Blenders Eyewear founder Chase Fisher is a proud San Diego State alum. In fact, he believes the university is a vital part of his success.
“This school is what built me. This is what built the man I am today,” says Fisher from Blenders HQ in Pacific Beach. “It taught me (how to handle) adversity, accountability, it taught me how to get back up when nobody’s watching. I learned how to build my confidence outside the classroom. That’s where I really shine.”
Those lessons helped him go from surf coach to C.E.O of a company that does nearly $25 million a year in revenue. Blenders has already provided $300,000 in Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) funding to SDSU and produces Aztec-branded shades. But Fisher wants to do more.
“I feel like the Aztec gods are calling me to the table,” says Fisher. “And not just from a financial standpoint, but from a unique perspective to usher in a new influence for the program, mentorship, and hopes that I can lift up all the Aztecs that want to come to San Diego State.”
Fisher is making a $5 million NIL contribution to his alma mater, officially launching the Chase Fisher Athletics Support Fund through the Campanile Foundation. Oh, and the money is not coming from his company.
It’s out of his own pocket, making this one of the largest single, private NIL donations ever made to a non-Power 4 school. The five-year commitment starts with the men’s basketball program and will expand from there.
“My vision, obviously, is to touch every sport at SDSU. I want everybody that puts on that black and red jersey to think about life outside of the game, bigger than the game. It’s really about belief,” says Fisher.
Fisher took the seed of an idea and turned it into a fashion staple repped by, among others, Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. A member of the Class of 2011, he was a student when Steve Fisher (no relation) built the basketball program into an NCAA Tournament staple. Chase sees parallels in his journey and what the Aztecs athletics department deals with, not being a traditional blue blood powerhouse with Big 10 revenues.
“How they built their programs and their athletic department is the same way that I built my company and my success: brick by brick, from nothing,” says Fisher. “These coaches and these staffs and these teams, they need resources. They need creative ways to attract talent and to keep talent. I want San Diego State to compete at the highest level. You know, we live in America’s finest city. We should have America’s finest athletics. And that’s just the way I look at it. And if it’s going to take me to do that, I’m here for it.”
Helping the Aztecs compete for championships is certainly a driving factor in this donation. But, Fisher knows less than 2% of collegiate athletes go pro so for him there’s an even bigger goal.
“I really want these athletes to think about life that’s bigger than the game. I want them to come to San Diego. I want them to be I want them to think about personal branding. I want them to think about what business or entrepreneurial venture they could potentially start. I want that sort of energy around the athletes. That’s what I want to bring to the table.”
Of course, a few national titles along the way certainly wouldn’t hurt.