Former JPMorgan investment banker launches European sports fund
A former JPMorgan investment banker has teamed up with the former managing director of Eurosport to launch a new European sports fund.
Athvance Capital has launched as a “European investment platform fully dedicated to unlocking long-term value across the global sports industry”.
Capital, according to the firm, has already been deployed across Padel Copa as well as Estrella Football Group – investors in Portuguese side GDS Cascais – and volleyball’s Queen & King of the Court.
Karim Ben Rejeb is a former JPMorgan investment banker with over 20 years of deal making experience while Danny Menken is formerly of Eurosport and data platform Infostrada Sports Group and was co-founder of Eleven Sports.
“Athvance Capital combines industrial expertise, hands-on operational execution and financial discipline to deliver long-term value creation,” the former banker said. “Within the sport value chain, we focus on categories where we see the highest potential for growth and profitability: under-commercialised IP and the technology and service providers that support their growth.
“We are excited to partner with founders, management teams and investors in the years to come to build institutional-grade sports assets that blend value creation with passion and purpose”.
New sports fund
The organisation states that it is “currently in the process of closing additional acquisitions that will further strengthen the platform”.
Investment in sport is on the rise, and private equity giants and smaller offices are eager to get into the space.
Menken said: “This is an exciting moment for the sports industry, driven by powerful trends in entertainment and wellbeing, technology innovation and consumer-led disruption. As media, technology and performance continue to converge, the sector requires a more integrated, long-term investment approach.
“The opportunity is particularly strong in Europe, where the market is still fragmented with a large number of under-monetised sports assets and relatively few dedicated investment platforms. We look forward to deploying Athvance Capital’s capabilities to unlock this potential.”