Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Athletics announced it has aligned with Influxer to be an official partner of SIUE Athletics in the name, image and likeness merchandise space. 
 
Influxer was founded in Dallas, Texas in 2022 with the goal of connecting student-athletes to the resources they needed to thrive in the NIL market. The company works with more than 500 universities around the country, offering student-athletes the chance to sell personalized merchandise with their school's officially licensed branding. 
 
In addition to creating a personal store space for each student-athlete, Influxer is also committed to providing student-athletes with the education required to succeed in this new environment. Influxer staff are available for free one-on-one coaching on a variety of topics from social media marketing to taxes to reading contracts. The company also offers paid internships to student-athletes on most of their partner campuses to assist in marketing, graphic design, business and other facets of the company. 
 
"The NIL landscape is constantly evolving and working with (Deputy Athletic Director) Dan Mclver and the administration has been an amazing opportunity to see the vision they have for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville providing great options through Influxer for their student-athletes," Influxer Vice President Keith Miller said. "They see this as not simply a transactional opportunity, but as an opportunity to develop long term skills for life." 
 
Once a SIUE student-athlete has opted into the store, Cougar fans will be able find the new apparel at the official website as well as the student's own personalized site. All designs are approved by the university and are available in every student-athlete's own store in the same sport. The merchandise list includes hats, shirts, sweatshirts, jerseys, tumblers and more, with new designs and products being rolled out throughout the year.