Kobe Bryant Launches $100 Million Venture Capital Fund For Tech, Media And Data Startups
Bryant is partnering with Jeff Stibel, the vice chairman of Dun & Bradstreet, chairman of brain implant system BrainGate and former president of Web.com. He has been privately investing with Stibel for several years. The two met through a mutual friend.
Bryant and Stibel have invested in fifteen companies since 2013. These companies include The Players' Tribune, Scopely, LegalZoom, Represent, Alibaba and VIPKid, a company that provides a North American school experience to children in China.
Billionaire investor Chris Sacca has noted that Kobe Bryant is obsessed with becoming a successful investor. He stated, “He was bringing the same obsessive work ethic to learning about start-ups that he does to training... This is a very unique personality type that I only see in some of our very best entrepreneurs.” Bryan is apparently also known for being a perfectionist.
Many other plays have started their own tech business ventures. New York Knicks player Carmelo Anthony started a M7 Tech fund in 2014. He has invested in twenty companies including Lyft, SeatGeek, and Whistle.Announced @BryantStibel investment platform to the world today with my partner @Stibel and our team on the @NYSE pic.twitter.com/Yy2yF34INH
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) August 22, 2016