Padel is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and Ben Nichols saw this as a unique opportunity to build a PR firm for it. 

Padel 22 is a global padel-dedicated communications consultancy that helps organizations, rights holders, brands, events, players and other stakeholders tell their stories and be part of the sport’s expanding global footprint. 

Ben Nichols has nearly 20  years of experience running communications for the world’s leading sports series, leagues, events, teams, leaders, athletes, brands, and media. Including the infamous Russian Doping Scandal. 

Chapters:

(01:00) Ben’s communications background

(03:15) Padel 22

(05:35) Market insights on Padel 

(07:10) Stories that are sticking out 

(10:35) Getting media attention

(14:15) Country club sport

(17:30) Next run in Padel

(20:10) Padel leagues

(23:55) US market

(26:30) Advice on PR

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Ben Nichols:

Website: https://www.padel-22.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-nichols-7401929/?originalSubdomain=uk

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts. 

Once the 35th-ranked female tennis player in the world, CiCi Bellis is now the founding partner of Cartan Capital.

Cartan Capital is a venture capital firm focused on the sports and health technology markets – particularly Seed and Series A stage companies. 

At only 25 years old, CiCi Bellis is one of the youngest investors in sports. 

Chapters:

(00:30) CiCi’s background

(03:15) Tennis re-structuring 

(06:00) What classifies a pro tennis player 

(07:20) Opportunities in racquet sports

(09:00) Evaluating market sizes

(11:00) Balancing investing & building

(12:15) What excited her about VC

(13:50) Investment themes

(18:50) Areas to keep an eye on

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CiCi Bellis:

Website: https://www.cartancapital.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cici-bellis-750926182/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.

Quidich is revolutionizing the broadcasting experience having recently raised a Series A fundraising round with the company led by film entrepreneur Rahat Kulshreshtha. 

Quidich Innovation Labs was originally an aerial filmmaking company that has since evolved into a global technology leader in sports broadcasting. 

In addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Rahat Kulshreshtha is a founding member of the Drone Federation of India, where he currently serves as Chairperson, advocating for responsible drone usage in the country.

Chapters:

(01:10) Inspiration of Quidich

(04:00) Evolving from drones

(09:20) India sports market

(13:15) Next big sports in India

(15:50) Cricket’s global expansion

(19:00) Quidich future roadmap

(24:50) Advice for founders

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Rahat Kulshreshtha:

Website: https://www.quidich.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahatkul/?originalSubdomain=in

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts. 

Justin Bass is a Managing Director in the Sports and Entertainment Group at MAI Capital, where he joined in 2022 and has worked with professional athletes and high-net-worth individuals/families for over 25 years.  

MAI Capital Management, LLC is a full-service wealth manager for high-net-worth individuals and high-net-worth families; plus, a provider of targeted investment solutions for financial advisors and institutional investors.

Justin provides wealth management, investment advisory, family office, and legal services to high-net-worth individuals and families, with an emphasis on athletes, entertainers, entrepreneurs, and sudden wealth.  

Chapters:

(00:45) Justin’s sports finance background

(03:50) What is an RIA?

(05:50) Financial advising for athletes

(08:30) Common mistakes & challenges

(15:30) The team around athletes

(18:30) Landing new clients vs retaining existing

(22:30) Evolution of endorsement deals

(25:30) Advice for getting into sports

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Justin Bass:

Website: https://mai.capital/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-bass-4a3a823/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts. 

In 9 markets and with millions in revenue per year, Gio Marcantoni is the founder of Volo Sports. 

Started as a 16-person Bocce league in Baltimore in 2010, Volo Sports now has over 300,000 members nationally. 

Similar to how youth sports clubs have been rolled up, Gio Marcantoni has taken a similar approach to adult social sports. 

Chapters:

(00:30) Volo inception

(06:45) GTM strategy

(08:00) Business model

(10:00) Scaling internally 

(12:50) Bootstrapping to start

(15:10) Adult social sports market

(18:25) Demographics

(20:30) Branding & marketing

(24:00) Diving all into an idea

(26:40) Acquisition strategy

(30:00+) Group Q/A for community members

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Gio Marcantoni:

Website: https://www.volosports.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovanni-marcantoni-69a12828/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.

