From Division One Football to Startup Entrepreneur: The Inspiring Journey of Luke Ashenbrand

Welcome everyone to the Gilder Spotlight Blog! Today, we're privileged to have with us a special guest, Luke Ashenbrand, a quintessential example of ambition and resilience. From his early days as a Division One student-athlete in Princeton to his current entrepreneurial journey, Luke's story is one filled with inspiration, determination, and growth.

Meet Luke

Hello everyone! I'm Luke. My professional voyage started right after my graduation in May 2022 from Princeton University where I also played football as guard and center. However, I never got the chance to play an official game due to a career-ending concussion. Now you might think this would make me bitter - I'd be lying if I said it didn't sting - but I chose to view it instead as a new chapter.

After my football career ended, I found myself pondering about what I should do next. The prospect of being an entrepreneur intrigued me, largely because of my father who had tread on the same path. I wanted to learn about the start-up world from the investors' and founders' perspectives, but I didn't know how to begin. So, I decided to join an agnostic company where I could interact with a wide array of investors and founders. Seeing as I am an extrovert, this turned out to be a fantastic learning experience where I got the opportunity to see the good, bad, and in-between of various contexts that most people my age don't get exposed to.

Presently, I am both working as a startup consultant and also nurturing a start-up as a side gig.

Through the Football Lens

For many of you who are NFL and college football enthusiasts, my journey into football might be of interest. I would also like to dive deeper into how I rebounded back from the unexpected end of my football career, which I believe might resonate with other athletes whose professional journey didn't materialize as planned.

Unlike most football players, I began my journey into football quite late at 14, starting at Tight End and Defensive Line in my freshman year of high school. After a few switch-ups and tackling learning curves, I ended up playing Defensive Tackle full time and began to gain recognition.

February 2017 marked an important milestone in my football life; I received an offer from Brown. From then on, things began to pick up. While I faced some challenges during this journey - for example, my performance at the big-time Nike football camp called the Opening was less than stellar since I was up against some now NFL offensive linemen - these experiences gave me valuable insights into the recruiting process.

Eventually, my journey led me to Princeton. Despite the rigorous academic requirements, falling in love with the campus and geling well with the coaching staff made Princeton my choice to further my academic, as well as my football career.

The Unforgiving Blow

My entrepreneurial journey began to take form during the COVID pandemic when my football season was called off due to safety protocols. I began a six-month entrepreneurial project of creating Vega - an algorithm to congest all the campus orders and drop them off at the campus center - as part of my entrepreneurship minor. I also interned at a private equity firm that summer to keep busy as school and game season was on hold.

However, when I returned to football, a concussion during a game against Stetson in September 2021 proved pivotal. It took me out of the game for quite a time, robbed me of my memories of an entire month and left me in a pitch-black room for 15 days.

"The concussion kind of switched me out of the football phase. I was unconscious for a month. I don't remember a dang thing about that month. I had people dropping off food to my door. I was in a pitch black room for 15 days. Life was gone like that."

Yet, in those silent weeks of recovery, as I began to grapple with the reality that my football dream has come to an abrupt halt, my entrepreneurial spirit didn't falter. In fact, it was my mom who taught me to meditate that helped me regain my consciousness and helped me process the events that had taken place.

Coming from a Buddhist family, I embraced the power of patience and learnt not to lead with my ego. I realized now not making a choice left a wider world of opportunity in front of me, allowing me to refocus my energy on my entrepreneurial journey.

Hurdles, Learning, and Future

Hurdles, Learning, and Future Despite these hurdles, my spirit remained intact. When my project Vega didn't materialize as planned, I took it as another learning curve on the path of entrepreneurship. The experience, though it led to the dissolution of the project, shaped my understanding of entrepreneurship, especially the importance of having the right opportunity.

Presently, I find myself doing startup consultation as my day job and working on a startup as a side gig.

To fellow future and budding entrepreneurs, I hope my journey inspires you to remain unfazed no matter how many challenges appear on the way to your goals. Entrepreneurship is about resilience, learning and most importantly, enjoying the process. Here's to our shared entrepreneurial spirits!

Listen to the full episode here.

Stay tuned to Gildre Spotlight for more inspirational interviews like Luke's. Until then stay motivated and keep pushing boundaries!