Two Bearcats tackle Ohio’s new law with a 'game-changing' app

Motiv app launch to 200+ athletic directors and coaches

By Diana M Lara Email Diana M

11 minute read October 21, 2025

They haven’t even graduated from college yet!

But that didn’t stop two University of Cincinnati students from co-founding and launching a startup company, Motiv, which will be rolled out to over 200 athletic directors and coaches this week.

Recognizing the need for better high school sports communication, UC students Noelle Scheper and Jaden Walton developed a technology that allows coaches, students and parents to communicate through one secure, transparent and state-compliant traceable communication system.

The Motiv app was an idea that came to life as part of UC’s Innovation Challenge, hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurship and CEAS Tribunal in 2023. Drawing on their personal experience in sports, the pair set out to create a digital platform that integrates all necessary components of managing sports involvement into one easy-to-use app. The various aspects Motiv handles include scheduling, team management, statistics and messaging and much more.

Photos: Noelle Scheper and Jaden Walton turn their idea into action, pitching their concept at entrepreneurship challenges and competitions. Photos/Motiv

If that’s not impressive enough, Scheper and Walton have been recognized for their innovative app beyond campus. Recently, Scheper made the watch list for Cincy Inno Under 25, which honors young innovators and entrepreneurs. Scheper was also named Aviatra Accelerators’ Young Woman Entrepreneur last month. And in 2024, Walton was an honoree for Inno Under 25.

What started as an idea for a challenge has become a business venture, and the Motiv app is available for download at the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Fixing today’s issues

Motiv app now available for download at Apple and Google Play. Photo/Motiv

Kentucky’s SB 181 and Ohio’s SB 29 are newly implemented laws that aim to protect student privacy and safety in grades K-12. They mandate traceable digital communications and limit the use of personal messaging, emails or unregulated apps by teachers, volunteers and coaches. Similar laws have been quickly rolling out across the U.S., and Motiv stayed ahead of the curve by perfecting its compliance feature.

“We saw a gap in how teams communicate across numerous apps, especially in high schools,” Walton, an entrepreneurship, marketing and finance major at UC’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business, says. “Most platforms are designed for sports clubs or private leagues. We wanted to build something made specifically for schools.”

Walton is correct about the gap in sports communication. Parents of athletes often complain about juggling three to seven different apps just to manage communication and logistics for one student-athlete, and even more if they have multiple children in sports. Constantly cross-referencing emails, group texts, social media and other platforms for schedules, payments, registrations, uniforms and health forms can be overwhelming. Missed or unclear updates can lead to student-athletes being dropped off at the wrong time and place or on the wrong day, leading to a significant safety concern.

“As a high school coach, I’m always juggling practices, games and making sure players and families know what’s going on,” Gage Woolley, varsity head boys’ soccer coach at Clark Montessori High School, says. “The old system I used with GroupMe and Google Calendar worked, but it felt clunky and a little overwhelming at times. I wanted something that would make communication quicker and easier — not just for me, but for parents and players too. That’s what drew me to Motiv: it takes the stress out of staying connected.”

Launching soon

Jaden Walton with Julius King, Assistant Athletic Director, Indian Hill. Photo/Motiv.

On Wednesday, Oct. 22, Motiv debuts its technology to more than 200 athletic directors and coaches from across Greater Cincinnati.

After fielding countless requests from sports directors, Scheper and Walton decided to host an event to demonstrate how the Motiv app simplifies the chaos of high school sports management for parents, coaches and students.

The evening will include a fireside chat on the future of sports administration, featuring UC leadership as well as:

David Kelley: Professor of sport administration, UC
Brian Phelps: Director of athletics, Indian Hill Exempted Village School District
Edward Taylor: Director of athlete influence, UC
Gage Woolley: Varsity head boys’ soccer coach, Clark Montessori High School

If you miss Motiv at the launch event, you can catch the team on Oct. 24 at UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub. The team was invited to demonstrate the Motiv app at a trade show for investors and innovators at the prestigious Founders+Funders event.

By athletes and coaches

Noelle Scheper and Jaden Walton at Manitoba University pitch competition.

Noelle Scheper and Jaden Walton for the win. Again. At University of Manitoba pitch competition. Photo/Motiv.

Building on their success during the UC Innovation Challenge, Scheper and Walton participated in the Venture Lab NEXT accelerator at the 1819 Innovation Hub. The curriculum helps student-entrepreneurs turn ideas into viable startups through funding, mentorship and access to UC’s innovation ecosystem.

