From Spreadsheets to AI: How Hannah Sorkin's PlayMaker is Revolutionizing Sports Sponsorships
How Hannah Sorkin is maximizing the value of sports sponsorships with the power of AI
"If you have an idea, talk to as many people as possible. Understand their processes, problems, and existing solutions. This will help you make sure that you’re building a solution based on a problem that people truly have, as opposed to a solution in search of a problem."
As a founder, the only thing better than understanding your ideal buyer is having walked in their shoes yourself.
After six years at Anheuser-Busch, during which she oversaw partnerships with the biggest sports teams & leagues in the world, Hannah Sorkin is building PlayMaker, an all-in-one platform for managing corporate sports sponsorships.
Sports partnerships is one of the fastest growing industries in the entertainment ecosystem, yet all of the underlying technology for sports partnership management is very antiquated. Hannah experienced these operational inefficiencies first-hand, and wanted to provide her peers with a better solution.
Building better partnerships with Playmaker
PlayMaker makes it easier for brands and sports businesses to manage contractual obligations throughout the partnership lifecycle. Harnessing the latest advancements in AI, the platform enables parties on all sides of the sponsorship engagement to automate manual processes, centralize communication, and uncover insights throughout the partnership process.
Sports contracts can be up to 50 pages long, with a multitude of terms and obligations. By providing quick access to a clear picture of contract obligations, PlayMaker helps brands, teams, leagues, and talent maximize the value of their sponsorship engagements while also saving time and resources.
Dominic Lucq, Sr. Director of Partnerships at the Golden State Warriors, describes, "As someone who has spent years in the sports industry, I can confidently say PlayMaker is building something truly special. Their team's commitment to innovation, combined with their relentless focus on creating solutions to existing pain points, makes it clear that this platform will set the new standard for how partnerships are managed, measured, and maximized."
Though only 6 weeks post-launch, PlayMaker has already closed 5 customers and has over $250k of deals at the bottom of their sales funnel.
.jpg)
Hannah’s journey to PlayMaker
Prior to PlayMaker, Hannah spent six years at Anheuser-Busch, during which time she managed partnerships with the major leagues, teams, and talent in the country. Her team aimed to leverage sponsorships to bring Anheuser-Busch’s brand goals and strategies to life, but she soon found that the archaic processes supporting the partnership workflow were preventing them from maximizing value.
In one project, Hannah was tasked with reviewing 28 different team contracts and logging individual deliverables in Excel. It took weeks, and the spreadsheet became out of date soon after Hannah moved on to new initiatives. Though they were landing sponsorships with the biggest teams & leagues in sports, the manual and inefficient processes throughout the partnership lifecycle were holding Anheuser-Busch back from getting the most out of their engagements.
Hannah soon progressed to leadership positions at Anheuser-Busch, but she never forgot about the antiquated processes hindering sports partnerships. It wasn’t long before she recognized that modern technology, particularly advances in AI and LLMs, could enable partnership teams to manage partnership contracts at scale, leading to increased productivity, revenue, and cost savings.
Hannah teamed up with co-founder, Sameer Mehra, who had experience building critical infrastructure at Linkedin. After 7 months of development and thorough market research, they’ve launched PlayMaker.
Hannah’s advice for other founders
When she set out to start developing PlayMaker, Hannah’s first step was to speak to practitioners in the space. She had calls with 30 people about their processes for partnership management, their pain points, and their existing solutions. In combination with her personal experience at Anheuser-Busch, she felt like she understood the space.
But a prominent investor advised Hannah to push her research further–beyond 100 conversations–to understand the problem more deeply before beginning to develop the product. She’s now had over 200 conversations, 150 of which were held before she and Sameer started building. This deep market research has helped the team build a true solution based on a problem that people actually have, as opposed to a solution in search of a problem.
"Talk to as many people as possible, it will pay dividends,” Hannah explains. “Now, when we show potential customers our demo, you can see in their eyes ‘this hits the nail on the head, this solves all the things I currently hate about existing solutions.’ And it’s because we did so much legwork before the product was built."
What’s next for PlayMaker?
Having validated their product and audience, PlayMaker is now looking to double down on growth. The team is currently in the process of raising a pre-seed round to build out their engineering and client success teams, both of which are focused on building a world-class experience for leading brands & sports organizations throughout the sponsorship ecosystem. To learn more, you can check out PlayMaker’s website and connect with Hannah on LinkedIn.
Up to 3,500 bonus and 3% cash-back on all card spend [3], 6 months off payroll, and 50% off bookkeeping for 6 months, free R&D credit.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I sign up for Every?
You can get started right away—just click “Get Started” and follow a short onboarding flow. Prefer a little help? One of our specialists can walk you through incorporation, banking, payroll, accounting, or whatever you need.
- What features does Every offer?
Every gives startups a complete back office in one platform. From incorporation and banking to payroll, bookkeeping, and tax filings, we take care of the operational heavy lifting—so you can spend more time building, less time managing.
- How is Every different from other tools?
Most competitors give you software. Every gives you a full-stack finance and HR team—plus smart financial tools that actually benefit founders. Earn up to 4.3% interest on idle cash and get cash back on every purchase made with your Every debit cards, routed straight back to you.
- Is my data secure with Every?
We use end-to-end encryption, SOC 2-compliant infrastructure, and rigorous access controls to ensure your data is safe. Security isn’t a feature—it’s foundational.
Can I switch to Every if my company is already set up?Yes—you can switch to Every at any time, even if your company is already incorporated and running. Whether you're using separate tools for banking, payroll, bookkeeping, or taxes, we’ll help you bring everything into one place. Our onboarding specialists will guide you through the process, make sure your data is transferred cleanly, and get you set up quickly—without disrupting your operations. Most founders are fully transitioned within a week.
- What stage of startup is Every best for?
Every is designed for startups from day zero through Series A and beyond. Whether you're just incorporating or already running payroll and managing expenses, we meet you where you are. Early-stage founders use Every to get up and running fast—with banking, payroll, bookkeeping, and taxes all handled from day one. Growing teams love how Every scales with them, replacing patchwork tools and manual work with a clean, unified system.
We’re especially valuable for teams who want to move fast without hiring a full finance or HR team—giving founders more time to build, and fewer distractions from admin and compliance
- How long does onboarding take?
Onboarding with Every is fast and efficient. For most startups, the process typically takes between 3 to 7 days, depending on your specific needs and how much setup you already have in place.
If you're a new company, you'll be up and running quickly—getting your banking, payroll, and bookkeeping set up without hassle. If you’re transitioning from another system, our specialists will help you migrate your data, ensuring a smooth switch with no gaps or errors in your operations.
We guide you every step of the way, from incorporation to setting up automated payroll to handling your taxes—so you can focus on growing your business. Our goal is to make sure you're fully operational and confident in your back office in under a week.
Practical Questions to Ask to Ensure Your Bank is Well Managed
How much liquidity does the bank have on hand to cover unexpected withdrawals or shortfalls?
What percentage of the bank's deposits are invested in longer-term securities and loans, and what percentage is kept as cash reserves?
How does the bank diversify its investment portfolio to minimize potential losses and reduce risks?
%202.jpg)
