CYstarters Spotlight: A 14-part series highlighting student entrepreneurs pursuing their business ventures as part of the CYstarters 2025 summer cohort. Through this program, students have the unique opportunity to prioritize the development of their own startup or business idea. Each individual receives $6,500 and access to resources such as mentorship, networking opportunities, and educational sessions on entrepreneurship and business startup.

Nic Mackaman: Bringing Personality to your Tennis Racquet

From a young age, entrepreneurship was always on Nic’s radar. Growing up in Ankeny, Iowa, he had a front-row seat to his older brother’s creative ventures—watching him build social media channels and ultimately earn a degree in Entrepreneurship from Iowa State. It didn’t take long for Nic to realize he wanted to follow a similar path. “I saw the stuff my brother was doing and thought it looked really fun,” he said.

By the time he arrived at Iowa State, Nic was already thinking like an entrepreneur. What excited him most was the creative problem-solving at the heart of entrepreneurship. He was excited about the chance to take an idea, fill a gap, and turn it into something real. And it wasn’t long before the right idea found him.

In addition to entrepreneurship, tennis has been one of Nic’s passions for over 10 years. Throughout that time, one small accessory kept catching his attention: the tennis dampener. A dampener is a tiny piece of silicone rubber placed in a tennis racket’s strings to reduce vibration, minimize shock, and change the sound of contact with the ball. For Nic, though, the appeal wasn’t just functionality. “I didn’t necessarily need it for playing,” he said, “but I loved that it gave my racquet some personality.”

Unfortunately, the options on the market hadn’t changed in over a decade. You could get a basic emoji, or a corporate logo from a brand like Wilson, but there were no fun or creative options available. So Nic decided to design one himself.

So sparked the creation of NJM Tennis, his business dedicated to creating playful, creative dampeners for a younger generation of players. His debut product—the “Chubby Capybara”—is adorable and functional. Nic used AI to help sketch out the rough draft, refined it in a photo editing program, and sent it off to a manufacturer in Hong Kong. When the first shipment arrived, just as he imagined, Nic felt a deep sense of pride. “It actually turned out exactly how I wanted it to turn out,” he said. “That feels like a major accomplishment for my first try.”

Designing the product was one thing. Manufacturing it, though, was a different challenge entirely. What should have taken a month stretched into several. As a first-time product developer, Nic admits he still has a lot to learn on the manufacturing side. “I know a lot about marketing, and I know tennis,” he said, “but this part is new to me.”

What isn’t new is his instinct for content creation. Inspired again by his brother, whose early social media efforts turned into one of Iowa’s top niche farming simulator channels, Nic launched his own social media account while at ISU. The Instagram page he has developed is @njmtennis, dedicated to first-person tennis content filmed using a 360-degree camera. Nic edits each video into a short, engaging highlight, sometimes adding subtitles or tracer lines to help viewers follow the ball. The results are eye-catching, and his following is growing. UTR Sports, one of the most respected rating systems in tennis, now follows the account, which is a huge win for Nic.

From the beginning, Nic built the Instagram channel with a purpose. He wanted to create a community around his content that would eventually serve as the launchpad for his products. “I figured if I built a tennis audience, I could eventually sell tennis dampeners on the same platform,” he said.

Being part of the CYstarters summer accelerator has helped him push the business even further. He set specific goals for the summer: sell at least 100 dampeners by Demo Day, create 25 new social media posts, and begin working on additional designs. He’s also preparing to launch his website, www.njmtennis.com, and is developing a marketing plan for his products, including a collectible info card to pair with his dampener, designed by fellow CYstarter Kailey Stevens of Bolded K Studio.

One of the most valuable takeaways from CYstarters has been the people around him. Nic credits Zackry Brannen, his peer mentor, with helping him with product photos and providing advice on launching his online shop. And he’s especially grateful for Megan, the program director, who’s offered insight from her own entrepreneurial journey. “She’s been really good at helping us identify pitfalls to avoid,” Nic said. “She’s someone who’s ten years down the road from where we are, and it’s been really helpful to see what our future might look like.”

The sense of community CYstarters provides has been a game-changer. “Being an entrepreneur, you’re alone a lot running your business,” Nic reflected. “But in CYstarters, you have other students, Megan, and mentors all around you pursuing similar paths. So you don’t feel quite so alone.”

Nic has also learned that not every obstacle deserves your time. “When a problem comes up, decide if it’s worth it or not to spend your time on. I’ve had to learn to let some stuff go.”

With a clear vision, a growing fanbase, and the most adorable dampener design on the market, Nic is well on his way to building something bigger than just a product. He’s creating a brand that brings joy and personality to the tennis court.

You can follow along or grab your own Chubby Capybara dampener at www.njmtennis.com or on Instagram @njmtennis. And stop by CYstarters Demo Day on Thursday, July 31 to meet Nic and see the capybara in person.

Check out our video interview with Nic Mackaman below!