Rennton, Washington Although Doug Baldwin now works in business, his body still perceives him as a football player.
The former wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks has been working in the tech and investment areas for almost as long as the three and a half years since he played his final NFL action. The passage of time hasn’t done much to reset an internal clock that tells him it’s go time as training camp gets closer every summer, as is the case with many retired former players.
Baldwin, 33, told ESPN that “my body’s been conditioned to do this for almost 24 years.” “When you say stop, your body simply doesn’t stop. It goes beyond only the physical aspect. Its psychological and emotional component.”
Baldwin struggled when his eight-year NFL career came to an end after the 2018 season because there was no longer football to release that tension. His physique was a mess and needed four operations after he played through a number of ailments in his senior year. He debated retiring and even made an effort to maintain his physical fitness following his operations.
With 493 receptions for 6,563 yards and 49 touchdowns, Baldwin established himself as a Super Bowl winner, two-time Pro Bowler, and the third-leading receiver in franchise history. And he made his money, earning a gross on-field income of about $40 million, according to Spotrac. The first of his three children had just been born that spring, and he had also recently become a parent. Although it was the correct choice, retiring was challenging.
Baldwin claimed, “I’m not a doctor, but for the first eight months after retiring, I was in a clinical depression.” “I was, I’m sure. You cannot argue with me. I was in pain.”
He is now in a much better position. And one that is very different.
Baldwin is the founder and CEO of Vault 89 Ventures, a venture capital business. The investment vehicle’s name includes a homage to Baldwin’s jersey number and a mission statement that, in his view, may be summed up as follows: “Our objective is not to make money. We think that if we approach our work with empathy and with the intention of improving people’s lives, the money aspect will follow.”
Baldwin also serves as the CEO of Ventrk, a Bellevue, Washington-based startup with a fitness and health-related focus. TheraCentric, a physical therapy app created to optimize patient participation and streamline home exercise programs, is its main product. More than 1,000 customers actively utilize TheraCentric, primarily from nearby physical therapy offices. Ventrk was spun off earlier this summer from Intellectual Ventures, a private equity company that had been supporting its incubation with finance and training.
It is no accident that Baldwin’s present position has some similarities to another project he has supported since before his retirement: a community/health center for underserved adolescents, whose construction is now expected to be finished in March despite delays brought on by COVID-19. A 2021 PSA for Washington Listens, a support service for people struggling with pandemic-related mental health difficulties, included a disguised Baldwin as well.
He declared, “I won’t undertake something if I don’t believe in it and am not passionate about it. “Since my main goal is to improve society’s attitude toward health and well-being, these factors always appear to line up in that area. But it was born out of my desire to leave the NFL as healthy as possible.”
The Family First Community Center and Seahawks headquarters are both close to VENTRK’S NEW OFFICE in Renton. Two dozen employees, including the Ventrk team and numerous other businesses associated with Vault 89, share a space on the second floor. It is situated just above the main location of Vault’s initial venture, a local Boona Boona coffee chain owned by Black people.
The atmosphere at the office is lively but laid back, with casual clothing and a clear absence of corporate elements. One July morning meeting, Baldwin was dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, sports shorts, and Jordans.
The co-founders of Ventrk, CBO Jarid Adams and CTO Sam Bender, are both from Seattle but have never been Seahawks fans, so when Intellectual Ventures hired Baldwin, they had no idea who he was. At a team-building dinner, Adams was perplexed as to why other diners were staring and why restaurant staff was paying their table particular attention.
Just because I perceive him as a regular guy who works for the organization, Adams said, “I think that’s actually helped us have arguments and agree on things.”
Adams admires Baldwin’s flexibility and calm demeanor, speculating that the latter is a result of years of experience dealing with pressure on the pro football field.
Adams remarked that even when things are stressful for us inwardly, “he simply has a very serene perspective about it all.” “We’ll work it out, he says. Move forward. Sam and I, however, are like, “What the hell? How are we going to deal with the fire? When it comes to it, he is very composed. My top priority in leadership is empowering others and placing my trust in them to excel in their fields, and I believe he excels in this area.”
When playing with the Seahawks, Baldwin was the offense’s counterbalance to the Legion of Boom’s ruthlessness. An passionate competitor, Baldwin routinely sparred with cornerback Richard Sherman during practice; the two had been best friends since they were students at Stanford.
He now gets his fix of competition in business.
I understand what a championship-winning culture is like; it involves everyone interacting with one another, he said. “… We continuously butt heads. However, the partnership works well since neither party is concerned with showing the other to be incorrect or being right. How can we provide the finest platform for empathy for both these patients and these physical therapists? Even when we disagree, it brings us closer to the solution, and that’s the culture I’m trying to create.
“The same thing happened when the receivers and cornerbacks were constantly battling it out. We didn’t dislike one another. I loved that and missed it when it was like, “Nah, I’m making you better.” However, I’m also a competitor. The only thing I care about is winning. It’s a win-win situation for me if I can take it and apply it to a service vehicle and a company that gives me a competitive environment. That is the reason I’m here.”
