San Francisco

Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy partners with SF-based Skillest to mentor swimmers

NBC Universal, Inc.

Training for the 2024 Olympics in Paris is well underway for Ryan Murphy, who is is one of the most decorated American swimmers in history.

While the four-time Olympic gold medalist trains in the Bay Area, he is also contemplating his next career, which is likely to be in tech.

"Getting involved with earlier-stage tech companies is something that's really exciting," he said.

Murphy said he is considering a move into the tech industry after finding inspiration by his own Instagram account.

"One thing I've noticed is I'll constantly get direct messages of kids that want me to look at their technique and give back," Murphy said, who is now partnering with a San Francisco-based Skillest.

Skillest is an app that lets users learn from world class athletes.

"You come in and we ask you what you're about, what you want out of the process, and then we do help the matching process from there," Skillest co-founder Baden Schaff said.

The app works by someone filming the athlete performing in their sport. A mentor athlete then reviews the footage and provides feedback.

Skillest is a growing business and coaches like Murphy can decide how much money to charge their students. The platform ads a fee on top of what mentor athletes charge to make money.

"I really view it as a mentorship role to make an impact on all kinds of people throughout the U.S., and if it turns into something bigger, if it turns into something that's a full-time job, that would be awesome," Murphy said.

Athletes across the Bay Area are gearing up to go for gold for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Among the Bay Area athletics preparing is Olympic gold medalist and Team USA swimmer Ryan Murphy. Jessica Aguirre has more.
Contact Us