Scheper, a marketing major at the Lindner College of Business, and Walton, who coaches track, combined their experience as student-athletes, entrepreneurs and coaches to develop Motiv. The concept grew as they investigated the chaos that exists today regarding team coordination. Motivated by a desire to simplify and enhance safety, they mapped out a plan to test their idea:

The team launched alpha testing this past summer.
High schools immediately saw Motiv’s value.
Several high schools, starting with the Loveland City School District in Ohio, have adopted Motiv’s technology.
Motiv has expanded and is onboarding teams in Indiana, New Jersey, Texas, California and Kentucky.

The feedback Scheper and Walton have received confirms they’re on the right track.

“For an athletic department to run as efficiently as possible, athletic directors need to be highly communicative and extremely organized,” Ricky Miller, senior manager of programs for Activities Beyond the Classroom, says. “Motiv has curated valuable features within their app that enable these qualities to reach their highest potential.”

The timing of Motiv’s launch couldn’t be better, considering recent youth sports communication laws sweeping the U.S.

Motiv is a completely traceable communication system between minors and adults that allows for transparent correspondence. It’s viewable by both parents and athletic directors.

“We had already built in parent visibility, but as new laws emerged, we accelerated development of our athletic director portal,” Walton says. “It allows administrators to oversee all communication across teams, ensuring compliance and safety while keeping everything organized.”

First of its kind

Noelle Scheper and Jadon Walton interview with Fox19. Photo/Motiv.

No app currently on the market includes all the communications and safety features found in Motiv.

And, unlike many competitors that charge subscription fees and require school board approvals tied to costly contracts, the Motiv app is free for schools to use. The founders’ philosophy is rooted in fair play; they refuse to charge schools that may already struggle to afford basic equipment.

“I’ve coached at both well-funded and underfunded schools,” Walton says. “I’m not comfortable asking schools to pay for software when some can’t even afford uniforms. They need to spend that money where it matters most: on the students.”

To sustain the platform, Motiv generates revenue through what the founders refer to as “mutually beneficial streams.” One of these is the Motiv Team Store, which allows schools to sell branded merchandise year-round. Orders ship directly to families, and 15% of all proceeds go back to the team.

The company also plans to automate fundraising tools with significantly lower fees than typical platforms, charging about 10% compared to the 35% or more taken by competitors.

Data-driven potential

Group photo: Nida Aslam, Noelle Scheper, Jaden Walton, Jesse Boham and Wes Disbro.

Left to right: Motiv team: Nida Aslam, Noelle Scheper, Jaden Walton, Jesse Boham and Wes Disbro. Photo/Motiv.

Motiv’s growth has opened opportunities for fellow Bearcats to join the team as interns, co-ops, and part-time contributors.

Scheper and Walton are exploring ways to responsibly use aggregated, anonymized data to benefit both schools and college recruiters. The platform could one day help recruiters assess student-athletes’ reliability and engagement, metrics rarely accessible through traditional scouting channels.

“Coaches and recruiters are excited about being able to see metrics like attendance, participation and consistency,” Scheper explains. “It’s all about showing the full picture of an athlete, not just their performance stats.”

Scheper emphasized that all data use will comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), thereby protecting student privacy while enabling schools and families to make informed decisions.

From Venture Lab to real-world impact

Noelle Scheper and Jaden Walton stand with UC President Pinto.

Bearcats for Life! Noelle Scheper and Jaden Walton stand proud with UC President Neville Pinto. Photo/Motiv.

Motiv received $10,000 from Venture Lab NEXT and an additional $10,000 from Main Street Ventures, along with other funding totaling nearly $40,000 to date.

As Bearcats for Life, both Scheper and Walton are proud to be part of UC’s long tradition of experiential learning. Motiv served as their flagship co-op experience.

“UC was the first university in the country to implement cooperative education,” Scheper says. “Being able to build a business through that model – learning by doing – has been one of the best parts of this journey.”

U.S. News and World Report recently ranked UC’s cooperative education program as fourth-best in the nation.

Walton and Scheper continue to reinvest all funding back into product development, working with a contracted developer and Amazon Web Services to scale the platform. Neither founder has taken a salary, reflecting their dedication to prioritizing users.

“We’re not looking for investors who only care about quick returns,” Walton says. “We’re looking for partners who believe in our mission to make youth sports communication transparent, compliant and accessible to every school, no matter their budget.”

As Motiv releases on the Apple App Store and Google Play, Scheper and Walton are working closely with athletic directors to refine the app’s features and functionality. The result could redefine how schools manage sports programs, making teamwork off the field as seamless as when on it.

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Two Bearcats tackle Ohio’s new law with a 'game-changing' app