Our story begins with Chris Bickell, a proud Pitt alumnus and CEO of Well Hive, who founded Alliance 412. Growing up in eastern PA, Chris was only a casual observer of Pitt sports in his youth. It wasn’t until the day he moved into Tower B and began his academic career in the Class of 1997, that his passion for Pitt athletics began to grow. Since his graduation, he has been a strong financial supporter of Pitt Athletics culminating in a game-changing gift of $20M in 2021. His understanding of the Name, Image, and Likeness ruling and his focus on Pitt athletics lead him to start Alliance 412 early the following year.
Since its inception, Alliance 412 has been working to strengthen the University of Pittsburgh's reputation as a top destination for student-elite athletes by providing NIL opportunities to current and future stars of the program.In a video interview in early 2023, Pitt Athletic Director Heather Lyke referenced the importance of NIL and specifically of Alliance 412 saying that, “Alliance 412 and Pitt Athletics have developed a great relationship which allows our team to focus on complementing their winning formula.”