July 22, 2025

Elijah Johnson: Student-Athlete, Entrepreneur and SafeBallot Founder

University of San Diego student-athlete Elijah Johnson credits his family with establishing the values that guide him in football and business. Raised with an emphasis on faith, integrity, hard work, and responsibility, he says the discipline he brings to athletics and the resilience he brings to entrepreneurship are rooted in those early lessons.

Johnson launched his first company, Physiq, during the COVID-19 shutdown after studying how other fitness brands were being built online. The company later evolved into Physiq Luxury, expanding beyond its athlete-first origins while keeping performance and precision at the center of the brand.

The idea for SafeBallot began with a simple question: why could voting not have a secure digital option when so many other important activities already happen online? The Fowler Business Concept Challenge helped transform that question into a mission. SafeBallot began developing a platform intended to improve convenience, accessibility, transparency, and confidence without requiring elections to become exclusively digital.

The company prepared to launch SafeBallot Genesis for lower-risk elections such as board, homeowner-association, and student-government votes. It also secured a pilot with San Diego FC for fan voting and continued conversations with election officials, business leaders, and civic partners.

Johnson describes football as valuable preparation for entrepreneurship because both demand time management, leadership, focus, and the ability to perform under pressure. He sees name, image, and likeness opportunities as a path for student-athletes to become business owners, investors, and community leaders, and encourages young people to start building before they feel completely ready.