After four seasons playing for NFL teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans, Micah Pellerin decided to take a different route, stepping away from football to explore new career opportunities. Along the way, he launched Something Like the Offseason, a podcast that highlights the often overlooked opportunities available to athletes.
Today, Pellerin continues to leverage his unique background in sports and business, closing nine-figure deals and focusing on how AI reshapes industries like healthcare and sports. He sat down with Innovation & Tech Today to share his story, insights, and the lessons he’s learned along the way.
Innovation & Tech Today: Can you share how you went from being a football player to working in business development?
Micah Pellerin: It’s a long story, but I’ll give you the Cliffs Notes. I took a year off after I walked away from football to travel and learn more about what I wanted to do. I dabbled in some entrepreneurial endeavors, but after a year, I wanted to learn what was possible. Business school introduced me to what I’ll call the “art of the possible,” and after I graduated, I participated in a corporate strategy program at 3M. I later acted as an investment manager for 3M’s venture capital arm before joining Microsoft as a senior business development manager. Currently, I work to leverage the collective Microsoft ecosystem for late-stage startups and unicorn companies.
I&T Today: What inspired you to start your podcast, Something Like the Offseason?
Pellerin: One of the things I’m incredibly passionate about is skill development and upskilling. Often, college athletes are unaware of the opportunities available to them after their playing careers. The podcast intends to highlight unique professions and stories in hopes of inspiring not only athletes but people to do things outside of their comfort zone.
I&T Today: What’s the main message you hope people take away from your podcast?
Pellerin: The main message is that doing something outside your perceived skill set, knowledge base, and/or awareness is possible. Everyone I interviewed on the podcast spent Malcolm Gladwell 10k hours on their respective sports craft before becoming elite in another profession.
I&T Today: Looking back, what’s one thing you learned from your time in the NFL that helped you in business?
Pellerin: The NFL does a good job of teaching you that you should always continue to develop your skill set to perform consistently at a high level.
I&T Today: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since leaving the NFL?
Pellerin: I learned that I was already prepared for corporate America because of the NFL and college sports. The discipline, pressure, and camaraderie associated with playing sports helped prepare me to compete in the corporate environment.
I&T Today: What’s next for you in your career?
Pellerin: What’s next for me is right now. I’ve been fortunate to lead and close nine-figure deals on behalf of one of the world’s most innovative companies, Microsoft, in a relatively short amount of time. Continuing to develop my skillset around partnership at an enterprise level with all the autonomy that my team affords me has been fun. I can’t ask for much more.
I&T Today: Is there anything you’re excited about right now in your work in tech?
Pellerin: Right now, I’m interested in how AI is going to influence healthcare and sports. There is a lot of technology that sports teams are already leveraging on the business and player side, and I’m excited to see how it evolves moving forward.
