Deal updates
The Athlete Venture Capitalist - Recent Athlete Investment Deals
Following our article on The Rise of Athlete Investors In Sport, we have continued to witness high levels of investment activity from athletes, both active and retired, in the early stage company ecosystem.
Northridge's Ian Lynam and Kingsley Boateng advised global sporting icons, Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas (who both previously invested in Graybo, a global clip share business) on their investment in Rezzil, a leading platform for developing elite athletes. Rezzil has already been the subject of investment by a number of high-profile former and current athletes including Vincent Kompany, Tyrone Mings, and Gary Neville. The same Northridge team advised England international and Leeds United forward, Patrick Bamford on his participation in the latest investment round for Hylo Athletics, a sustainable athletic footwear brand. This deal is a good example of a partnership where there is a natural synergy between the athlete’s personal values and the company’s brand ethos. Patrick has been a longstanding advocate for climate change using his reach to raise awareness, where possible.
When asked about his trademark “Z” goal celebration, he explained that, “[T]he “Z” celebration is actually a lightning bolt symbol. It’s supposed to be a bolt for the planet, so it’s kind of raising awareness for climate change and obviously there’s a lot that needs to be done so I’m trying to help everyone learn about that.“
The latter end of 2021 saw Raheem Sterling launch Sixteen Ninety Two, an innovative luxury fashion brand. Markedly different from those deals previously discussed, this venture sees Raheem building a new company of his own rather than investing for equity in an existing business.
Having worked with Raheem since 2015, the Northridge team were involved in the initial corporate and commercial structuring of the brand pre-launch and continue to provide ongoing advice to Sixteen Ninety Two on a range of day-to-day commercial and regulatory matters post-launch. The Northridge team consists of Ian Lynam, Jamie Feldman, George Willis, Kingsley Boateng and Nick Dutton.
“We continue to track the rise of the athlete investor. Whilst not yet as commonplace in England as it has become in the U.S., there’s no doubt that the market is recognising the unique benefits which athletes can bring as investors (alongside their financial commitment).”
Ian Lynam
Partner
