San Jose Earthquakes partners with SF-based B2B platform Apollo for sleeve sponsorship, sales tech
By CBS Bay Area
The San Jose Earthquakes are partnering with an AI-based business-to-business platform to feature the company’s logo on player uniforms and drive the club’s business growth, the team and company announced Thursday.
San Francisco-based Apollo, an AI go-to-market system, will be both a brand sponsor and a technology partner for the Earthquakes, powering the franchise’s GTM strategy. Apollo is the first GTM company to combine a professional sports sponsorship with a business partnership, the club said.
In layman’s terms, a GTM strategy is a comprehensive plan businesses use to launch products or services. The Earthquakes said it would deploy Apollo’s system for group ticket sales, sponsorship pipeline management, inbound lead routing and season ticket renewals, in a system designed to drive fan engagement and commercial growth.
The sponsorship is intended to help the Earthquakes capitalize on soccer’s surging popularity in the United States post-World Cup, the team said in press release on Thursday.
“While excitement around soccer continues to grow across the country, we’re investing in the technology and systems that will help us better engage our supporters and continue growing our commercial business,” said Earthquakes President Jared Shawlee in a prepared statement. “I started my career in sales and have never seen the kind of technology that Apollo provides. This will transform our approach to sales and marketing by giving us one system to connect data, automate workflows and create a more connected experience for Quakes fans throughout their journey with the club.”
According to the Earthquakes, Major League Soccer saw a 62% year-over-year increase in viewership as the 2026 season commenced. The club said it hopes this deal will help to accelerate revenue and make the most of the sport’s growing audience.
“We see this partnership as a natural extension of Apollo’s mission to make world-class go-to-market accessible to everyone by bringing it to the world’s most popular game,” said Matt Curl, CEO of Apollo.
The partnership and the Apollo logo on player jersey sleeves were set to debut ahead of the Earthquakes’ match against the LA Galaxy in the annual California Clásico on Saturday at Stanford Stadium.
