Top European Athletes Join Forces To Invest In Startups
Athletico Ventures Launches Collective Startup Investment Vehicle With Top European Athletes
I'm thrilled to eventually announce the launch of Athletico Ventures Collective#1, our first collective investment vehicle dedicated to investing in startups, bringing together 40+ elite athletes (football, Formula 1, Formula E, tennis, volleyball, basketball, eSports), as well as tech figures, senior corporate executives and top-tier investors.
Kind regards,
Press release
Paris, 28th of September 2023
Athletico Ventures announces the launch of Athletico Ventures Collective#1, its first collective investment vehicle dedicated to investing in startups. The collective brings together 40+ elite athletes from football, Formula 1, Formula E, tennis, volleyball, basketball, eSports, as well as tech figures, senior corporate executives and top-tier investors.
The list of 40+ elite athletes and tech figures involved in Athletico Ventures Collective#1 includes international football stars like Antoine Griezmann, Eric Dier, Randal Kolo Muani, Sébastien Haller, as well as Pierre Gasly (F1), Jean-Eric Vergne (Formula E, WECC), Paul-Henri Mathieu (Tennis), Wilfredo León Venero (Volleyball), Gotaga (Esports), tech figures (e.g. Roxanne Varza [Station F]), senior sports executives (e.g. Andrew Georgiou [Warner Bros Discovery]), Family Offices (e.g. AASONS [Afflelou]) and top tier investors (e.g. Benoît Verbrugghe, Martin Mignot [Index]) willing to co-invest together, but also to share experiences and learn from each other.
Pioneering the movement of European athlete-investors since 2020, Athletico Ventures initially focused on syndicating athletes' investments on a deal-by-deal basis. They closed 10 investments in startups like Wethenew, Sorare, Oura, All Plants, Cowboy, moka.care, with 12 world-class athletes (Winners of FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions Leagues, NBA players, F1 drivers, Premier League and Bundesliga players).
The newly created Athletico Ventures Collective#1 has already closed 6 investments, including Wethenew (Series B), Life5 (Series A), Scoreplay (Seed), Omada (Seed) and others that are yet to be announced. The collective invests initial checks of €150k in B2C and B2B European startups, focusing on late seed to Series B rounds of Consumer, Impact [esp. education, health, climate and food] and Sports & Entertainment verticals.
Athletico Ventures Collective#1 will leverage the collective networks and intelligence of its members to invest in the most promising European startups. It will then support them post investment in many different ways, notably its unique rolodex.
“We are extremely proud and honoured to have assembled such a diverse group of investors, with complementary backgrounds, expertise, networks and geographic coverage including France, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and more. We can’t wait to partner with bold entrepreneurs across Europe to support them in their growth ambitions.”, says Arthur Bernard, Founder of Athletico Ventures.
In parallel, Athletico Ventures will continue its syndication activity, bringing additional direct investment from athletes into tech startups, starting with its portfolio companies.
About Athletico Ventures
Athletico Ventures was founded in 2020 by Arthur Bernard, with the aim of helping elite athletes invest in the most promising startups (B2C and B2B), alongside tier one investors, focusing on Europe, late seed to Series B, across the Consumer, Impact and Sports & Entertainment verticals.
Athletico Ventures just launched Athletico VenturesCollective#1, its first collective investment vehicle. The collective includes high-profile sports talents like Antoine Griezmann, Eric Dier, Randal Kolo Muani, Pierre Gasly, Wilfredo León Venero, Gotaga, but also tech figures (e.g.Roxanne Varza, Martin Mignot).
Prior, Athletico Ventures had initially focused on syndicating athletes' investments on a deal-by-deal basis, closing 10 investments in startups like Sorare, Oura, All Plants, Cowboy.
https://www.athletico.vc/
