Fran Harris, MSTC ’18, is an accomplished businesswoman, writer, and broadcast personality with more than 20 years of experience in the sales, sports media, and sports marketing industries. She was also a star player for Texas Athletics from 1982-86, during the most successful era of women’s basketball at The University of Texas; and was inducted to the UT Athletics Women’s Hall of Honor in 2007. Last summer we published a note regarding her touring play production, Rapper’s Delight, which she wrote, produced, and directed, featuring an all-Texas cast.

For a woman of many talents, we connected with Fran to hear more about her recent successes since leaving McCombs, including Electra, the sports beverage startup she launched on Shark Tank; as well as The Athletic Club, a new multi-sports complex she’s opening in Sunnyvale, Texas.

Post-publishing edit: In celebration of Black History Month during February of 2022, HEB stores featured and tagged Fran’s Electra products as a certified Black-owned brand. Learn more here. You can also find Electra sports drinks on Amazon.

Please talk about your experience as a student here at McCombs.

The MSTC program popped up at a time when I needed both a challenge and community. I knew that I was going to start a new business, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a tech company, a sports company, or something totally different than anything I’d ever done. I was already a Texas alum and had started the MBA program many years ago, but decided to get a different master’s degree. The B-school has always been in my blood, so enrolling in the MSTC program just made sense. The class size for my cohort was great, and I loved the option of attending in person or virtually.

Please provide a brief summary of your career path since graduating. 

I officially launched Electra, a better-for-you sports beverage company that launched on January 6, 2021 on Shark Tank. I’m also opening my first sports facility in Sunnyvale, Texas near my hometown of Dallas. It’s called The Athletic Club, an 80,000 square foot multi-sports complex.

What are you most proud of in your career so far?

I launched a startup in 2020 during a global pandemic, and we are still here two years later! By far, that has been the dopest and illest thing I’ve done lately. A close second is that our sports company is launching its first multi-sports complex, a $28.5 million dollar facility in Sunnyvale, Texas in 2022.

Has your career played out the way you expected?

My project in my MSTC program was for a tech company that I still think I’ll pursue in the next 5-10 years, but yes, my career is always an adventure. Starting a company during a pandemic presented some serious challenges that no one was prepared for, but we just celebrated Electra’s two-year “in existence” anniversary, and our one year “in operation” anniversary, and it was not easy. We’re in 172 HEBs, launched on Amazon last month, and will introduce powders in a few weeks. The celebration statement is simple: WE ARE STILL HERE.

How have you stayed involved with the school as an alumnus?

I’m connected with a few of my MSTC classmates and I’ve applied for venture capital through Congress Avenue Ventures, but haven’t been able to attend anything in the last two years because of COVID.

How have you personally benefitted from being a part of the network?

In particular,  MSTC alum Aimy Steadman of Beatbox Beverages, has been a consistent supporter since I launched Electra. She helped me connect with my bottle supplier and in general, is always happy to help, answer questions, and share insights.

What are your goals for the future, career-wise, and in relation to McCombs?

I’d like to become an instructor with McCombs teaching a class on startup, pitching, raising capital, or how to get massive publicity for your brand. I was an adjunct in advertising for 2-3 years, and really enjoyed it. So, I’ve started the wheels turning for this opportunity. I also haven’t seen a whole lot of women or minority lecturers in McCombs in general, and even fewer in the MSTC program. Representation matters. It’s important that students see inclusivity as a standard, not as an exception or rarity.

We’ve already started developing our next 3-5 The Athletic Club facilities. As for Electra, it’s one step at a time. We’re in 172 HEBs, and my focus in 2022 is to win the retail game in HEB, which is a terrific retailer. After we get our retail sea legs, we’ll explore other retail channels. We launch 3 flavors of powders in February, direct to consumer at iDrinkElectra.com. It’s an exciting and scary time to be a CPG brand given all the supply chain issues. My advisors and I end each conversation with a simple mantra: serve the customer and KEEP GOING.

Any other community involvement, hobbies or tidbits you’d like to share?

We just added a new division to my consulting company, Athletes Who Mean Business, to leverage the opportunity to work with high school and college athletes who can now run companies and get endorsements without violating any NCAA rules. Working with these 18-22 year olds to help them build 6- and 7-figure brands and companies is pretty exciting. I’m living vicariously through them since NIL (name, image, license) wasn’t a thing when I played basketball at UT in the 80’s. If I had NIL opportunities in college, I would’ve CLEANED UP!