#162 💸 The New Year Opens with Two Billion-Dollar Deals in Sports Investment

Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

Another trip around the sun and we're back to it. Kicking off 2026 with not one but two billion-dollar announcements: Bruin Capital's massive $1B raise backed by Apollo's Josh Harris, and KKR's acquisition of Arctos Partners. The money tap for sports tech and investment isn't just open, it's gushing at full pressure.

If this is how January starts, buckle up for what's ahead. Wishing all our readers a fantastic 2026! 🚀

💡 GLOBAL SPORTS TECH VC REPORT: PRO

Fewer big cheques, but far bigger dollar impact

Kicking off the year with another peek into the PRO Version of the Global Sports Tech VC Report 2025.

Here’s a dive into the deal sizes that shaped the 2025 funding landscape, which you should also keep in mind for 2026.

The deal-size distribution shows a stark divide between volume and value. While 453 sub-$1M rounds and 718 $1-10M rounds account for most activity, just 68 deals over $100M generated $22.3B - representing roughly 4% of disclosed rounds but 66% of total capital.

Mid-sized rounds from $10-50M contributed $5.3B across 262 deals, providing meaningful scale without concentration risk. Early-stage activity remains robust, but the financial center of gravity has shifted decisively toward mega-rounds. Note: 291 rounds remain undisclosed, likely skewing smaller.

If you need the complete picture for investment, strategy, partnerships or planning, the PRO report and Intelligence Hub provides the granularity needed for decision making. These are intelligence tools built for serious dealmakers.

• Dealflow Database: Track funding rounds, investment activity, and emerging opportunities as they come.

  Use case: See which companies just raised capital and who led the round. Spot opportunities before they hit the headlines.

• M&A Intelligence: Access acquisition data, valuations, and buyer trends across sports tech.

  Use case: Identify acquisition targets or assess competitor M&A activity.

• Contact Access: Get direct contact information for founders, executives, and decision-makers.

  Use case: Skip the cold intro and reach out directly to key stakeholders.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

📊 ESPN showcased advances in AI, immersive technology and its rebuilt direct-to-consumer platform at the ESPN Edge Innovation Conference 2025, outlining how it planned to reshape the future of sports media.

⚽ FIFA and Lenovo unveiled a suite of AI-powered innovations to enhance officiating, match analysis, performance insights and fan engagement ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

⚽ FIFA also announced it would deploy AI-powered 3D player avatars at the 2026 World Cup to improve offside decisions by tracking player movements during fast or obstructed phases of play.

🏟️ Cosm Detroit confirmed it would open in September, unveiling a next-generation sports venue featuring a massive LED dome designed to recreate live-game immersion for fans watching remote events.

🏈 The NFL delivered its second most-watched regular season on record, with 2025 viewership, up 10 percent as NBC, CBS and Amazon Prime Video each posted record audiences.

🏈 Netflix set a streaming record by drawing 27.5 million viewers for NFL games on Christmas Day, outperforming the NBA and marking the platform’s largest live sports audience to date.

⚽ City Football Group exited Mumbai City FC after six years by divesting its majority stake amid ongoing uncertainty around the future structure and commercial stability of the Indian Super League.

🥽 Spectrum SportsNet launched Spectrum Front Row™ on Apple Vision Pro, bringing live Los Angeles Lakers games to fans in an immersive storytelling format beginning January 9.

🏟️ European Athletics teamed up with CAMB.AI to deploy multilingual localisation technology that enabled real-time translation and personalised digital fan engagement across its competitions and platforms.

⚽ Paris Saint-Germain partnered with Zing Coach through 2027 to deliver interactive, player-inspired fitness workouts to its global fanbase of more than 500 million supporters.

⛵ SailGP opened its first permanent, shared training base in Pensacola, Florida, providing equal access facilities for all teams as part of a push to improve competitive fairness.

📺 WPP MEDIA launched WPP Media Sports, a unified sports and gaming practice designed to help brands accelerate growth through more integrated, data-led sports marketing.

💸 Specialist sports investor Bruin Capital raised $1bn from Apollo Global Management co-founder Josh Harris' 26North and PE firm TJC, for a new investment vehicle that will target companies providing services and technology to sports teams around the world.

🤝 KKR agreed to acquire Arctos Partners in a deal valuing the sports-focused private equity firm at approximately $1 billion, significantly expanding KKR’s exposure to professional sports investments.

💰 FitXpert secured seven-figure funding for an undisclosed amount from Foras Investment to support regional expansion of its fitness-focused SaaS platform.

💰 Kinotek raised $2 million in post-seed equity funding to expand its movement analytics platform used by professional sports teams including MLB’s Cincinnati Reds and high-performance gyms.

💰 FansUnite Entertainment completed a $1.5 million (CAD$2.0 million) non-brokered private placement to strengthen its balance sheet and fund ongoing operations.

💰 Betlabs closed a fully funded seed round backed entirely by SportsContentCo LLC for an undisclosed amount to scale its sports betting technology and product development.

🤝 MS Dhoni merged 7Padel with PadelPark India for an undisclosed amount to accelerate court development, consolidate operations and boost nationwide participation in India’s fast-growing padel market.

🤝 Global, one of Europe’s biggest commercial radio companies, acquired a majority stake in The Overlap, the YouTube channel founded by Gary Neville, in the latest sign of the streaming platform’s increasing influence in sports broadcasting.

🤝 Upper Hand, a youth sports technology platform, was acquired for an undisclosed amount, by H3 Partners, a private equity firm as the buyer looked to scale software supporting scheduling, registration and operations for youth sports organisations.

🚫 Germany-based Sportstech Brands Holding GmbH is suspending its discussions with U.S.-based Interactive Strength, Inc. (TRNR) regarding a potential acquisition of Sportstech.

💸 Anta Sports offered to acquire the Pinault family’s 29% stake in Puma for an undisclosed amount, with sources saying the Chinese sportswear group had already secured financing should the deal proceed.

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