Our Vision
Our vision is to get every kid in the game, to coach and support them, and to connect them to a world of sport where a mentor is always there to show them the way. We aim to partner with authorities in sport to scale their expert training, allowing them to reach as many ambitious players as possible and help them master the skills they’ve always dreamed of learning from exclusive coaches.
Our goal is not just to improve physical health, but also to create a roster of skills that reinforce emotional, cognitive, and social well-being. With Boosta’s unique teaching methods, we believe we can accelerate the rate at which young people learn complex skills and realize their true human potential. We started with soccer, but our plan is to quickly scale Boosta to offer solutions beyond sports.
We want to make a positive impact on the world by empowering youth to learn and grow, and we are committed to helping them achieve their goals and fulfill their potential. Our intention is to keep players engaged and committed, to help them reach new levels of success, and to inspire them to reach for the stars. We are passionate about what we do and are determined to make a difference.
Our Story
Founders Tim Donnelly & Shelby Erickson have been friends since they were ten— when they would meet at the same park every day after school and play until the street lights came on.
They quickly bonded over their shared passion for sports. Shelby fell in love with basketball and Tim with soccer and they soon embarked on their own unique journey through the world of youth athletics.
After WOW-ing opponents at local rec soccer games Tim made the jump to playing club soccer, after he was fortunate enough to have a family-friend cover the annual dues. Success there led to him captaining his Division I College Soccer Team and eventually traveling the globe as a sponsored athlete for Nike Soccer.
Shelby had all the ingredients for success in basketball – passion, skill, and size. But one thing stood in the way – opportunity. Growing up, his family couldn’t afford the expensive travel teams, camps, and private training that many elite players have access to. Despite his dedication and talent, Shelby was limited to playing pick-up basketball, without access to the training and guidance that would have allowed him to truly master his craft. So the question remained, what could he have achieved if he had been given the opportunity and guidance that so many players are denied? The potential for something greater was there, but it was stifled by a lack of resources.
Years passed and the two friends remained deeply entrenched in the world of sports after their friendship evolved into a professional partnership when they co-founded a boutique creative agency in 2009, and landed Nike as their first client.
It was while they were crafting industry-leading brand experiences for some of the most forward-thinking sports companies targeting the next generation, that Tim and Shelby fully realized that a fundamental issue, that existed when they were kids some 20 years earlier, still persisted: Financial resources hold greater influence than the passion to play. Not only did the problem still exist, but it had gotten worse.
When they shared that discovery with each other, Boosta was born.
And so it began…
With the smell of the court and team energy reverberating in their heads, Tim and Shelby were saddened to see kids prevented from playing sports because of financial reasons & alarming rates of youth sports dropouts. They were determined to find a solution.
They knew that coaches make or break the youth sports experience and that skilled, passionate coaches were the #1 defense in preventing kids from quitting sports. They honed in on this and began studying coaches with unique approaches to help them develop a new kind of training technology.
It was through this research that they had their key insight: by breaking down complex skills into easy-to-learn, step-by-step sequences and building an intuitive app to deliver this training, they could not only scale the coaching process but also incorporate the human touch necessary for effectiveness. Boosta’s training is more than just guidance, it’s mentorship.
With Boosta, the aim is to empower coaches to reach an unlimited number of players and help them master their beloved sport. They believe that anyone who is willing to take it one step at a time can achieve greatness and are committed to helping both players and coaches reach their full potential.
Our Mission
Our mission is to connect the world’s best mentors to every kid, empowering both to reach their full potential and make a lasting impact on the next generation.
A seasoned team of former executives with experience from Nike, Beats, Apple, and IBM and advisors from Pandora and Walt Disney Co.
Tim Donnelly, Co-CEO
Shelby Erickson, Co-CEO
Robbie LaBelle, CGO
Jay Dysart, CTO
Jonathan Strietzel, COO
Joe Elsmore, Sports Marketing
