Berkida Podcast
How Choosing the Right Influencers for Brands to Maximise Marketing ROI with Ishveen Jolly
In this episode of Berkida Ventures Podcast, host Massimo Marinelli speaks with Ishveen Jolly , Founder & CEO at OpenSponsorship , Non-Executive Director at British Wrestling and Board Member at Influence Mobile , a technology-enabled sponsorship platform transforming how brands connect with athletes, creators, and influencers. Ishveen shares how OpenSponsorship was created to modernise the sponsorship industry by replacing traditional relationship-based dealmaking with data, transparency, and strategic decision-making. The conversation explores the evolution from athlete sponsorship into the broader creator economy, why brands need to think beyond follower counts, and how successful campaigns combine authenticity, creativity, and measurable outcomes. Ishveen also discusses the role of AI in sponsorship, the rise of women’s sports, investment opportunities in sports infrastructure, and why athletes and creators will continue to become more valuable assets for brands. Key Takeaways: How Ishveen identified inefficiencies in the traditional sponsorship industry and built OpenSponsorship. Why sponsorship needed more transparency, data, and strategic decision-making. How the creator economy expanded OpenSponsorship beyond traditional athletes. Why brands should focus on authenticity, audience fit, and engagement rather than follower counts alone. How successful sponsorship campaigns integrate creators across marketing channels. Why creative execution and ROI measurement are critical in modern sponsorship. How AI can improve sponsorship discovery while highlighting the importance of human expertise. Why women’s sports and female athletes represent a growing opportunity for brands. What investors should understand about sports infrastructure and sponsorship businesses. Why athlete influence will become increasingly important in the future of sports marketing. Noteworthy Quotes: “Sponsorship was very archaic, kind of like who do you know and trying to get in front of them. There wasn't much strategy or data.” – Ishveen Jolly “The world is open. It’s like LinkedIn. I’m going to hire whoever’s available in the market, not just who’s in my network.” – Ishveen Jolly “Even if your deal is 5K, you should think about the creative, the post, the story, and the caption. All of it needs rigour.” – Ishveen Jolly “The perfect campaigns are a mix of personalities.” – Ishveen Jolly “AI can solve little bits, but it can also create more headaches in the whole process.” – Ishveen Jolly “The athlete and creator will become even more important.” – Ishveen Jolly Key Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to Ishveen Jolly and OpenSponsorship 01:40 - Building OpenSponsorship and modernising the sponsorship industry 03:41 - Recognising the rise of influencer marketing and creator economy 05:48 - Lessons learned from joining the 500 Startups accelerator 08:47 - The problems OpenSponsorship solves in sponsorship markets 09:31 - Creating transparency in sponsorship selection and pricing 11:33 - Improving creative strategy and measuring sponsorship ROI 12:30 - How OpenSponsorship supports athletes and creators 13:56 - Expanding from athlete sponsorship into the creator economy 16:49 - Selecting creators based on authenticity, engagement, and audience fit 19:02 - How successful brands integrate creators into marketing strategies 21:56 - Measuring ROI through content performance, sales, and engagement 25:07 - Using AI to improve sponsorship discovery and execution 27:08 - The rise of women’s sports and female athlete opportunities 29:20 - Investment opportunities in sports sponsorship and infrastructure 31:07 - The future of sports ecosystem investments 34:17 - Predictions for the future of sponsorship, creators, and athletes 36:05 - Closing thoughts on OpenSponsorship’s journey and the creator economy Disclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review. Connect with the Guest, Ishveen Jolly: Ishveen Jolly LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishveenjolly/ OpenSponsorship Website: https://opensponsorship.com/ OpenSponsorship LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/open-sponsorship/ British Wrestling LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/british-wrestling-association/ Influence Mobile LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/influencemobile/ Connect with the Host, Massimo Marinelli: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/massimo-marinelli-803274/ Follow Halford Media Advisory: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/halford-media-advisory/ Website: https://www.halfordmediaadvisory.com/ More from Berkida Ventures: Website: https://sites.google.com/view/berkida-ventures/ Substack: https://theberkidabrief.substack.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/berkida-ventures/ Email: info@berkida-ventures.com Follow the Podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/berkida-podcast/id1877643221 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3PMcmovZzweazCDgXKzmpY?si=37f1773a8fd34e38&nd=1&dlsi=4f8c3665a8ba4448
