Spotlight:
Athletico Ventures
Background
In the US, the athlete-investor movement began gaining traction in the late 1990s, notably after Shaquille O’Neal’s early bet on Google. Since then, many athletes - including icons like Serena Williams, Andre Iguodala, LeBron James and Tom Brady - have become deeply involved in tech investing through direct investments, dedicated family offices, collective initiatives or even launching their own firms.
While serving as SVP of Corporate Strategy at Sportfive, Arthur Bernard saw first hand the scale and maturity of the athlete-investor movement in the U.S. - and the clear gap with Europe, where initiatives remained very limited. Recognising the opportunity, he drew on his unique background in sports (Sportfive), investments (Alven, Greenwich) and tech (Betclic) to bridge that gap. In 2020, he founded Athletico Ventures to bring a professional and collective approach to athletes investing in tech in Europe - pioneering a model that has since gained momentum.
What Athletico Ventures do
Athletico Ventures empowers elite athletes to turn their unfair advantage - social capital and unrivalled access - into a top-tier VC portfolio, by combining exclusive deal flow, disciplined assessment, and distinctive portfolio support.
Athletico Ventures started by syndicating athlete investments on a deal-by-deal basis, empowering elite athletes to co-invest alongside top-tier VCs in high-potential startups. Between 2021 and 2022, this early model led to 10 investments in companies like Sorare (fantasy gaming), Oura (smart ring), or MokaCare (B2B mental health), with the participation of 12 world-class athletes from football, F1, and the NBA. This phase validated the appetite and potential of bridging the athlete and tech worlds through curated access and strategic co-investment.
In 2022, Athletico Ventures further developed its service offering by launching Athletico Ventures Collective #1, a pooled investment vehicle bringing together over 40 elite athletes (e.g. Antoine Griezmann, Eric Dier, Pierre Gasly), tech leaders & investors (e.g. Martin Mignot, Roxanne Varza), and senior industry executives. The fund has since backed 15 startups across sectors like AI (Gladia), fintech & insuretech (Neat), health (Sava), and B2B SaaS (Scoreplay, Jump), empowering athletes to access a broader, more diversified and more strategic exposure to the startup ecosystem.
What's next
Building on the momentum of Athletico Ventures Collective #1 - with a strong pipeline of opportunities to complete its target portfolio of approx. 20 startups, plus very positive portfolio news - Athletico Ventures will soon begin fundraising for Athletico Ventures Collective #2, to offer more professional athletes a unique opportunity to build a high-quality, diversified portfolio of promising European tech startups.
Beyond the primary goal of generating strong financial returns, Athletico Ventures will also continue to invest in delivering long-term strategic value to athletes, by empowering them to grow their business acumen, expand their networks, and elevate their personal brand. With optional endorsement opportunities and careful brand management, Athletico enables athletes to invest not only in companies - but also in their post-sports careers and future identity.