Danny Menken, the former managing director of Eurosport and co-founder of Eleven Sports, and Karim Ben Rejeb, a former JP Morgan investment banker, have teamed up to launch a European sports investment platform.
Athvance Capital will invest in emerging and under-commercialised sports IP “with global reach”, and in technology and service providers.
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The fund is backed by a senior team of entrepreneurs and investors with experience in sports, media, technology, and finance, and is looking to raise as much as €500 million ($585 million).
The firm said it will target “investment opportunities structured to work together within an integrated ecosystem, enabling international expansion and long-term value creation across the portfolio.”
Co-founders Menken and Ben Rejeb will serve as managing partners of the company.
As well as stints at pay-TV sports broadcasters Eurosport and Eleven Sports, Menken was also previously chief executive at Infostrada Sports Group.
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By GlobalDataIn partnership with their founders and operators, the firm has already deployed capital across a portfolio of majority investments with an existing presence in Spain, the Netherlands, France, the UK, and Portugal.
These include tech and sports venture studio ve2.ventures, Estrella Football Group, a multi-club owner of lower league soccer clubs, including Clube Sportivo de Cascais in Portugal, the Queen & King of the Court professional beach volleyball leagues, and a professional padel tournament.
Athvance is also currently in the process of closing additional acquisitions.
Menken said: “This is an exciting moment for the sports industry, driven by powerful trends in entertainment and wellbeing, technology innovation, and consumer-led disruption. As media, technology, and performance continue to converge, the sector requires a more integrated, long-term investment approach.
“The opportunity is particularly strong in Europe, where the market is still fragmented with a large number of under-monetised sports assets and relatively few dedicated investment platforms. We look forward to deploying Athvance Capital’s capabilities to unlock this potential.”
Ben Rejeb added: “Athvance Capital combines industrial expertise, hands-on operational execution, and financial discipline to deliver long-term value creation. Within the sport value chain, we focus on categories where we see the highest potential for growth and profitability: under-commercialised IP and the technology and service providers that support their growth.
“We are excited to partner with founders, management teams, and investors in the years to come to build institutional-grade sports assets that blend value creation with passion and purpose.”
