Unrivaled announced Monday morning that the league has closed its Series A investment round. The list of investors is, as you might expect, star-studded.
milwaukee bucks Star athlete Giannis Antetokounmpo, world-renowned swimmer Michael Phelps, South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley, and University of Southern California guard JuJu Watkins are the new 3-on-3 women's pros. These are just a few examples of celebrities investing in basketball league joint teams. Founded by Nafeesa Collier and Brianna Stewart.
The latest investment round, led by the Berman family, secured $28 million in funding. Thanks to an initial seed round of $7 million, the league's total capital value is now $35 million.
In his official statement announcing the investment, the unrivaled president, Alex Buzzell, spoke passionately about the league's early momentum. Unrivaled, scheduled to tip off Jan. 17 in Miami, will feature 33 notable WNBA players, including Angel Reese, Brittney Griner, Chelsea Gray, Alyssa Thomas and more.
“As women's sports continues to grow in popularity and influence, we are inspired by Unrivaled's growing momentum and are grateful for the strong support from our investors,” said Buzzell. “While our players have not yet stepped on the court, the foundation we are building with our partners brings together unparalleled expertise, strategic insight, and great products. Together, we are setting the stage for Unrivaled for years to come.”
The complete list of Series A round investors includes:
- linda henry CEO of Boston Globe Media, Partner of Fenway Sports Group
- Mark Larther Avenue Sports Foundation CEO
- nicole phelps Michael Phelps Foundation President, Mental Health Advocate
- warner bros discovery
- amy vance Venture Partner, Mosaic, Board Member and Investor, Retired Executive at Comcast Corp.
- Black Economic Alliance Venture Fund
- Threadneedle Ventures
- off court venture
- Richard 'Rip' Hamilton Former NBA All-Star and Champion
- Joe Ingles 11-year NBA veteran, 5-time Olympic appearance
The list of investors in the seed round includes:
- alex morgan Former soccer player and Olympic gold medalist
- Dan Benton prolific technology investor
- carmelo anthonyformer NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist
- Geno Auriemma University of Connecticut women's basketball coach
- moira forbes Executive Vice President of Forbes
- Tyus & Tre JonesNBA player
- Ashton Kutcher,actor
- Dan Rosensweig Corporate Executive, Former President of Chegg
- John Skipperformer president of ESPN
- Richard Sarnoffa global business leader in the media world.
- Gary Vaynerchuk Co-founder of Resy wines and Empathy wines
