Profluence Capital

I try to make Profluence Sports better every day... Making this compliment from Dan (???????? ???????? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ????????) even more impactful and motivational: Not everything is perfect, we're figuring out things as we go, our offering is 50% people and 50% product, making it harder than just SaaS, but more is to come. ?? Super appreciative of the 620+ active members we have as of today. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/et_UiNGZ

?? Beyond excited to announce our $2.5m seed round for Pickleheads! The round was led by Overline, with participation from Ardent Venture Partners, Oregon Sports Angels, Profluence Capital, Service Provider Capital, Network Ventures and MLP’s Texas Ranchers. We’re proud to say we added over 65 new angels – many of whom are players and Pickleheads users themselves. Huge thanks to everyone who participated in this round. We couldn’t have a better group of investors along for the ride ?? With this funding, we’re advancing our mission to give players the best on-court experience through technology. We believe every pickleball game should be a good game - fun, social and competitive. And that’s just not happening today with a big mix of skill levels all in an open-play format. So we’re building level-based formats that keep the fun, open magic of pickleball. We’re starting from scratch and asking ourselves… what does the best player experience look like? Many players know us as a court finder and that’s awesome! We hear from people all the time they found a court on Pickleheads while traveling or new to an area. But what many players don’t realize is we’re now a complete platform that can power rec play. We built tools for setting up games. Recruiting players. Collecting payments. Running round robins. You can do everything from coordinating a small group to running a whole pickleball business on Pickleheads. In fact this year, we want to help bring in a new generation of pickleball entrepreneurs that use programming to bring a better experience to millions of players across the US. Read our blog post below to see our take on the future of pickleball – and big plans for this next chapter ?? See the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/g56u6xx5

US soccer ? Tyler Adams joined Westchester SC ownership group… ?????? ?????? ???? ???????????? ?????? (???????????? ???? ?????????????? ??????????????????): ? Tim Tebow: ?JAX USL ? Angel Reese: Baltimore team ? Tim Howard: Memphis 901 FC ? Jose Bautista: Las Vegas Lights ? Jeff Teague: Loudoun United FC ? Marshawn Lynch: Oakland Roots ? Landon Donovan: San Diego Loyal ???????? ?????????? ???????? ???????? ?????????????????? ?????????????????? ?????????? ?????? ??????: ? ? The USL Championship has seen franchise values steadily climb, with new expansion fees now exceeding $20 million. ? Unlike the MLS...USL teams maintain independent ownership & operational flexibility, allowing for unique investment structures and upside potential. ? Major investors are targeting USL clubs due to their stadium-anchored mixed-use projects (over $3B in active capital currently). ? USL's potential promotion & relegation model adds long-term competitive intrigue, differentiating it from other North American leagues. ? Media rights and sponsorship revenue continue to grow, strengthening financial viability and long-term ROI for investors. ──────── *????????????????????: ???????????????????? ?????????????? ???? ???? ???????????????? ???? ?????? (???? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ?????????????????????? ???????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ????????????).

?????? ???????????? ???? ???????? ???????????? ?????? ???????????? ????????????????... 1. Youth Sports will have a big year 2. Adult Social Sports will start its climb 3. Thematic Funds will continue niching down 4. Emerging Leagues will find their equilibrium 5. Women's Sports will grow but stabilize in areas 6. College Sports will enter unprecedented territory 7. Culture and International expansions will keep rising Check out the full briefing here, where we explore each area in detail: https://lnkd.in/ehmkeB8t ?????? ???????????? ????????: This is a great time to build in the sports industry!

A BIG thank you to everyone for an awesome year... Profluence 2024 wrapped: ? raised first VC fund (~$5m) ? relocated to St. Petersburg, Florida ? hosted first in-person get-togethers ? built a stacked internal team of LPs & advisors ? over 550+ members of Profluence+ Community Truly grateful; big things planned for the Profluence ecosystem in 2025. Subscribe to our weekly Thursday newsletter to see what trends we're paying attention to in the new year - https://profluence.com

Recently raising $1.6B for two new sports/entertainment funds... Today's guest is Mike LaSalle, Partner at Shamrock Capital. With over 40 years of investing across sports, media, and entertainment - Shamrock Capital is a major player in the private equity space. ??????’???? ?????????? ???????? ?????????????? ???? ???? ??????????s??: ?? 1???Dynamic of Fundraising in Private Equity 2?? Navigating Exits and Investment Timelines 3?? Current Trends in Media and Sports Investments Check out the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/ezGhXYcW Fascinating clip from the podcast??

Multi-Club Ownership Panel Join us for an insightful discussion on multi-club ownership, featuring top industry voices.

A hidden gem in the youth sports space... Today's guest is Graham Leveston, Founder of College Properties Group. CPG operates over 80 elite camps and tournaments, partnering with top-tier academic institutions across multiple sports. ??????’???? ?????????? ???????? ?????????????? ???? ???? ??????????????: ?? 1???NIL Event Paying HS Players 2?? Evolution and Scaling of Sports Camps 3?? Insights on Where Amateur Sports is Headed Check out the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eGpwCum6 Great overview clip from the podcast??

With over 5 million lifetime athlete registrations... Today's guest is Matt Kurowski, President of i9 Sports. i9 was recently recognized as one of the Most Profitable Franchises of 2024 and is impacting millions of youth athlete families across the country. ??????’???? ?????????? ???????? ?????????????? ???? ???? ??????????????: ?? 1???Giving families options 2?? Staying Relevant as a Leader 3?? Insights on the Future of Youth Sports Check out the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/ei8AFBCm Awesome overview clip from the podcast??

Investing capital across the golf industry... Today's guests are Matthew Erley and Evan Roosevelt, Founding Partners of Old Tom Capital. Old Tom Capital is an early-stage investment group dedicated to fostering innovation and growth within the golf industry. ??????’???? ?????????? ???????? ?????????????? ???? ???? ??????????s??: ?? 1???what they invest in 2?? opportunities for golf startups 3?? future of golf: new formats and engagement Check out the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eSPgVaYf Fascinating clip from the podcast??