The Austin-based startup is betting that NCAA settlement fallout and transfer portal volume will accelerate demand for recruiting infrastructure.
Scorability, an Austin-based college sports recruiting platform, announced a $40 million funding round led by Bluestone Equity Partners. Returning investors Silverton Partners, Next Coast Ventures, and founder Brian Cruver participated alongside new backers Luther King Capital Management and Fanatics. The company has now raised $51 million to date.
The capital will fund product development, expansion into additional sports, team growth, and strategic acquisitions. Scorability currently serves 1.2 million athletes and approximately 3,000 college sports programs across all divisions.
The Business Model
Scorability operates as a two-sided marketplace connecting college coaches with recruitable athletes. The platform aggregates transcripts, stats, highlights, and verified measurables into a single interface, layering AI-driven evaluation tools on top to help coaching staffs filter thousands of prospects.
Athletes and families use the platform for free. College programs pay annual subscriptions ranging from $10,000 to $40,000 depending on access level. The company has landed programs at Miami, TCU, Florida Atlantic, and Penn, among others.
Co-founder Cruver describes the positioning as "LinkedIn Premium for the sports recruiting world"—a marketplace where athletes gain visibility and coaches gain efficiency. The comparison is instructive: Scorability is building a network-effects business where value compounds as both sides of the market scale.
Founder Profile
Cruver and co-founder Brett Andrew bring a notable track record. The pair previously built AlertMedia into a global emergency communications software company serving over 5,000 enterprise customers. Both are parents of Division I athletes—Cruver's son plays quarterback at Florida Atlantic—and cite firsthand experience with recruiting dysfunction as the catalyst for starting Scorability in 2023.
The founder background matters for investors evaluating execution risk. Cruver has scaled enterprise software before and understands the pain point from the customer side. That combination of operational credibility and domain knowledge likely factored into Bluestone's decision to lead.
Market Context
The timing of this raise aligns with significant structural shifts in college athletics.
The $2.28 billion NCAA antitrust settlement is reshaping the economic relationship between athletes and institutions. As compensation flows more directly to players, the stakes around recruiting decisions increase for both sides. Programs are making larger financial commitments to athletes; athletes are making career decisions with greater economic consequence. Both parties benefit from better information and more efficient matching.
Transfer portal volume amplifies the opportunity. The NCAA reported a record 550,000+ student-athletes competing in 2024-25, with an increasing share entering the portal each cycle. Coaches now evaluate not just high school prospects but a continuous flow of collegiate transfers—compressing decision timelines and raising the premium on evaluation tools.
As Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson noted in a company testimonial: "You don't have 6 months, 10 months to get to know a kid, sit down with their family, do home visits. Those days are over."
Investor Perspective
Bluestone Equity Partners, a New York-based firm focused on sports, media, and entertainment, led the round. Partners Walker Brumskine and Jake Harris join the Scorability board.
Bluestone founder Bobby Sharma framed the opportunity in broad terms: "This is a problem solver on both ends of the market for something that's increasingly economically important. This is a huge, multi-billion opportunity."
Fanatics' participation adds a strategic dimension. The merchandising and collectibles giant has been building positions across the sports ecosystem; a stake in recruiting infrastructure fits the pattern of vertical integration.
Competitive Landscape and M&A Implications
Scorability enters a market with established players including NCSA (acquired by IMG Academy in 2016), Hudl, and various sport-specific recruiting services. The company's stated intention to pursue "strategic acquisitions" suggests a consolidation thesis—using the new capital to roll up point solutions and expand sport coverage.
The recruiting technology space has historically been fragmented, with different platforms dominating different sports or recruiting stages. A well-capitalized player with acquisition appetite could accelerate consolidation, particularly as smaller competitors face pressure to demonstrate sustainable unit economics.
For investors watching the space, Scorability's raise signals continued appetite for recruiting infrastructure. The combination of SaaS economics, network effects, and structural tailwinds from NCAA changes makes the category attractive. The question is whether Scorability can establish the kind of market position that justifies growth-stage valuations—or whether incumbents and new entrants fragment the opportunity.
