Weekly Roundup: Business of Athletes, Sports, & NIL (April 17-30)
Summary
None Former NFL linebacker, Jaylon Smith is investing in JINYA and opening one of their ramen bars on Notre Dames campus. None Soccer stars Riqui Puig and Clement Lenglet have invested in the $20M Series A of Goals, a Swedish esports game. None LSU womens basketball star Angel Reese signed a NIL deal with Caktus AI, they are labeled as the first-ever AI-assisted educational tool. None Karate Combat has secured $18 million in funding to further develop its (mixed reality) XR technology blending real-time virtual effects with live sports. None Private Equity firm EQT has purchased IMG Academy from Endeavor for $1.25B.More good news for the sports tech ecosystemBlueWeave Consulting expects the global sports technology market size to grow at a robust CAGR of 19.73% over the next 7 years.Hitting a value of USD $47.25 billion by 2029.Greatness needs no reason to rush.It will announce itself naturally when the moment is right: None Find no shame in going back to the root and beginning again.