Raising over $76M, Stephen Smith has taken Kitman Labs from an Irish sports data company to a global solution. 

Kitman Labs was founded, pioneered, and powered by practitioners and data scientists consumed by the question of how to optimize human achievement.

Stephen Smith and Kitman Lab’s platform provides a holistic, unified view of the individual and the organization – making progress faster and more efficient.

Chapters:

(01:00) Kitman Labs

(02:45) Evolution of sports analytics 

(04:50) Wearables

(06:20) Artificial Intelligence

(08:10) Next great data solutions

(09:45) Differentiating from competitors

(11:45) Framework to ask better questions

(16:00) Fundraising strategies

(18:50) Scaling B2B model

(22:20) Military & sports similarities

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Stephen Smith:

Website: https://www.kitmanlabs.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephensmithsports/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.

A former college athlete, Matt Wheeler and his teammate started a sports recruiting platform in 2008 and have grown it substantially over the years. 

SportsRecruits offers student-athletes a platform to handle their college search and recruiting process from end to end. 

Using robust analytics around who is looking at your profile, video and academic information, SportsRecruits helps student-athletes and their families navigate a stressful and expensive process. 

Chapters:

(00:45) SportsRecruits background

(02:25) Recruiting transformation 

(06:00) Solving marketplace dynamic 

(09:10) Navigating different sports

(11:00) Staying capital efficient 

(15:30) Private equity in youth sports

(17:45) Competitive landscape

(20:30) Future of SportsRecruits

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Matt Wheeler:

Website: https://sportsrecruits.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattkwheeler/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.

Before becoming an NBA agent and a trailblazer in shaping the college NIL space, Daniel Poneman spent over a decade as a scout and consultant for more than 300 Division I colleges, NBA teams, and international franchises. 

Profiled in The New York Times and Sports Illustrated, Daniel rose from teenage scout to Chicago basketball mainstay. 

Since then, Daniel Poneman has helped hundreds of young men from Chicago's most underserved neighborhoods receive college scholarships through the "Undiscovered" basketball showcase he founded in 2009.

Chapters:

(00:30) Daniel Poneman background

(01:25) Sports agent journey  

(07:20) NIL ecosystem

(11:20) College sports landscape 

(13:50) NIL collectives

(18:30) Market valuations

(23:00) Peak college salaries

(24:30) Private equity impact 

(27:15) Future plans

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Daniel Poneman:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-poneman-a1237920/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.

Peter Simon runs the sports investment division for Simon Group Holdings, which was founded by his father Sam Simon. 

Sam Simon is a legendary immigrant entrepreneur having launched Atlas Oil Co. in 1985 with a single delivery truck, and has built it into a multi-billion gallon-a-year fuel wholesaler with over 500 employees.

Formed in 2022, Simon Sports is a sports investment firm and management group that serves as an umbrella for Sam and his son Peter Simon’s sports ventures.

Peter Simon attended Wayne State University and is an avid sports fan cheering for most Detroit teams (and the Dallas Cowboys). 

Chapters:

(00:35) Simon Group Holdings

(05:00) Current portfolio 

(11:00) How they think about community 

(12:30) Evaluating opportunities 

(15:00) Private family capital 

(16:40) What they look for 

(19:00) Trends in sports

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Peter Simon:

Website: https://simonsports.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/simon-sports/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts. 

Chris Van Dusen is a Senior Partner at Solyco Capital, a vertically Integrated PE/VC, Action Services, Public & Private Wealth Investment Firm that delivers capital solutions for late-stage startup and growth companies. 

Solyco Capital has made some of its first sports investments since its inception, showcasing the industry's appeal. 

Chris Van Dusen was a former D1 baseball player and successful entrepreneur having sold multiple businesses before entering the investment world. 

Chapters:

(01:20) Exiting 3 companies

(08:20) Solyco Capital

(11:50) Making first sports investments 

(14:30) Going through their sports portfolio 

(18:00) Artificial intelligence 

(23:20) Advice on raising capital 

(30:15) Mistakes he learned from 

(32:15) Areas in sports to watch

(36:35+) Q/A session available for Profluence+ Community members

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Chris Van Dusen:

Solyco Capital: https://www.solycocapital.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismvandusen/

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Andrew Petcash:

🏠 Website: https://profluence.com

🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/

Thanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.