- SportsTechX Weekly
- Posts
- #121 🏃♀️ 8 Funds dedicated to Women's Sports
#121 🏃♀️ 8 Funds dedicated to Women's Sports
Plus transaction news for Surj, Sportradar-IMG Arena & Playtomic
SportsTechX
March 21, 2025
In partnership with
News, features & insights from the world of Sports Tech & Biz. Every Week.
Lots of big name news in the last week - Surj, Sportradar-IMG Arena & Playtomic. Our lead comes from another important announcement - Monarch Collective's expanded $250 million fund for women's sports - highlighting the growing number of funds dedicated to this booming segment.
A timely coincidence given that the IOC just elected their first woman (and first African) President. As always, have a great weekend.
Latest Investment Funds Focused on Women’s Sports
The last 12 months have certainly seen a rapid rise in women’s sports, which has in turn attracted a wave of new investment vehicles focused on unlocking its commercial potential.
Earlier this week, Monarch Collective announced a significantly expanded commitment of $250 million for women’s sports. Listen to their episode on our pod when they first announced the fund in mid-2023.
On the back of that news, below is an overview of eight other funds dedicated to this fast growing segment. Their efforts signal a shift toward greater equity in the sports industry.
125 Ventures
Kynisca Innovation Hub
Monarch Collective
Mercury 13
Project Level- Ariel Investments
Sphera Partners
Tipt Ventures
Bay Collective
From venture capital bets on sports tech and media (125 Ventures, Tipt Ventures) to growth equity and private equity plays in teams and leagues (Project Level, Sphera, Monarch Collective, Mercury 13), to research hubs (Kynisca), the landscape for financing women’s sports is rapidly evolving.
These eight investment vehicles - each with a distinct strategy but a common focus on women’s sports - illustrate the increasing sophistication and scale of capital now entering this fast growing segment.
Alexa, Ring, Nest, Apple, Roku…
What do all of these smart home products have in common?
They are must-haves in homes everywhere, and now there’s one more to add to the list…
Meet RYSE – the revolutionary way to automate your window blinds & shades.
And here’s why investors are taking notice:
📈 $10M+ in revenue and growing 200% year-over-year
🏢 In 127 Best Buy locations, with Home Depot launching in 2025
🔒 10+ patents protecting industry-leading technology
RYSE is on track to be the next big name in smart home automation—and you can invest at $1.90/share before their next wave of expansion.
Past performance is not indicative of future results. Email may contain forward-looking statements. See US Offering for details. Informational purposes only.
Indian Sports Business and Tech Report 2025
We hit send on this edition from the Indian Sports Summit here in Bengaluru. So is a perfect time to talk about our latest report which delivers an in-depth look into the country’s fast-changing sports business and innovation landscape.
Key findings from the report:
India Ranks 2nd in Global Sports Tech Investment by Country since 2020.
7000+ Total number of active Global SportsTech Startups, with 350+ from India, ranking 3rd in the world for number of startups.
37 global unicorns in Sports Tech out of which 4 are from India.
If you want to learn more about this underrated Sports Innovation ecosystem then be sure to…
Top News from the World of Sports Tech & Biz
🏏 Saudi Arabia’s SURJ Sports Investment is backing a new global Twenty20 cricket league and is prepared to pump $500 million into the project.
🚀 A new Global Sports Tech Startup Program, that strengthens the sports innovation ecosystem in Morocco and Israel, has opened applications. Details here.
⚽ The United Football League (UFL) announced that it is launching a new technology-focused innovation division this season – FAST – Football Advancement through Sports Technology. It will focus on three key emerging areas for the 2025 season: Mindfly (Immersive Player POV Camera), SkillCorner (Computer Vision and Contextual Tracking), Sportable (Sensor Based Ball Tracking).
⚾ Home Run Dugout landed its first MLB ballpark deal. It will install two of its batting bays in the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field.
