Tina Provost: Startup founder, brave Buckeye spirit
The alumni association board member, cheerleader and 2009 graduate left behind a corporate career to make a bet on NIL.
After a successful corporate career, Christina “Tina” Provost ’09 was ready to take a professional leap and develop her own startup. Was she nervous? “Yes, it’s scary as hell,” she says. “But I’ve learned fear doesn’t last forever, and it means you’re pushing yourself.”
As co-founder and CEO of Five Star Fans, Provost leverages this brave Buckeye spirit, along with practical experience gained from previous jobs, such as head of continuous improvement at Covetrus North America and positions with Cardinal Health and Aerotek.
Provost’s love of sports partly inspired her startup—because sports have given her so much. Her entry point to Ohio State was making the cheerleading team and becoming a student-athlete. With that perspective, she and her business partner, Jennifer Barr Dean ’02, also a former Buckeye cheerleader, wanted to give a boost to the next generation. “So we quit our jobs and went all in,” Provost says.
From the beginning, Provost responded to that “O-H!” call with her limitless enthusiasm, energy and talent, all of which she is still sharing with Buckeye Nation today.
-
Tell us more about your startup.
We wanted to help make the most efficient way for an athlete to monetize their name, image and likeness, without taking them off the field or out of the classroom. In simple terms, through Five Star Fans, we created a technology that allows fans to directly support athletes, similar to how Patreon provides direct fan-to-creator support.
Our passion for building our tech has grown from our sense that we owe Ohio State. We cannot wait to service more sports at our alma mater and bring equity to all sports. At the same time, we are bringing this solution to other universities wanting to sustain their programs and costs.
Though I work more hours, and have more problems than ever, I enjoy solving them. It’s worth it when you get the little wins. Theo, my 8-year-old son, goes to some events with me and watches when we make deals with athletes.
We were proud to be part of Techstars Columbus Powered by The Ohio State University. This tech accelerator enables businesses to get to the next growth level. We met other founders from across the country and connected with the program’s champions, including fellow entrepreneur and alum Ratmir Timashev ’96 MS. He wants to see the success of this community because Ohio is not traditionally known as a tech hub—but he’s about to make it that way by supporting people like us.
-
When did you first start giving your time?
Almost right after graduating by volunteering on the Cheer Alumni Society board. I got to stick around and throw fundraising parties. That was my young mindset. It was fun, but watching students get scholarships and hearing coaches say this helps recruit better athletes, I realized how much it matters to give back.
During my time as president of our alumni society, cheerleading was officially recognized as a varsity sport, exactly what we had been working toward. We also officially brought in Brutus alumni. They are a smaller group. When we initially heard that they weren’t going to grandfather cheer and Brutus alumni into this varsity designation, I was fired up. Not on my watch! After making the case to university leadership, we discovered we just needed to do more work, so I offered for our society to manage the process. We helped ensure our alumni got the recognition they deserved and became eligible for varsity jackets.
It was moving to see your former teammates, and others from throughout the years, including our first Black woman cheerleader, get their varsity jackets—those who came before and made this opportunity possible for a lot of us. It makes you want to triple down on giving back.
-
Can you share more about your earliest Buckeye experiences?
I was kind of a stinker as a student, acting out in small ways once I no longer had the family responsibilities I shouldered at home. At Ohio State, my friends and roommates were really supportive and “lent” their parents to me.
Who I am today could look very different. Growing up, I had family who struggled with addiction. As the oldest of four, I was in charge of my siblings. Becoming a Buckeye allowed me to leave my home life behind.
My friends who I call my family today are teammates that I met at Ohio State. This community gave me nearly everything—which is probably why I have this underlying sense of obligation gnawing at me.
-
How else are you paying forward?
I went from the Cheer and Brutus Society to a much bigger organization, Varsity O, which represents all 36 varsity sports. This gave me a better grasp on managing larger groups. There are a lot of high-level professionals on the Varsity O board, all serious about adhering to their constitution. I felt compelled to step up from a board position perspective.
It helped prepare me to give time to the Scarlet & Gray Advantage program, advocating for scholarship support, and the Ohio State Alumni Association board. I’ve had a great corporate career, but I love volunteer work. I realize I am paying forward, but I get to benefit and learn, too.
