Lens Of Sport And Venture University Join Forces To Launch The Sports Venture Capital Investor Accelerator
An Exciting Partnership Leveraging The Power Of Global Professional Athletes And Sports Industry Professionals; Engaging Them With High Quality Education And Training In Venture Capital.
SANTA MONICA, CA, 3/12/24 — Lens of Sport, a trailblazer in education and professional development that drives learning outcomes by infusing highly engaging sports content in accredited courses and professional development programs, is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking partnership to launch the Sports Venture Capital Investor Accelerator with Venture University, the world’s leading Investor Accelerator across venture capital, private equity, and angel investing. Venture University also has a history of cohort members who have graduated with backgrounds from the NFL, MLB, and the Ivy League in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The first cohort of the Sports Venture Capital Investor Accelerator will launch Monday, June 17th, 2024. Up to 20 cohort members will be selected to participate in the program who have background as professional athletes and sports industry professionals.
To learn more, here is a Program Overview Presentation of the Sports Venture Capital Investor Accelerator.
If you’re interested in applying to the Sports Venture Capital Investor Accelerator, apply using this link.
Lens of Sport will co-develop and co-manage the program with Venture University, where Professional Athletes and Sports Industry Professionals participate in Venture University’s 11 week Investor Accelerator, which includes 4 Education Programs (VC Masterclass, Advanced VC Modules, Fireside Chats, & Startup Madness) and an Investment Apprenticeship Program, where cohort members join a top tier venture capital fund (VU Venture Partners), select a vertical focus (Consumer, Enterprise, FinTech, Frontier, Healthcare, & PropTech), and source and evaluate investment opportunities leveraging their unique sports perspective and network.
During the Investment Apprenticeship program the cohort members will source and evaluate over 5,000+ companies, present their top 1–2 opportunities at weekly Partner Meetings per vertical team, participate in weekly management and vertical team meetings, including a dedicated weekly meeting for the Sports Venture Capital Investor Accelerator led by Lens of Sport, present and participate on the Investment Committee, make 1–7 investments per quarter (a ~0.1% selectivity), and receive a profit sharing agreement to share in the upside on the investments made.
At the end of the program the cohort graduates during a REVERSE DEMO DAY event, where the cohort presents the investments they selected, celebrate with an alumni networking event, have a graduation trip to Napa Valley, CA, and receive three certificates for the Education Programs and Investment Experience completed.
This collaboration marks a significant step in bridging the gap between sports, venture capital, and entrepreneurship. Lens of Sport will play a core role in crafting an immersive educational and professional development program, leveraging resources through its Sports+Biz Club, a network of private, white-labeled business communities tied to athletics departments, sports agencies, and elite athletes.
In the coming months, the Sports+Biz Club will be launched through a number of high profile partners and is designed for elite athletes, ranging from current and retired professionals to highly ranked high school and youth athletes. The Sports+Biz Club will be a platform to connect athletes and sports industry executives with high potential start-ups from Silicon Valley, to across the U.S., and globally.
Through the partnership between Lens of Sport and Venture University, the Sports Venture Capital Investor Accelerator will include top tier sports athletes and industry professionals sharing their wisdom and insights during Advanced Modules and Fireside Chats, and use the core program of Venture University’s Venture Capital Investor Accelerator to provide a high quality education program and develop top tier investment experience in venture capital.
J. Skyler Fernandes, Founder & CEO of Venture University, and Founder and General Partner of VU Venture Partners, shared, “We are excited to join forces with Lens of Sport to create a unique educational opportunity at the intersection of sports, venture capital, and entrepreneurship. Through this partnership, we aim to empower a new generation of sports leaders who can create and grow generational wealth and drive innovation through the sports industry globally.”
Hany Syed, Co-Founder & CEO of Lens of Sport, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration: “This partnership is a game-changer, bringing together the worlds of sports, venture capital, and education. Lens of Sport is committed to empowering athletes and sports enthusiasts (30% of the world’s population) with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the dynamic landscape of venture capital and entrepreneurship through the lens of sport.”
About Venture University:
Venture University (VU) is the world’s leading Investor Accelerator for venture capital, private equity, and angel investing. VU has over 750+ alumni across 38 cohorts globally, with headquarters in San Francisco, CA and Hong Kong. The program is led by investors with top tier performance, who have over 100+ years of investment experience (50+ years in VC / 50+ years in PE), have deployed over $9B+ ($2B+ VC / $7B PE), and have been some of the earliest and largest investors in over 20+ unicorns including Facebook (Meta), Uber, Twitter (X), Beyond Meat, Oculus, Oscar, Palantir, Wish, etc.
About Lens of Sport:
Our mission is to teach better by creating accredited and certificate courses and professional development programs through the lens of sport™. Lens of Sport launched its first courses in business in 2019 offered through a top-20 ranked business school, which became the first elite business school to offer accredited undergraduate courses online. In partnership with universities and sports industry leaders, we offer courses in business and traditional academic fields brought to life using real-world sports case studies, examples, and appearances from high-profile leaders within the global sports industry (current and former owners, team management, coaches, athletes, and executives from sports-focused businesses).
For media inquiries, please contact:
Venture University: https://www.venture.university/contact
Lens of Sport: info@lensofsport.com
