Good morning, ! It’s Thursday and today we’re looking at the Serena Williams venture portfolio, China and the US are not only battling in trade tariffs but also for eSports dominance, Formula 1 adds $80M per season in US media rights driven by growing US fanbase, and GenAI is redefining the media game in sports revenues.

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MEDIA & SPORTS

F1's Stateside Scramble

Formula One wants to turn American curiosity into cash—and it’s eyeing a $180M rights payday to do it. The U.S. fanbase is growing, but still behind Nascar (62%) and IndyCar (25%). F1? Just 38% of motorsport fans. So why the hype? Two words: Drive to Survive. Add new U.S. races and Logan Sargeant in the grid, and ESPN’s $85M deal suddenly looks like a bargain.

With ESPN hesitant to re-up at a premium, streamers are circling. Amazon already nabbed NBA rights. Netflix could finally add live to its F1 ecosystem. And Apple has a Lewis Hamilton-backed movie on deck. F1’s American story is just getting started—the question is, who gets to tell it? (More)

PRESENTED BY BUILD WEALTH

WSJ Bestselling Author Walker Deibel’s BuildEnergy Fund Leverages 4-Decade Track Record (Over 80% Subscribed!)

​B​uildEnergy Fund I is officially open to accredited investors​! This $100 million cashflowing fund offers family office terms and 30%+ IRR to its investors. 

Why ​i​nvest? ​Walker Deibel, the serial entrepreneur, WSJ bestselling author, and founder of Build Wealth sees this fund as hitting all facets of his Growth Predictor Framework:

• Experienced Operating Team – A 4-decade / 6-fund track record of strong returns, including IRRs averaging 50%

• Attractive Returns – Prior fund is already cash flowing 15% cash-on-cash, and estimated 35% IRR only 18 months in.

• Institutional-Level Terms – Direct access to a $5M family office buy-in structure, reflecting a 7% immediate paper gain on a minimum $50,000 investment.

• Focused Sector Approach – A strategic, supply / demand imbalance play, acquiring $100 million roll-up of oil wells during a buyer’s market.

​If you’re an accredited investor, you can get access to the data room here:

Discover the deal 

For questions, reach out to Mike Brown, Head of Investor Relations: [email protected]

INVESTORS CORNER

A New Power Play: Checketts and Eccles Launch $1.2B Sports Fund

Veteran sports executive Dave Checketts and the Eccles family’s Cynosure Group are teaming up for a new institutional moonshot: Cynosure | Checketts Sports Capital, a private equity fund targeting $1.2B+ to invest across the sports ecosystem. From equity stakes in pro teams to bets on media, tech, and women’s leagues, the fund is positioning itself as a long-term, legacy-minded player in a space increasingly shaped by private capital.

With offices planned in Salt Lake City, New York, and London, the JV blends Checketts operator pedigree (Knicks, MSG, Real Salt Lake, Burnley FC) with Cynosure’s $8B investment muscle, led by Spencer P. Eccles and former Fed Vice Chair Randal Quarles. European football and women’s sports are early focal points, alongside the intriguing possibility of an MLB expansion team in Utah.

Bottom line: This fund isn’t just chasing returns, it’s trying to redefine long-term value in sport. Investors, take note: this is patient capital with playoff ambition. (More)

ENTREPRENEURS

The Serena Era Isn’t Over—It’s Evolving

Serena Williams may have evolved away from tennis, but don’t confuse that with slowing down. The 23-time Grand Slam champ is now a full-time force in business, venture capital, and sports ownership. Her VC firm, Serena Ventures, has invested in 120+ companies, with 14 unicorns in the mix, and recently raised $100M to deepen its portfolio. But the most headline-grabbing move? Joining the ownership group of the Toronto Tempo, the WNBA’s shiny new expansion team. Williams isn’t just writing checks—she’s interviewing GMs and shaping culture. In an era where sports valuations are soaring, Serena is betting big that women’s sports are more rocket ship than bubble. And if history’s any guide, she tends to bet right. (More)

COLLEGE ATHLETICS

The Algorithm That Might Save College Tennis

The ITA’s new College Connect program is trying to make college tennis recruiting less like Tinder and more like LinkedIn. Thanks to the integration of the ITF World Tennis Number (WTN) — a global tennis rating system akin to a golf handicap — junior players can now find their collegiate match with algorithmic precision. Just input your gender and WTN rating, hit “find a college,” and voilà: a curated list of schools aligned to your level. The WTN, now mandatory for all college players, promotes transparency while feeding into a global database of over 1.75 million players. For a sport often navigating in the shadow of college football, this is tennis’ attempt to serve itself into relevance. (More)

TOGETHER WITH SYNTHFLOW

How Smartcat Scaled Outreach and Cut Costs

Smartcat’s sales team needed a better way to qualify leads and book demos. By partnering with Synthflow, they deployed Voice AI Agents that increased call engagement, revived cold leads, and reduced booking costs by 70%. The result? More deals closed, and reps focused on what matters most—selling.

Explore the full case

TECH & INFRASTRUCTURE

GenAI's MVP Role? Sports Content Creation Takes the Lead

As generative AI spreads across industries, sports is leaning into its storytelling edge. According to a survey by  PwC, 38% of industry leaders say content creation and distribution is the most important use case for GenAI, more than performance, fan engagement, or ops.

While athletes and coaches may dream of AI-enhanced scouting reports, the front office sees something else: hyper-scalable content. Think automated highlight reels, personalized recaps, and social-ready visuals, all at speed and scale.

Performance optimization (23%) and fan engagement (18%) round out the top three, but monetization still lags: advertising, sponsorships, and esports barely crack 8%.

Bottom line: In sports, GenAI isn’t just a stat machine, it’s a media engine. If the content is king, GenAI might just be the new playbook. (More)

CONSUMER & SPORTS

Nike & Adidas Losing Ground? Challenger Brands Muscle Up in Sportswear

The sportswear market is starting to look less like a duopoly and more like an open playing field. Nike and Adidas combined market share has slipped from 27% in 2019 to just 24% in 2024, while challenger brands now command 76% of the pie.

What’s driving the shift? A potent mix of direct-to-consumer insurgents, athlete-owned labels, and fashion-forward collabs is reshaping brand loyalty. Gen Z’s appetite for authenticity, community, and niche performance gear is pushing legacy giants off their perch.

The trend mirrors what’s happening in pro sports: more teams, more leagues, more voices,and a growing appetite for brands that reflect individual identity, not just global dominance.

Bottom line: Sportswear’s biggest players are still in the game, but the bench is getting deeper. In this market, fresh brands have fresh legs. (More)

eSPORTS

eSports GDP: Who’s Winning the Virtual Economy?

In the economic Olympics of eSports, China takes gold with $322M in winnings, while the U.S. grabs silver with $290M—but fields 3x the number of players. This isn’t just about popularity. It’s about competitive ROI. South Korea stays relevant at $154M, still surfing the wave it helped create two decades ago. And shoutout to Scandinavian countries like Denmark and Sweden—tiny populations, massive earnings-per-player. If this were real GDP, they’d be Monaco in headsets. With top earnings concentrated in a few nations, the question becomes: Who’s building a pipeline—and who’s just streaming?

INTERESTING ARTICLES

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Is China's Sports Economy Emerging as a New Engine for Growth Amid Economic Slowdown?

Are Beauty Brands Redefining Sports Marketing by Targeting Female Fans?

TWEET OF THE WEEK

"The golden rule for every businessman is this: Put yourself in your customer's place."

Orison Swett Marden