The Arctos Capital Partners private equity firm has announced the launch of Arctos Capital Markets (ACM), a new subsidiary to facilitate investments in sports properties.
The company described its new arm as “a new business line dedicated to identifying and connecting qualified high net worth investors directly with professional sports ownership opportunities.”
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Arctos is the only investment firm approved to own equity across all five major North American professional sports leagues and claims to be the largest owner of North American sports equity globally, with over 25 portfolio franchises.
Since 2024, Arctos has built out a dedicated ACM team and platform. ACM facilitated the sale of a controlling interest in the Tampa Bay Lightning NHL franchise to a new ownership group last year.
Doc O’Connor, co-founder and co-managing partner of Arctos, said: “Our goal is simple: be the first call. If you are an individual investor seeking direct sports franchise ownership exposure, Arctos Capital Markets offers an efficient path to minority or control ownership supported by our scale and reputation as a strategic partner to the league's owners and other key stakeholders in the sports ecosystem.”
Forrest Richmond, director at Arctos, added: “Arctos Capital Markets is a natural extension of our mission to be the premier partner to professional sports franchise owners globally.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData“Building upon the capabilities we’ve established with Arctos Insights and the Arctos Operating Platform, ACM further improves our ability to serve ownership groups, help them raise capital, and deliver tailored solutions, while remaining an aligned equity owner.”
Last December, Arctos acquired a 10% stake in the Buffalo Bills NFL franchise.
The US-based firm is among several funds selected and approved for NFL equity investment, alongside the likes of Ares Management, Sixth Street, Blackstone, Carlyle, CVC, Dynasty Equity, and Ludis.
The 32 NFL franchise owners voted to approve limited private equity investment at a special owners' meeting in August 2024.
The equity funds are limited to a maximum of 10% investment in any franchise.
Earlier this week, Apollo Global Management launched a sports-based investment venture, and the Avenue Sports Fund closed with over $1 billion of capital commitments as private equity groups continue to accelerate their involvement in the industry through dedicated vehicles.
