Stephen Curry, Lewis Hamilton, Alex Morgan, Andy Murray, Ninja, Chris Paul, Shohei Ohtani, Tony Romo, Justin Timberlake & Serena Williams Headline Strategic Investor Group
Connect Ventures and 25madison Ventures Co-Lead Institutional Investment, Rounded Out with Roster of Venture Capital and Private Equity Investors, including Sports Team Owners across NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Premier League, MLS, NWSL & Esports
TMRW Sports, which is focused on building progressive approaches to sports, media, and entertainment, has announced its initial investor group, an influential roster of icons across sports and entertainment matched with business titans in technology, sports, media, and finance. The institutional investment was co-led by Connect Ventures and 25madison Ventures. The investment group’s sports experience includes team ownership in every major league and ranges across F1, NFL, NBA, Premier League, MLB, NHL, MLS, tennis, esports, surfing, and golf with a combined social reach of nearly 500 million followers across Twitter and Instagram. The announcement was made by Mike McCarley, founder and CEO, TMRW Sports (pronounced “tomorrow sports”), who unveiled the formation of the company in August with co-founders Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, as well as early investor Dick Ebersol.
“Over the past year we’ve assembled a team of investors who will help deliver on the TMRW Sports’ mission to positively impact how sports are experienced in the future. And we’ve been intentional about diversity of expertise, thought and backgrounds as we mobilized this strategic group co-led by Connect Ventures and 25madison Ventures,” said McCarley. “From the very beginning our plan has been to partner with the best-in-class in every way imaginable and Tiger, Rory, and I value the support of this unrivaled team of investors, advisors, and ambassadors who believe in our vision to harness technology to create progressive approaches to sports. Their combined broad reach and cultural relevance will expand potential opportunities and fanbases for TMRW projects. Plus, many share a passion for golf that only adds more fuel to TGL, our first project in partnership with the PGA TOUR.”
“TMRW Sports is redefining how the next generation of fans will play and consume sports by leveraging technology in unique and innovative ways,” said Michael Blank of Connect Ventures. “Connect Ventures is thrilled to work alongside this world-class group of investors to support Tiger, Rory and Mike’s vision to further accelerate the evolution of sports and make it more accessible for all.”
TMRW SPORTS’ CULTURAL ICON INVESTORS:
In addition to Woods’ and McIlroy’s combined 791 weeks at World No. 1 and counting, 105 PGA TOUR wins, and 19 Major Championships, TMRW Sports’ investor group combines to add 113 Formula 1 wins, 40 Emmy Awards, 32 NBA All-Star Games, 16 NFL Pro Bowls, 26 Grand Slam singles titles, 21 Olympic medals, 8 MVP titles across four sports, 10 Grammy Awards, 8 NBA Championships, 7 F1 World Championships, 5 UEFA Champions League titles, 3 Stanley Cups, 3 MLB All-Star Games, 3 WNBA Championships, 2 FIFA Women’s World Cups, and a World Series champion.
F1:
· Alex Albon: Williams Racing (THA/GBR)
· Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes-AMG Petronas, 7-time World Champion (GBR)
· Lando Norris: McLaren (GBR)
· Carlos Sainz: Scuderia Ferrari (ESP)
· Mark Webber: ret., 9-time F1 Grand Prix winner (AUS)
NFL:
· Josh Allen: Buffalo Bills (USA)
· Kelvin Beachum: Arizona Cardinals (USA)
· Larry Fitzgerald: Arizona Cardinals ret., (USA)
· Tony Romo: Dallas Cowboys ret., CBS Sports (USA)
Entertainment:
· Justin Timberlake: 10-time Grammy Award, 4-time Emmy Award winner (USA)
Tennis:
· Andy Murray: 3-time Grand Slam Singles Champion, 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist (GBR)
· Serena Williams: 23-time Grand Slam Singles Champion, 4-time Olympic Medalist (USA)
Gaming:
· Tyler “Ninja” Blevins: professional gamer and entertainment personality (USA)
NBA/WNBA:
· Stephen Curry: Golden State Warriors, 4-time NBA Champion (USA)
· Andre Iguodala: Golden State Warriors, 4-time NBA Champion (USA)
· Chris Paul: Phoenix Suns (USA)
· Jayson Tatum: Boston Celtics (USA)
· Diana Taurasi: Phoenix Mercury (USA)
Soccer:
· Jozy Altidore: Liga MX, Puebla (USA)
· Gareth Bale: MLS, Los Angeles FC (GBR)
· Servando Carrasco: MLS, ret. (USA)
· Alex Morgan: NWSL, San Diego Wave FC, 2-time World Cup Champion (USA)
MLB:
· Shohei Ohtani: Los Angeles Angels (JPN)
· Trea Turner: Los Angeles Dodgers, World Series Champion (USA)
NHL:
· Sidney Crosby: Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-time Stanley Cup Champion (CAN)
Surfing:
· Kanoa Igarashi: World Surf League, Olympic Silver Medalist (USA/JPN)
TMRW SPORTS’ INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS:
Connect Ventures: An investment partnership between entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and global venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Connect Ventures launched in 2020 to accelerate the growth of early-stage consumer-focused businesses, and draws on CAA’s resources, relationships, and expertise spanning the global entertainment and sports landscape and the deep domain and company building expertise of NEA’s world-class technology practice.
