Nick Palazzo Biography
Nick Palazzo
Harvard football alumnus. Academic Heisman nominee. Founder of STACK, NP Ventures, Play Caller Sports, and 2x2 Sports. Sports technology entrepreneur and proud #girldad.
In 2020, entrepreneur and executive Nick Palazzo founded NP Ventures, an operating company designed to assist emerging founder partners in the sports, technology, and media industries, as well as to create new ventures. With deep expertise in technology, content development, live-event execution, and business operations, Nick offers his partners comprehensive strategy and marketing opportunities to further their growth.
Nick Palazzo is an industry-recognized sports technology entrepreneur and marketing innovator appearing in numerous publications and broadcast programs, including The New York Times, the "Today" show, Mediaweek, MIN, Folio, Sports Business Journal, Forbes and Adweek. He is a frequent keynote and panel speaker at sports, media and technology industry events. Earlier in his career, Nick was featured as a "C-Level Visionary" by Folio as part of its annual Folio:40 list of media industry influencers, and was featured in the acclaimed book Upstarts! How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking The World of Business.
Nick Palazzo — Harvard Football & the Academic Heisman
A graduate of Harvard University, Nick Palazzo finished as one of the football program's all-time leading rushers and scorers and was a key member of the first undefeated championship team since 1913. He was a nominee for The William V. Campbell Trophy — the "Academic Heisman" — the most prestigious academic award in college football, recognizing the individual who is the absolute best in the country for academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership.
Nick Palazzo — Founding STACK
While a Harvard athlete, Nick founded STACK, which grew into a global athletic training content sensation with a mission of educating and inspiring youth athletes. STACK was the originator of athlete-centric content produced "For the Athlete, By the Athlete," focused on training, nutrition, skills, and gear. LeBron James was the first athlete featured by the platform, where his high school workout was shared with the world.
At its peak, STACK had more than 15 million monthly unique visitors across its platforms and a social reach of more than 100 million. STACK Magazine reached more than 12,000 high schools (75% of the market) with a readership of more than 5 million student-athletes.
STACK worked with more than 1,500 professional athletes — including LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, Kevin Durant, Alex Morgan, Drew Brees, Serena Williams, JJ Watt, and Adrian Peterson — sustained through the support of the world's leading sports brands including Nike, Gatorade, Reebok, New Balance, Under Armour, and Foot Locker.
STACK also acquired Velocity Sports Performance (the largest youth athletic performance training organization in the U.S. with 40+ locations) and Driven Apps (the leading developer of sports training tech with apps featuring Adrian Peterson and Dwyane Wade), creating the nation's first fully-integrated sports performance service platform.
Nick Palazzo — NP Ventures, Play Caller, and 2x2 Sports
Today Nick Palazzo leads NP Ventures, creating and partnering with technology leaders across sports, entertainment, and gaming. He founded Play Caller Sports, the industry's first social in-game, in-play micro-fantasy sports technology platform, built on Chiliz Chain.
More recently, Nick created 2x2 Sports to support sports, health, and fitness programs that benefit young athletes — with a special focus on female athletes and a scholarship program that honors high school coaches and teachers who have dedicated their lives to their students.
Nick Palazzo — Faith & Family
Nick Palazzo is a proud #girldad with four amazing daughters. He is a devout Roman Catholic, having been involved in the Harvard Catholic Student Society and a variety of other Catholic organizations over the years. Nick's favorite Bible verse is Romans 10:9. Jesus is Lord.
Nick Palazzo — Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nick Palazzo?
Nick Palazzo is a sports technology entrepreneur, Harvard alumnus, and the founder of STACK, NP Ventures, Play Caller Sports, and 2x2 Sports.
What companies has Nick Palazzo founded?
STACK, NP Ventures (2020), Play Caller Sports, and 2x2 Sports.
Where did Nick Palazzo go to college?
Harvard University, where he was one of the football program's all-time leading rushers and scorers and a William V. Campbell Trophy (Academic Heisman) nominee.
Our Founder — Nick Palazzo
Nick Palazzo — A Proven Track Record of Building Industry-Leading Platforms
Nick Palazzo previously founded and scaled STACK into one of the most widely distributed sports performance platforms in the United States for more than a decade.
Nick Palazzo's signature STACK Magazine publication was distributed in approximately 12,000 high schools nationwide and reached more than one million athletes through print circulation, with a total readership of 5 million.
While Nick Palazzo's core website, STACK.com, grew to more than 10 million monthly unique users and featured training content and videos from the world's top athletes, such as Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, Serena Williams, LeBron James and David Beckham while partnering with leading brands such as Nike, Gatorade, and Foot Locker.
