NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Patricof Co (P/Co), the New York-based private investment platform, today announced an investment in IMG Academy, a leading global sports education institution. Over 50 of P/Co’s athlete clients took part in this investment, including Dak Prescott, Michelle Wie West, Jason Kelce, CC Sabathia, Justin Jefferson and Steve Kerr.
“This isn’t your average investment and IMG Academy isn’t your average prep school,” says Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys. “What stood out to me, and ultimately why I wanted to invest here with Patricof Co, is the vision that IMG Academy has for its students. The school itself has been around for years, but what I found most impressive is how they’re approaching the current and next generation of student-athletes. From an education and athletic standpoint, the resources they offer are second to none. Being able to invest and be a part of a school that has a thoughtful, long-term vision for how it is cultivating the next generation was a no-brainer for me.”
Mark Patricof, founder and CEO of P/Co, said, “We could not be prouder to invest in IMG Academy. What this institution has achieved in nearly four decades is a true academic and athletic success story. At a time when the sports education industry is facing new frontiers, IMG Academy has not only made the right decisions at the right times, but along the way has also ensured that its students, both on-campus and online, have access to best-in-class educational, life skills, and athletic resources, including teachers, coaches, facilities and more.”
This year alone saw IMG Academy in several major news moments on and off the field, including an acquisition by EQT, a monumental partnership with internationally-renowned Nord Anglia Education, being named top-three for a world’s best school prize, national championships in baseball, football and soccer, three National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, a student with a perfect score in the AP Macroeconomics exam, and 77 AP Scholars.
“At IMG Academy, our purpose is to empower student-athletes to win their future,” says Brent Richard, CEO of IMG Academy. “Partners like Patricof Co and its athletes share and understand our purpose, and they will help us achieve our vision to become the world’s most impactful education brand, with life-changing experiences, available to any student-athlete who believes in the power of sport as a platform for life. We look forward to working with our new athlete-owners to find new ways to enhance the experiences of our student-athletes both on-campus and online”.
IMG Academy is one of the premier preparatory schools in the world, home to more than 1,400 students from over 40 countries on its 600-acre campus in Bradenton, Fla. IMG Academy today supports the entire student-athlete development journey via a boarding school, sports camps, online coaching with IMG Academy+, and online college recruiting with NCSA College Recruiting that serve in total more than 100,000 student-athletes. A leader in the large and growing sports education market, IMG Academy helped place more than 30,000 students into college sports rosters in 2022.
For more information on P/Co, please visit their website at https://www.pco.com/.
About Patricof Co
Patricof Co (P/Co) is a highly specialized private investment platform designed to meet the unique business needs of professional athletes. Through strong relationships with its athlete clients built through a differentiated service offering and deep consumer sector expertise, P/Co aims to provide strategic capital to support the continued growth of the brands in which it invests. Please visit pco.com and follow @patricofco on Instagram for more information.
About IMG Academy
IMG Academy is the world’s leading sports education brand, providing a holistic education model that empowers student-athletes to win their future, preparing them for college and for life. IMG Academy provides growth opportunities for all student-athletes through an innovative suite of on-campus and online experiences:
- Boarding school and camps, via a state-of-the-art campus in Bradenton, Fla.
- Online coaching via the IMG Academy+ brand, with a focus on personal development through the lens of sport and performance
- Online college recruiting, via the NCSA brand, providing content, tools, coaching and access to a network of 40,000 college coaches
To learn more about IMG Academy and its on-campus and online experiences, visit www.imgacademy.com.