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Championing innovation: 10 sports legends fuelling European innovation
- Renowned European athletes have ventured beyond their fields to become serious investors, with Europe’s startup scene emerging as a prime arena for this new focus.
- Many athletes are actively seeking ventures that align with their personal stories of dedication, performance, and resilience—qualities they bring into their investment approach.
- Athlete-turned-investors find natural parallels in the entrepreneurial world, often becoming more than just passive backers. Many bring insights and strategic guidance that mirror their career achievements.
- French footballer Antoine Griezmann's investments include PowerZ, an edtech start-up that gamifies learning, promoting accessible education.
- Cristiano Ronaldo's investments align with his dedication to luxury, fitness, and wellness, such as hair transplant clinic, Insparya, luxury watch marketplace, Chrono24 and wearable tech company, Whoop.
- David Beckham's portfolio spans wellness, fashion, and tech, such as health-tech start-up accelerator, IM8, esports organisation, Guild Esports and Lunaz, a firm converting classic cars to electric.
- Since retiring, Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas has become a passionate supporter of sports and health tech-driven start-ups, investing in AI-powered video analysis start-up, Kognia Sports Intelligence, and accelerator, SportBoost.
- Jessica Ennis-Hill has extended her influence beyond athletics, investing in health and wellness brand, Vitality and founding Jennis, a health and fitness app with tailored workouts and wellness guidance for women.
- Maria Sharapova has strategically backed companies that align with her commitment to positive environmental impact, investing in sunscreen brand, Supergoop!, candy brand, Sugarpova, wellness and beauty brands, as well as serving as a board member of luxury lifestyle brand, Moncler.
- Swiss tennis icon, Roger Federer has supported startups that emphasize quality, innovation, and sustainability, investing in On, a Swiss running shoe and apparel brand, and Chilean plant-based food tech startup, NotCo.
- Serena Williams has expanded her influence beyond the tennis court as a venture capitalist, supporting numerous companies in tech and wellness, with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and innovation.
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