25madison: 25madison Ventures is the seed-stage venture fund of 25madison, an early-stage venture platform backed by Apollo Global Management. The fund invests in disruptive technology companies and is led by a team of seasoned operator-investors.
“Tiger, Rory, and Mike are all titans of both golf and business. It was a no-brainer to join forces with Connect and this first-rate investor group to support TMRW Sports as they bring their vision to life. There is a huge opportunity to elevate how fans engage with the sports they love, and the team at TMRW Sports will do just that,” said Steven Price, CEO and Co-Founder, 25madison.
Additional institutional investors include:
o Copper
TMRW SPORTS’ BUSINESS LEADER INVESTORS:
Sports:
· Arthur Blank: Owner and Chairman, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United and PGA TOUR Superstore; Co-Founder, The Home Depot
· David Blitzer: Co-Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment: Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, and Newark’s Prudential Center; Owner, Real Salt Lake; Minority Owner, Cleveland Guardians
· John Collins: Board Director, Super Group Ltd. Former CEO, On Location Experiences; COO, NHL; President and CEO, Cleveland Browns; and senior marketing, sales and programming executive, NFL
· Ben Grossman: Sports, media, and technology executive; Co-Owner, Minnesota United and Angel City FC
· Eric Grubman: Chairman of Super Group Ltd. and DroneUp; former senior executive, NFL, Goldman Sachs, Constellation Energy Group, and On Location Experiences
· John Henry: Principal Owner, Fenway Sports Group, including the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club, and Pittsburgh Penguins
· Dawn Hudson: Board Director, Interpublic Group and NVIDIA. Former CMO, NFL; President and CEO, Pepsi-Cola North America; and Chairman of the Board, LPGA Tour
· Steve Nash: Co-Founder, BLOCK; former NBA MVP
· Tom Penn: Founding President and Co-Owner, Los Angeles Football Club; Co-Founder, Sports Leadership Institute, former senior executive, NBA
· Kevin Warren: Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference; former COO, Minnesota Vikings
· Tom Werner: Chairman, Fenway Sports Group, including the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club, and Pittsburgh Penguins
· Mark Wilf: Co-Owner of the Minnesota Vikings, Orlando City Soccer Club, and Orlando Pride
Finance:
· K. Don Cornwell: Co-Founder and CEO, Dynasty Equity
· John S. Daly: Former Chairman Global Equity Capital Markets, Goldman Sachs
· Jimmy Dunne: Vice Chairman and Senior Managing Principal, Piper Sandler; President, Seminole Golf Club
· Cam Dyer: Former Partner and Sector Co-Head of Global TMT Investing, The Carlyle Group
· David Gubbay: Senior Managing Director, Highpost Capital
· Philippe Laffont: Founder, Coatue Management
· Reggie Love: Senior Advisor, Apollo Global Management; former Partner, RON Transatlantic EG and White House Personal Aide, President Barack Obama
· Tim Neher: Former Vice Chairman, Continental Cablevision; former President, Seminole Golf Club
· Kirk Posmantur: Co-Founder and Chief Partnership Officer, 25madison; Chairman & CEO Axcess Worldwide
· Joe Tauscher: Managing Partner, Mount Cypress Investment Fund
Media/Technology:
· Chris Chaney: Co-Founder and CEO, Fancurve; former CEO and Founder of Infinite Esports & Entertainment
· Zach Dixon: Founder and COO, Players Lounge
· Dick Ebersol: Former Chairman, NBC Sports; executive producer Sunday Night Football and NBC Olympics, Co-Creator Saturday Night Live
· Rohit Gupta: Co-Founder NYXL; Partner, Sterling.VC
· Alex Lieberman: Founder and Executive Chairman, Morning Brew
· Ari Litan: COO of LayerZero Labs; founding team and former executive, The Athletic; Co-Founder, Swish
· Alexis Ohanian: Founder, Seven Seven Six; Co-Founder and former Executive Chair, Reddit
ABOUT TGL:
In August, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and McCarley announced the formation of TMRW Sports and TGL, a new tech-infused golf league in partnership with the PGA TOUR. TGL will showcase team competitions fusing advanced tech and live action from a custom-built venue in primetime on Monday nights. Woods and McIlroy are the first two golfers committed to compete and the league’s inaugural season will kick off in January 2024.
TGL, the golf league of TMRW Sports, will feature:
· Teams: Six teams of three PGA TOUR players in head-to-head, 18-hole match play;
· Tech-Infused Venue: A first-of-its-kind experience for golf enabled by a data-rich, virtual course combined with a tech-infused, short-game complex;
· Tech-Enabled Fan Experience: High-energy, greenside fan experience with every shot live within a 2-hour, primetime televised match;
· Season: 15 regular season Monday night matches followed by semifinals and finals series.
ABOUT TMRW SPORTS GROUP: (pronounced “tomorrow sports”)
Founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and sports executive Mike McCarley, TMRW Sports is focused on harnessing technology to build progressive approaches in sports, media, and entertainment to create new pathways for the next generation to enjoy sports. TMRW Sports’ first project, TGL, is an innovative league launched in partnership with the PGA TOUR. TMRW Sports is supported by an all-star roster of athletes, celebrities, and business leaders from the worlds of sports, media, technology, and finance who make up a powerful and diverse investor group. TMRW Sports joins Woods’ TGR Ventures and McIlroy’s Symphony Ventures, and is led by McCarley, founder and CEO. For more, visit TMRWSportsGroup.com.
