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Weekly Roundup:
Business of Athletes
Firefly Recovery has raised $1M from a group of athlete investors including Olympic Volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings, and NFL players Shaq Thompson + Darren Waller.
Lebron James’ investment in pickleball drew over 4 billion eyeballs.
Arizona Cardinals linebacker, real estate investor, entrepreneur, and now author, Devon Kennard, announced the release of his new book: It All Adds Up.
Former NBA star Carlos Boozer has partnered with The Campins Company to offer best-in-class real estate services to athletes, entertainers, and high-net-worth individuals.
Business of Sports
Dragon Seats the leading manufacturer of heated and cooling sports benches announced its acquisition of Athletic Recovery Zone, a manufacturer of air conditioning and heating sports bench technology.
Sapphire Sport, the sports investment arm of VC firm Sapphire Ventures, has raised a second, oversubscribed $181 million fund focusing on fitness, gaming, streaming, and new media.
Obbi Golf, a software that supports the management of golf clubs, announced a $1.54 million investment.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and Amazon Web Services have launched SportsX, a research & development program focused on advancing innovation in sports as it relates to team performance and fan experiences.
The NFLPA has participated in a $40 million financing round raised by Miach Orthopaedics, a medical technology company whose BEAR implant can heal ACL tears as an alternative to reconstructive surgery.
Oya Femtech Apparel, a black women-owned femtech apparel brand has raised $1.3M in an oversubscribed pre-seed round led by the Sixers Innovation Lab.
Twitter is planning to run content sponsorship deals with 30+ sports outlets, media companies, and leagues in the first half of this year.
Interesting Stat
Tennis has a money problem for many of its professionals (more on this in a future piece).
However, if you make the Australian Open you’re doing just fine.
Singles (for both men and women in USD):
First round – $71,367
Second round – $106,698
Third round - $153,095
Fourth round - $227,199
Quarterfinals - $372,956
Semifinals - $621,313
Runner-up - $1,091,496
Champion - $1,998,278
Short Passage of The Week
11 ways to make the most of 2023:
Let yourself evolve
Respect your need to rest
Throw away perfectionism
Focus on small steps forward
Spend time with rejuvenating people
Experiencing ups and downs is normal
Give your energy to a handful of goals
Say no if your intuition is not saying yes
Reconnect with gratitude on a daily basis
Let go of the craving to control everything
Remember that growth is hard but worth it
Source: Yung Pueblo
Podcast
Had an awesome conversation with Ishveen Jolly, founder & CEO of OpenSponsorship.
Ishveen Jolly has received numerous awards including:
Forbes 30 Under 30
Inc. Top 100 Female Founder
We cover fascinating topics such as athlete investors, sponsorship trends, the transformation of agencies, and advice for females + entrepreneurs in sports.
Tweet(s)
Athletes have been making great investments for a long time.
I’m helping to uncover many of those stories.
Business Jargon
The 7 Top Qualities of Entrepreneurs:
1. Discipline
You need to do the work — even when you don’t feel like it.
2. Curiosity
High-performing entrepreneurs ask many questions and look for opportunities to grow themselves and their businesses.
3. Creativity
Entrepreneurs always look for creative ways to solve problems or deliver a service, often with limited resources.
They look in many different places for inspiration.
4. Exploratory
Experimentation is crucial to the entrepreneurial mindset.
Every failure is an opportunity to learn and improve on your ideas.
5. Honesty
Integrity will take you far farther over the long haul with investors, partners, and employees.
6. Visionary
Successful entrepreneurs are always planning the next steps while adhering to the current state at hand.
7. Risk
The tendency to go off the beaten path and take their own bets is a crucial trait.
Passage by Elizabeth Perry
Quote
“Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems.”
- Sun Tzu
Thanks for tuning in today! Let’s have a great week and start to February.
Peace,
-AP
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