WhatsApp, Google, Adobe, YouTube investor group buys into US cricket
Silicon Valley figures from Adobe, YouTube, Google, WhatsApp and Dropbox are among those to have invested in Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise the San Francisco Unicorns.
They join figures from TV show The Big Bang Theory, Yodlee, and Menlo Ventures in going into sports ownership.
Shantanu Narayen, chairman and chief executive at Adobe, is among the tech figures who are in negotiations with the MCC to buy a minority stake in Hundred team London Spirit.
“This world-class group of investors brings deep strategic expertise and a shared vision for growing the game of cricket in the Bay Area and across the United States,” said rocketship.vc founding partner Anand Rajaraman. “With their support, we’re building a team that reflects the global spirit of the sport and the innovation-driven culture of the Bay Area.”
Cricket’s Unicorn investors
The Unicorns reached the Major League Cricket Championship game last year and are led by former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson. Their roster includes English 2019 Cricket World Cup winner Liam Plunkett and US captain Corey Anderson.
Narayen is among the investment group with the likes of YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, Iconiq Capital founder Divesh Makan, The Big Bang Theory actor Kunal Nayyar and former CTO of Dropbox Aditya Agarwal.
Former CBO at WhatsApp Neeraj Arora, former Google figure Amit Singhal and UC Investments (The University of California) all feature in the consortium.
“Growing up in New Delhi, cricket has always been close to my heart. It’s a game that unites people across cultures and continents,” said Nayyar. “I’m proud to support the San Francisco Unicorns as they help bring world-class cricket to the US and inspire a new generation of fans.”
Narayen’s MLC link with the Hundred isn’t the first, however, with the owners of Washington Freedom, including Sanjay Govil, set to enter into a 50-50 per cent agreement with Glamorgan-based Welsh Fire.