the WSJ, “but he is very hands-on from an advisor perspective.”

Kelce has a number of business ventures, including co-owning Garage Beer with his brother, Jason, and being part of the Alpine Formula One ownership group with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

There is also the New Heights podcast Kelce co-hosts, and he has a stake in Accelerator Energy. And earlier this year, he joined Tommy Hilfiger as a global brand ambassador and creative collaborator.