Partnership combines financial education, meaningful rewards and practical budgeting tools while creating new value for athletic departments.
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Tillo, the global gift card, rewards and incentives platform, today announced a partnership with NILENT, the digital, gamified education platform for NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), to help students build lifelong financial skills through engaging, rewards-based education.
The collaboration combines Tillo's global gift card and rewards infrastructure with NILENT's gamified education platform, creating an experience that rewards athletes for learning while introducing practical ways to manage everyday spending. By pairing financial literacy content with meaningful incentives, the partnership helps athletes build habits that can make their money go further both during college and beyond.
Through the partnership, NILENT athletes will complete short educational modules on financial literacy topics such as understanding credit scores and creating a budget, and earn points for completing the modules and redeem those points for digital gift cards powered by Tillo. Leveraging Tillo StoreFront, Tillo's turnkey white label digital gift card mall, the companies are also launching a dedicated storefront featuring gift cards from popular brands such as Papa Johns and Outback Steakhouse, helping athletes stretch their everyday budgets on brands they already know and use.
"Financial literacy is most effective when it's practical. Student athletes are managing more financial decisions than ever before, yet many haven't been shown simple ways to make their money go further," said Alex Preece, Co-Founder and CEO of Tillo. "Too often, financial education focuses on what people should spend less on, rather than the everyday tools that can help them spend more wisely. Rewards and discounted gift cards can play a meaningful role in stretching a budget, and by partnering with NILENT, we're helping athletes build smarter spending habits that continue well beyond college, delivering value every time they spend."
Beyond supporting student athletes, the partnership also gives athletic departments and collectives new opportunities to maximize purchasing power, reduce costs and generate new revenue through Tillo's gift card platform. At the same time, the expanded rewards marketplace increases the breath of incentives available to athletes who actively engage with NILENT's educational programming.
"Our goal has always been to equip student athletes with knowledge that serves them long after graduation," said Steven Simmons, Co-Founder and COO of NILENT. "Partnering with Tillo allows us to deliver practical financial education alongside meaningful rewards, while also giving athletic departments additional ways to create value for their programs. Together, we're helping athletes develop smarter financial habits they can carry throughout their lives."
As NIL opportunities continue to reshape the financial landscape for student athletes, "real world" money management skills are becoming increasingly important. Research suggests there remains a gap between financial confidence and everyday financial and budgeting habits. While 80% of young athletes surveyed rate their financial literacy as "good" or "excellent," only 48% maintain a budget and just 19% report sticking to it consistently.
By combining education, incentives and practical spending tools, Tillo and NILENT are helping transform financial literacy from a one-time lesson into an everyday habit. The partnership establishes a strong foundation for future educational programming designed to help student athletes build lasting financial confidence while delivering measurable value for high schools, colleges and athletic departments alike.
About Tillo
Tillo makes gift cards, rewards, and incentives simple, efficient and profitable. Tillo is challenging the market with a best-in-class, plug-and-go API that offers businesses seamless connections to 4,000+ global brands that their customers and employees love. Tillo is the first global gift card network purpose-built to make it easy for brands and buyers to unlock engagement and growth through sustained partnerships, helping people's money go further, inspiring lasting loyalty and building meaningful relationships. Tillo operates in 40 markets and 25 currencies, processing billions of dollars' worth of gift cards through its award-winning platform. Tillo is headquartered in the UK, with offices in the US, Australia and South Africa.
About NILENT
NILENT is the only gamified educational platform which rewards athletes for completing educational modules in four core areas: Financial Literacy, Mental Health Well-Being, Brand Building, and Career Transition. Modules are taught by a representational array of "Module Mentors" consisting of professional athletes, entrepreneurs, and industry experts. For more information, please visit www.NILENT.org
Media Contact
Sophia Whitham, Tillo, 44 7572956008, [email protected], www.tillo.com
SOURCE Tillo
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