From Spark to New Venture
From Spark to New Venture is a student-driven podcast from the University of Mary Washington (UMW), where undergraduates share the stories of entrepreneurs and their journeys from idea to venture. Each episode uncovers the sparks of inspiration, the challenges they faced, and the mindsets that helped them overcome obstacles in their journey. The goal of this podcast is to inspire students to learn entrepreneurial mindsets and bring them into everyday lives, taking action and learning from every step along the way.
From Spark to New Venture
Tristan Mahoney: From Locker Room to Launch
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Building a Baseball Brand Before It Exists In this episode of From Locker Room to Launch, we sit down with Tristan Mahoney, a former baseball player turning his vision for the game into a growing apparel brand set to launch in 2026. Tristan shares how years in the locker room helped him recognize a gap in baseball culture and identity that current brands have not fully captured. He walks us through the early stages of building a company before it officially exists, from refining a brand concept to gathering feedback and bootstrapping resources. We also discuss the challenges of uncertainty, the importance of long-term thinking, and the mindset required to start before feeling fully ready. Tristan’s journey highlights that entrepreneurship is not about perfection but about taking action, learning through the process, and building something meaningful from the ground up.