NFL player Kayvon Thibodeaux is already planning for life after retirement. The New York Giants defensive has invested in real estate, beverage, hospitality, and restaurant industries and has a stake in Meatpacking District’s Meduza Mediterrania.
“It’s about alignment for me,” Thibodeaux said, according to Sportico. “When you come into a business, you can get your money back, but you can’t get your reputation back… For me being an athlete and aligning with the [diverse] personnel that’s going to be involved in this is the exemplar of what more athletes can do and should do.”
The NFL player continues to expand his investment portfolio with his latest move. He is listed as a venture partner with The Collectiv, a venture capital firm that focuses on early stage sports startups and intends to raise $20 million over the next six months, according to Sportico.
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The move will allow him to play a major role in identifying investment opportunities while deepening his understanding of the venture capital ecosystem.
“It’s one thing to just be an investor and write checks, but it’s another thing to actually be involved,” Thibodeaux said. “I’m at the point where I want to have a certain level of expertise in the field so now we’re here and culminating into the next business.”
Houston-based venture capital firm The Collectiv was co-founded by Ashley DeWalt, managing director of DivInc Houston; Winston Gilpin, former CFO at Mercury; and Heath Butler, a partner at Mercury.
Thibodeaux’s investment has been welcomed by managers of the VC firm, who believe that his presence will inspire future players who have an interest in investing earlier in their careers.
As per Sportico, other venture partners and advisors to The Collectiv include C-Suite leaders from the NBA, NFL, MLS, MLB, NCAA and UFC, as well as executives from leading tech companies such as Microsoft, Nike, Amazon, Apple and Meta.
“It’s about investing in what they know,” The Collectiv co-founder and managing partner DeWalt said in an interview. “All the various folks that make up this ecosystem historically have been excluded. Our ‘why’ is being able to provide that opportunity, hence the name The Collectiv, and that’s the power of the fund.”
According to Sportico, The Collectiv has already made investments in the AI platform ON, the micro-betting tech platform nVenue, the live video production business Videon, and the international sailing team U.S. Sail G.