⚾ Here's how MLB captured that viral Dansby Swanson catch in Tokyo - a system called FreeViewpoint developed by Canon. It’s permanently installed in the Tokyo Dome with 160 cameras around the venue.
🎟️ Apple has boosted its Apple Sports app ahead of the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments, adding sharable scorecards.
⚽ MLS has revamped their league app with advanced AI capabilities to improve interactivity and personalization.
📊 Relo Mtrics, a AI-driven sponsorship analytics platform, announced the adoption of key NVIDIA technologies into Relo Census and Relo Edge (formerly known as Media Value Center).
⛳ LIV Golf secured a multi-year exclusive broadcast deal with DAZN to show its events globally, including markets such as Canada, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan.
⚽ A new global seven-a-side women’s football league, World Sevens Football, launches with $5 million prize purse and commitment to invest $100 million over next 5 years.
👑 Kirsty Coventry has been elected IOC President, the first female President in IOC history.
🏀 The Fanatics and Fanatics Collectibles sports merchandise platforms announced a multi-year deal with Southern California women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins, the first women's college athlete to sign with Fanatics.
⚽ The English Premier League announced Puma as new ball supplier from 2025-26, replacing Nike.
🎾 The players' union co-founded by Novak Djokovic, PTPA, begins legal action against tennis' governing bodies, citing "anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare".
🏀 NBA referees James Williams and Kane Fitzgerald created RefMasters to provide educational tools for officials. Its an app to teach current, upcoming and aspiring referees how to apply the rules in their sports, aiming to improve play calls.
🏀 Ice Cube’s BIG3 launched an International Showcase Tour In Australia to grow the BIG3 Game globally. The BIG3 will spotlight its top players in its first-ever international BIG3 Showcase, set to take place in Australia in November 2025.
Money Talks:
💸 Monarch Collective, the investment firm exclusively focused on women's sports, has significantly expanded its financial commitment by increasing its fund to $250 million. Listen to them on our pod here.
🤝 Sportradar announced an agreement to acquire IMG ARENA and its strategic portfolio of global sports betting rights for $225 million.
💰 Playtomic, the world’s largest racquet sports community and booking platform, secured a $70 million funding round to fuel its expansion in the U.S. padel market. The round was led by Match Invest, a joint venture between Playtomic CEO Felix Ruiz and Luxembourg Finance House.
💰 LFP Media has chosen CAMB.AI as its official global language solution in a multi-year deal. The deal closely follows CAMB.AI's $11 million Pre-Series A funding round, extending its previous raise of $4 million seed round.
💰 Professional Triathletes Organisation raised $10 Million in investment from Cordillera Investment Partners.
💰 Zenniz raised a €2 million ($2.1 m) funding round, which was led by Butterfly Ventures and Superhero Capital.
🤝 IQMIND, a player in cutting-edge neurotechnology and sports performance innovation, announced the acquisition of ProSports Technologies, for an undisclosed amount.
🤝 Playfly Sports, a revenue maximizer of the sports industry, announced the acquisition of Paragon Marketing Group, a highly-respected independent sports marketing agency, for an undisclosed amount.
💸 Coalition Capital, owned by Kylian Mbappé announced its investment in the France SailGP Team. Mbappé’s ‘Inspired by KM’ (IBKM) association will become the French team’s official charity partner.
💸 The San Francisco Giants have sold a reported 10% stake in the team to private equity firm Sixth Street.
💸 Varsity Brands, the platform for team Sport and Spirit solutions through its divisions BSN SPORTS and Varsity Spirit, announced a strategic investment from Patricof Co (P/Co), the New York-based private investment platform for elite professional athletes.
Recap from our content archive:
🔙 STX Article: Innovative Fan Engagement- The Future of Sports in the Metaverse, Web3, and Beyond.
✅ STX Monthly: Last month’s sports tech dealflow, in case you missed it.
💪🏽 SportsTech AllStars Recap: Indian Sports Business and Tech Report series.
How did you like this edition? |
Reply