When Simone Biles left a Nike endorsement reportedly worth $1.6 million a month and signed with Athleta in 2021, it shocked the sports world. Biles’ move was not about money but about her values and feeling supported as an individual, Marca reported. From performance marketing to values-first partnership The four-time Olympic gold medalist exited Nike months before the Tokyo Olympics. Athleta, the Gap Inc.-owned activewear brand, offered a partnership structured around collaboration and product development. The deal included direct work with Athleta’s design team and a focus on Athleta Girl,
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is bringing his education technology startup, Lumi, into K–12 classrooms through a new partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS). The collaboration launches a phased district pilot that introduces students to AI-powered storytelling tools designed to support literacy, creativity, and responsible technology use. Kaepernick’s AI Storytelling Platform Founded by Kaepernick in 2024, Lumi Story AI emerged from stealth with $4 million in seed funding led by Alexis Ohanian’s venture firm, Seven Seven Six. The platform is built to position AI as a creative assistant, helping
Peter Iwuh, founder of Tykoon Sports Agency, the first Black-owned NIL marketing firm, has launched Tykoon AI, AfroTech reports. The new platform, created with Co-founder and Chief Technical Officer Omogbolade Ajayi and Chief Growth Officer Alexander Turner is designed to help underrepresented athletes at HBCUs, smaller schools and lesser-known conferences take advantage of name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities. What is Tykoon AI? Tykoon AI is an all-in-one platform that enables students to connect with local businesses through its interactive merchant map. The app allows athletes to choose their school,
Former basketball star and serial entrepreneur Shaquille O’Neal is partnering with used car retailer Carvana to launch an AI-powered assistant called the Shaqbot. “I’ve been buying and selling cars for years, and when I found Carvana, I really loved the ease and innovation of the brand. That’s what makes my partnership with Carvana so exciting,” O’Neal said in a press release. “And now for other Carvana fans, they can have a little fun with Shaqbot, an assistant as smart, smooth, and good-looking as me.” Shaq O’Neal launching AI assistant Built on
Serena Ventures participated in a series B investment round for the 3-on-3 basketball league Unrivaled. The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, and other investors included Warner Bros. Discovery and Alex Morgan’s Trybe Ventures. This latest investment brings the value of Unrivaled to $340 million, which is a historic figure for a young league. The basketball league is transforming women’s sports by offering female players six-figure salaries, according to Front Office Sports. Athletes earned $220,000 last season, compared to the average of $66,000 to $150,000 in the WNBA. About Unrivaled Unrivaled launched
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Proparco, a member of the World Bank Group, announced an equity investment of up to $50 million in Helios Sports and Entertainment (“HSEG”), an investment vehicle dedicated to sport, media and entertainment across Africa. HSEG aims to foster a more dynamic sport and entertainment ecosystem in Africa by collaborating with its four partners: NBA Africa, The Malachite Group (Afro Nation), PFL Africa, and Zaria Group. IFC and Proparco invest in African sport The IFC commited $30 million of the equity investment,
Sports tech company, Ballin AI, just announced the close of a $500,000 angel round. The startup, founded by Division I athlete Nyla Pollard, analyzes players’ gameplay to help them improve their performance and increase their recruitment chances. After players upload their film, the footage is examined by a nationally recognized evaluator, who then scores it across various criteria, including defense, shooting, rebounding, scoring, transition, ball handling, and finishing. How does Ballin AI work? “We created Ballin because every athlete deserves the opportunity to have the information they need to develop
Fantasy sports and gaming platform, Fantasy Life, has secured $7 million in a new round, which included investors like LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Gerry Cardinale, John Legend, and Fortnite co-creator and former Epic Games C-suiter Donald Mustard, as reported by Variety. The investment will help expand Fantasy Life’s platform to a more customizable app and mobile experiences for players. It will also help the platform complete its acquisition of a rival company, Guillotine Leagues. The venture was created in 2024 by veteran fantasy sports entrepreneur Paul Charchian through his Heavy Blade
Ankor AI, a startup founded by Kyle Rowley, has just raised $1.3 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Upfin, according to Tech Funding News. Juni, Pleo, Moss, and Klarna also participated in the funding round. Former basketball player Rowley founded the Swedish fintech company after spending four years working with different finance teams. During this time, he observed the challenges of accessing financial data, particularly for e-commerce brands seeking credit or a precise cash flow. “I met smart operators who knew exactly what needed to be done, but
Steph Curry’s Thirty Ink generated $173.5 million in revenue in 2024, according to CBNC. Thirty Ink is a brand conglomerate that houses all of Curry’s business entities, including Unanimous Media, Gentleman’s Cut bourbon, and Underrated Golf and Basketball. A high percentage of that revenue came from its partnership with Under Armour, where the basketball player launched the Curry Brand, a basketball and golf footwear and apparel brand company. He is also the president of that brand. In 2023, Curry was given $8.8 million Under Armour common shares, valued at $75 million
