Daniel Bloomfield ’26 presented his business idea at Delta Sigma Pi’s pitch event and got good responses. Photo courtesy of Daniel Bloomfield ’26
Daniel Bloomfield says the seed of a business idea was planted last year when he noticed his teammates on the Eckerd College men’s soccer team were shelling out $40 a pair for the grip socks they were wearing.
“That was pretty outlandish, in my opinion,” Daniel recalls.
He thought he could offer a better deal. And he did.
A senior marketing and international business student from Port St. Lucie, Florida, Daniel contacted a manufacturing company and created socks that are more affordable ($10 a pair) but still offer the enhanced traction, stability, and control that athletes want. He had his teammates test them, and he sent out a school-wide survey asking what colors and kinds of materials students liked.
And so Sportifi, an athletic apparel company, was born. Daniel has since expanded his inventory to include men’s and women’s compression shirts and shorts along with the socks.
Alas, sports brands aren’t built in a day. Daniel has taken out a few small loans, and he works part-time collecting and removing recycled materials on campus. But people think he is on to something. He hosted a pop-up event recently at Eckerd’s GO Pavilion that was well attended, and in November, he pitched his brand at the Upsilon Phi Chapter of Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity’s Pitch in Paradise contest. Student entrepreneurs at Eckerd pitched their startup ideas to a panel of business professors. Daniel placed first.
His coach throughout the process was his recycling boss Evan Bollier ’11, Eckerd’s director of sustainability and an adjunct professor of management.
The website currently has six products listed for sale—with one item out of stock.
“He was the one who actually sent me the link to the pitch event back in November,” Daniel recalls. “I look to him as a guide and he’s been a great resource for me throughout this journey.”
Between classes, soccer, recycling and Sportifi, Daniel has little time for much else. “I’m really thankful for my Google Calendar,” he says. “I’m always looking at it. But college is an opportunity, so why not take full advantage?”
If he needs encouragement or inspiration, all he has to do is think about home. Daniel’s mother is a single parent from Jamaica. “I’ve seen her struggle financially,” he says, “But she always found a way. And she supported me with soccer as well. She would get off work at 6 p.m. and drive me to practice an hour away. She’s been my inspiration. I’m trying to repay her for everything she’s done for me.”
After graduation, Daniel says he plans to head to Suffolk University in Boston to begin work on a Master of Science in Finance degree. “But I want to continue growing and expanding the business every day.”
