15 sports tech VCs and athlete angels

I’ve had a few conversations recently that have had me thinking about the strength (and opportunities) in European sports - and the emerging venture scene and tech layer driving innovation in sports and entertainment industry.

Sports is one of those industries that feels ‘big enough’ in Europe - where our ventures can become winners.

From athlete-led syndicates to global funds doubling down on performance tech & fan engagement, these are the VCs, crossover investors, and sports stars writing the checks (and opening the doors) across Europe’s sports-tech landscape.

This had me looking into venture funds and angels (on both sides of the Atlantic) backing European sports tech.

💸 heavy hitter funds

1. 776 / ‘Seven Seven Six’
Founded by Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian, 776 led Sorare’s $680M Series B and has since doubled down on sports/Web3 crossovers.

2. Sequel
The athlete-founded fund launched in 2022 with a mission to back startups in health & wellness, education, planet positive, and financial inclusion. Its LP base? Mostly elite athletes.

3. Courtside Ventures
A specialist sports, gaming, and wellness VC. Portfolio includes Fnatic (UK), StockX, and The Athletic.

4. Will Ventures
Focused on human performance, fitness, and sport-adjacent tech. Known for backing startups with elite athlete traction or sports science credibility.

5. Sapphire Sport
A $115M fund backed by a syndicate of sports team owners including City Football Group (owners of Manchester City). Focused on the intersection of sports, media, and entertainment.

6. Players Fund
Founded by athletes, for athletes. Players Fund invest small cheques into top percentile early stage founders, backed by athletes.

7. Muse Capital
An early-stage fund investing across media, wellness, and consumer. Involved in sports and gamified media platforms, often with celebrity co-investors.

8. Athletico Ventures
Helping athletes invest alongside VC funds.

🏟️ athlete angels & GPs

9. Serena Williams @ Serena Ventures
Founder of Serena Ventures. Board advisor to Sorare, with over 60 investments across fintech, wellness, and sports platforms. Champion of diverse founders and long-term utility.

10. Mario Götze
The German World Cup winner runs DAKIA Ventures and has invested in 30+ startups across Web3, wellness, and performance. An advisor to Tonsser and a frequent angel in sports-tech.

11. Tony Parker
The former NBA star is building a full-blown innovation ecosystem in Lyon. He backs performance, fan engagement, and mental health startups - and runs an accelerator tied to elite sports academies.

12. Nico Rosberg @ Rosberg Ventures
The retired F1 champion focuses on sustainability and climate tech, but often intersects with sports-tech via green stadium solutions and carbon tracking tools for events.

13. Gerard Piqué @ Kosmos
Through his company Kosmos, Piqué has backed projects like media rights innovation, tennis tech, and fantasy platforms. Partial to content + disruption plays.

14. Gregory van der Wiel
The ex-Dutch footballer runs BlockParty, a Web3 venture fund focused on creator tools, NFTs, and sports-adjacent projects. Big on next-gen platforms.

15. Antoine Dupont
French rugby star with angel exposure to fitness tracking and recovery startups. Tapped into France’s growing sports-wellness investing circuit.

This new generation of sports-tech investors are backing startups that are reshaping the entire sports & entertainment stack, from data and biometrics to fan monetization and athlete health.

Who did I miss? Let me know and can add them into the list.