Randy Osei is creating new opportunities for athletes transitioning into digital careers. As founder and CEO of Athlete Technology Group (ATG), which earned recognition as the 2023 Canadian Education Technology Startup of the Year, Randy is introducing innovative approaches to digital education that help athletes and creators build sustainable careers in content creation and technology.

From Sports Management to Tech Education Innovation

Randy recognized that athletes naturally fit into content creation. “Every time they play their sport, there’s an art to it, there’s storytelling, there’s media, there’s branding,” he says. This understanding and his experience managing professional athletes’ brands and businesses showed him an opportunity that ATG now addresses.

The spark for ATG came when Randy noticed NBA star Steph Curry’s tech investments in 2019. “I was like, ‘Why are you doing that? That’s not regular.’ And then I saw he invested in a Toronto tech company. I live in Toronto and wondered how he found that company; it’s a five-hour flight away [from San Francisco, where Curry is based].”

This observation prompted Randy to launch the Athlete Tech Summit, where he identified a deeper need. “As much as athletes wanted to participate and engage, they didn’t know the lingo. They didn’t know how to participate,” he explains. “Many would say, ‘Hey, I have a guy who takes care of this.’ But at some point, you’ll retire, and whoever this person helping you manage is, they’re not free. And you won’t be able to afford them at some point.”

Training Ground: From Mobile App to AI-Powered Platform

ATG began operations in 2020 and launched its first product in 2021, supported by initial funding from former athlete clients. The company started with Training Ground, a mobile app offering on-demand microlearning for athletes. By 2023, when ATG received recognition as Canadian Education Technology Startup of the Year, Randy recognized growth opportunities.

“We built an app to help people learn, but we realized people wanted not only to learn but also find ways to earn,” Randy explains. This led to the development of Training Ground AI, which helps athletes, students, and creators build personal brands and career skills through 10-minute learning sessions while participating in content creation opportunities.

“I was down this rabbit hole of building an app focused on just athletes to help them learn all these things,” Randy reflects. “That’s what I came out to the market to do: help athletes learn and prepare for the future of work. My pivot in 2023 is where we got into creators and students, and we just have a bigger base because we’re talking about athletes who aren’t the only ones who have this challenge. Kids all over the place have this challenge.”

The Black Creator Academy: Addressing Market Disparities

A significant ATG initiative is the Black Creator Academy, a content creation bootcamp for Black youth in the Greater Toronto Area that is supported by government funding to address income gaps in content creation. 

“Black creators earn 34% less than their white counterparts,” Randy reveals. “And it’s not that they’re not as skilled or don’t have the audiences or know how to engage with the platforms. There’s a disconnect between something that they’re doing and something that’s creating value.”

The program welcomes creators at every experience level. “If you’re a Black youth and enjoy creating, this program is for you,” Randy emphasizes. “If you’re just starting, we want to work with you. If you’re already creating and trying to find ways to grow and scale your creator business, we want to work with you as well. Athletes, podcasters, photographers, videographers, people into the arts, designers – we’re trying to hear from our community of creators.”

Selection focuses on potential and commitment. “Every person who applies to be a part of the program has to come with a business idea or pitch,” Randy explains. “After we meet everyone and go through that process of understanding different applicants, those selected have an onboarding call, get access to our Slacks, our Google Drives, and learn what the schedule looks like. The dedication to the program is four to six hours a month.”

The 12-week curriculum covers essential skills. “The first four weeks are based on content creation and production: storyboarding, leveraging algorithms, and just the basic content creator knowledge around creation and ensuring that the foundation for all our creators is at the same level,” Randy explains.

He continues, “And then we move over to finance: how are you financing your creator business and idea if you’re a creator? Are you looking at loans, or should you be a non-profit? Should you be a for-profit? Should you look for government grants? The final month is just your capital strategy moving forward.”

The academy features industry professionals as mentors. “Our mentors are entrepreneurs. Some work at Snapchat and TikTok, and some are creators with over 2 million followers who have been making content for the last 10 years. They have tips and tricks and are willing to support and help,” Randy shares. 

“For Black History Month, we are trying to align with different brands that market to work with our 50 creators during Black History Month. We’re trying to teach them and create an opportunity to make money while in the program and coach them through these experiences as well,” he adds.

Participants compete for substantial funding. “You’re ultimately pitching because we’re awarding one creator a $10,000 business grant towards their business idea,” Randy explains. He highlights broader goals beyond winning: “I hope these young creators, whether they win or not, feel empowered, confident, and determined to find a way to help others.”

Building Success Through Partnerships

ATG’s partnership with the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) demonstrates the company’s impact through its Rising Star program. “We’ve done that program for three years and have had over 500 applicants. Seventy-five kids have graduated from the program,” Randy explains.

The entrepreneur adds that graduates have achieved considerable milestones: launching businesses accepted into top Canadian accelerators with $5,000 in startup funding, securing a $100,000 engineering scholarship, and obtaining positions at RBC and innovative startups.

The program structure mirrors the Black Creator Academy. “Rising Star is a program focused on Black youth, helping them get into the tech industry from a career perspective,” Randy explains. “It’s online modules through our platform training ground, AI weekly virtual session with your program manager, and then access to mentors.”

Mentorship quality drives success. “We brought in athletes and people who worked at IBM, Google, and Microsoft so that they can get those various perspectives and leverage the diversity of thought for their career journey,” Randy shares.

ATG maintains relationships with graduates. “Overall, we’re still connected with every kid who’s graduated from this program. And as they continue progressing through their outcomes, we want to keep supporting them,” Randy emphasizes.

Looking toward expansion, Randy focuses on quality: “For us right now, we want to ensure we do it right and get it to a place where it’s effective but scalable.” 

He sees partnership potential: “If I could find a U.S. bank or partner that likes the program and wants to mimic the program… Maybe we don’t have to run it. Maybe another organization knows their region better. Maybe there’s just the framework, and you guys can go.”

Content Creation in 2025

Randy anticipates AI’s growing role in content creation. “We’ll see AI influencers and social media pages, just AI brands. However, the people who’ll win will be the ones who can make that authentic connection, which AI can’t do,” he predicts.

“We’re going to see a widespread scale of AI and its adoption, but I still don’t think people are going to use AI to its full capability,” Randy observes. “So that’s where I hope creators bridge the gap for the everyday consumer and help people understand the power of AI because it has been around for 30 to 40 years. When we were changing, we were putting our debit card into the bank machine, and that was AI telling us how much money we had.”

Creating Economic Opportunities

ATG aims for widespread impact. “The more people you bless is how you measure success,” Randy states. “You can’t help anyone if you have little to give or share. So for us, it’s not just empowering and educating, but empowering and ensuring that they feel confident to create the same impact within the communities they come from.”

For aspiring creators from underserved communities, Randy stresses dedication. “Yes, it is possible, but it being possible means it’s gonna suck,” he candidly shares. “Not every day you win the championship. You must practice, lift weights, film it, and do it again the next day.”

“I like to call it the ‘Each One Teaches One’ model, where everyone is teaching one another, but also the next person,” he explains. “And that’s the only way that I think the creator economy helps level the playing field for many of these creators.”

Through ATG and initiatives like the Black Creator Academy, Randy combines athletic discipline with digital skills to develop resilient entrepreneurs. As he concludes, “Take the athlete mindset with the creator skills and create a new version of creators moving forward. I’m hoping the Black Creator Academy is one step towards that.”