NEW YORK & ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TMRW Sports, which is focused on building progressive approaches in sports, media, and entertainment, has announced the closure of its Series A investment round. The round was co-led by Dynasty Equity, which recently closed a strategic minority investment in Liverpool FC, and Connect Ventures, which co-led the initial fundraising round for TMRW Sports, and included participation from other leading institutional investors, sports team owners, cultural icons, and business leaders. TMRW Sports was founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Mike McCarley.
The overall investment group’s sports business experience spans NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA TOUR, Premier League, Formula 1, NASCAR, MLS, NWSL, WNBA, tennis, surfing, and cricket, and includes cultural icons with a combined reach of more than 1 billion social media followers. TMRW Sports’ first project is TGL presented by SoFi, a new team golf league that fuses advanced tech and live action with six teams of PGA TOUR superstars and will launch in January in prime time on ESPN and ESPN+.
"TMRW Sports is leading the evolution of sports, starting with TGL presented by SoFi, which will deliver an innovative product to millions of global golf fans and the broader sports community. And that is just the beginning for this great company,” said K. Don Cornwell, Co-Founder and CEO, Dynasty Equity. “We share TMRW Sports’ vision and commitment to relentless innovation in sports – reimagining the playbook for sports media and entertainment and embracing technology to create experiences that will make sports more accessible to a broader audience. We're thrilled to partner with the world-class team that Tiger, Rory, and Mike have assembled, as well as the PGA TOUR, and look forward to supporting TMRW Sports as it expands its groundbreaking platform to redefine how the next generation will watch, play, and consume sports.” As part of this investment, Cornwell joins the TMRW Sports Board of Directors as an observer.
“It is remarkable what TMRW Sports and its visionary leadership have accomplished in the short period of time, from our initial investment in 2022 to today,” said Connect Ventures’ Michael Blank, who also serves as a Board Director of TMRW Sports. “We are proud to extend our partnership with TMRW Sports, to help accelerate the next phase of its growth plan; fueling expansion into new formats, leagues, territories, and media properties; and furthering its ability to drive innovation across the sports and entertainment ecosystem.”
“As momentum has built for TMRW Sports’ vision to create modern media approaches to sports, we’re humbled by the enthusiasm within the investment community to support our efforts,” said Mike McCarley, founder and CEO, TMRW Sports. “We continue to forge partnerships with the best-in-class, which includes Dynasty Equity and Connect Ventures leading this investment round and a diverse spectrum of expertise and strategic perspectives across our full roster of investors. The combination of these relationships and resources will help serve as a springboard for further development and expansion, including the continued focus and growth of TGL presented by SoFi and fueling future projects, including new partnerships with major global sports leagues.”
TMRW SPORTS’ INVESTORS RANGE FROM CULTURAL ICONS TO TITANS OF BUSINESS:
TMRW Sports was first introduced in August 2022 by founders Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Mike McCarley. In November 2022, TMRW Sports announced a diverse investment group across sports, culture, technology, media, and business, ranging from future members of the team ownership groups for TGL presented by SoFi, including Arthur M. Blank, David Blitzer, Stephen Curry, Fenway Sports Group, Alex Morgan, Alexis Ohanian, and Serena Williams; to an all-star roster of strategic investors, including Josh Allen, Lewis Hamilton, Andy Murray, Ninja, Chris Paul, Shohei Ohtani, Tony Romo, and Justin Timberlake. Additional investment announcements included NBA superstars Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s 35V; MLB superstar Mike Trout; business leaders Michael Rubin and Greg Maffei; and musical superstars Justin Bieber, DJ Khaled, and Darius Rucker.
In addition to Woods’ and McIlroy’s combined 805 weeks at World No. 1, 108 PGA TOUR wins, and 19 Major Championships, TMRW Sports’ investor group has amassed:
116 Formula 1 wins |
13 MVP titles across four sports |
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78 NBA All-Star Games |
10 WNBA All-Star Games |
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40 Emmy Awards |
7 F1 World Championships |
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33 MLB All-Star Games |
6 UEFA Champions League titles |
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27 Olympic medals |
6 World Series Championships |
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26 Grand Slam singles titles |
3 Stanley Cups |
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20 Grammy Awards |
3 WNBA Championships |
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18 NBA Championships |
2 FIFA Women’s World Cups |
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17 NFL Pro Bowls |
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LEAD INVESTORS:
Dynasty Equity: Co-founded and led by Jonathan M. Nelson and K. Don Cornwell, Dynasty Equity is a global sports investment firm focused on strategic investments across the sports ecosystem in assets that are resilient, compelling, and differentiated. Dynasty’s founders have deep expertise in sector specific private equity and long histories in the business of sports, media, and entertainment. Integral to Dynasty’s investment approach is a deep commitment to enduring partnerships.
Connect Ventures: An investment partnership between entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and global venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Connect Ventures launched in 2020 to accelerate the growth of early-stage, consumer-focused businesses, and draws on CAA’s resources, relationships, and expertise spanning the global entertainment and sports landscape and the deep domain and company-building expertise of NEA’s world-class technology practice.
INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS: |
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SPORTS AND FINANCIAL BUSINESS LEADERS:
David Arison – Arison Investments
Pat Battle – Executive Chairman, Diamond Baseball Holdings
Arthur M. Blank – Owner and Chairman, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, Atlanta Drive GC, PGA TOUR Superstore; AMB Sports and Entertainment; Co-Founder, The Home Depot
David Blitzer – Co-Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment: Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, Newark’s Prudential Center, and Joe Gibbs Racing; Owner, Real Salt Lake, Utah Royals; Co-Owner, Jupiter Links Golf Club; Minority Owner, Cleveland Guardians
Carolyn Tisch Blodgett – On behalf of the Tisch Family and Next3; CEO and Founder, Next 3; Governor, Gotham FC; Limited Partner, Los Angeles Golf Club; and Strategic Advisor to the Tisch Family ownership, New York Giants
Gary Burnison – CEO, Korn Ferry
Greyson Clymer – CIO and Founder, Ninth Avenue Capital
Gary Cohn – former President & COO, Goldman Sachs
Todd Dagres – Co-Founder and Partner Emeritus, Spark Capital
Michael Farello & Jon Owsley – Managing Partners, L. Catterton (investing personally)
Vishal Gandhi – Managing Director, Ares Management (investing personally)
Robert Greifeld – Managing Partner, Cornerstone Investment Capital; former Chairman, Virtu Financial; former CEO, NASDAQ
Michael Hamp, Peter Hamp, Kevin Kelleher, and Colin McDonough – via Middle West Partners, a privately held investment partnership focusing on consumer brands, sports, and media
Anthony Jabbour – CEO, Dun & Bradstreet; Investor, Bournemouth FC
Derek Jeter – MLB Hall of Famer; Investor and Founder: The Players’ Tribune, Greatness Wins, and Cap 2 Productions; philanthropist
Eric Lane – President and COO, Tiger Global
Reggie Love – Senior Advisor, Apollo Global Management; former Partner, RON Transatlantic EG, and White House Personal Aide, President Barack Obama
Old Tom Ventures – golf-focused venture group
Kal Somani – Founder and CEO, IntraEdge, Truyo, Academian; Investor, Rajasthan Royals (IPL)
Jay Stein – President, Sandor Development Company; Investor, Colorado Rockies, Leeds United, Sounders FC, and Seattle Reign
Vincent Viola – Owner, Florida Panthers; Founder, Virtu Financial
Mark Wilf – Owner/President, Minnesota Vikings; Chairman and Managing Partner, Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride; President, Garden Homes Development
Robert Wolf – Founder, 32 Advisors; former Chairman & CEO, UBS Americas
CULTURAL ICONS:
Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills
Jozy Altidore – former U.S. Men’s National Team, MLS, La Liga
Cal Crutchlow – former MotoGP
Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s 35V
Maurice Edu – former U.S. Men’s National Team, Scottish Premier League, MLS
Ray Evernham – NASCAR Hall of Famer; automotive & motorsports industry consultant; entrepreneur; philanthropist
Larry Fitzgerald – former Arizona Cardinal
Haley Jones – Atlanta Dream, WNBA
Patrick Mouratoglou – legendary tennis coach of Serena Williams and Holger Rune; Founder of Mouratoglou Academy and UTS tennis tour
Ollie Pope – England Cricket Team, Surrey County Cricket Club
JT Realmuto – Philadelphia Phillies
John Terry – former Chelsea FC captain, 5-time Premier League champion
Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels; 3x MLB MVP; Founder, Trout National
About TGL presented by SoFi
TGL presented by SoFi is a new team golf league that fuses advanced tech and live action with six teams of PGA TOUR superstars and will launch in January in prime time on ESPN and ESPN+. SoFi Center will be TGL’s custom-built arena in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on the campus of Palm Beach State College. Technology is a foundational element of TGL, offering fans a progressive, shorter format presentation of team golf. The six TGL teams include Atlanta Drive GC, Boston Common Golf, Jupiter Links Golf Club, Los Angeles Golf Club, New York Golf Club, and The Bay Golf Club with each team featuring four players. To learn more about TGL, its teams, rosters, competitive format, and technology, visit TGL’s Explainer Page.
About TMRW Sports: (pronounced “tomorrow sports”)
Founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and sports executive Mike McCarley, TMRW Sports is focused on building progressive approaches in sports, media, and entertainment that inspire the modern sports fan to create deeper connections with technology and culture. TMRW Sports’ first project, TGL presented by SoFi, is a new team golf league launched in partnership with the PGA TOUR. TMRW Sports is supported by an all-star roster of athletes, celebrities, and business leaders from the worlds of sports, media, technology, and finance who make up a powerful and diverse investor group. TMRW Sports joins Woods’ TGR Ventures and McIlroy’s Symphony Ventures, and is led by McCarley, founder and CEO. For more, visit TMRWSportsGroup.com.
