From founding tech-centric startups and deploying strategic investments to leveraging social media and building a digital brand, today’s athlete, whether active and retired, is continuously redefining what it means to be a professional off the field or court.
Athletes aren’t just waiting until they retire to determine what Career 2.0 looks like — they’re figuring it out during their playing days. And for some who are retired, they’re not just sailing off into the sunset. They’re doubling down on their interests and passion projects, turning them into full-fledged businesses and transforming the narrative for how athletes spend their retirement days.
With that said, SportTechie broke down the top 20 tech-savvy athletes across the globe. We considered athletes’ diversified interests and investments along with forward-thinkers and those who drove conversations around different niches within technology, including wearables, digital media, esports, emerging innovation and virtual reality, among others.
Of course, it was difficult to narrow the list to just 20 individuals. We welcome feedback and your thoughts on Twitter.
Russell Okung, Los Angeles Chargers, offensive lineman
A board member for the OneTeam Collective, the NFLPA’s athlete-driven accelerator, Okung is one of the leading voices at the intersection of sports and technology. Through first-person accounts, he’s encouraged other NFL players and athletes as a whole to take ownership of their off-field careers and pursue opportunities in technology. He has invested in companies such as team messaging and scheduling app Shyft, esports platform Matcherino and software recruitment and placement organization Andela, among others. As of late, Okung has also been a proponent and user of WHOOP, a 24/7 monitoring device that measures strain, recovery and sleep, through the company’s relationship with the OneTeam Collective and being the Players Association’s first licensed partner.
Jeremy Lin, Brooklyn Nets, point guard
Last fall around the time traditional sports started merging with esports, Lin jumped into the scene as an endorser of Dota 2 team Team VGJ via a partnership with the China Digital Group and Chinese esports organization Vici Gaming. As a gaming enthusiast, he recently participated in the $15 million Series A round for social sharing, replaying and recording platform Plays.tv.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, point guard
It doesn’t hurt that Curry and his Warriors compatriots reside in the Bay Area, giving the two-time Most Valuable Player premier access to the epicenter of technology. Curry has tested virtual reality for training purposes and also appeared in a 360-degree advertisement from Degree Men earlier this year. In February, the sharpshooter helped launch Bubble, a group video chat and group text app where athletes and fans can cut through the social noise and communicate one-to-one. In 2015, with former Davidson teammate Bryant Barr, Curry co-founded Slyce, a bootstrapped startup with less than $1 million in funding. Originally a new-age social platform, Slyce pivoted to now connecting brands with targeted audiences.
Additionally, Curry has found success with sensory deprivation pods as a way to alleviate stresses and meditate, even partnering with Kaiser Permanente to promote mental wellness with the use of a pod. In the Curry household, though, the two-time NBA champion isn’t the only entrepreneur as wife Ayesha founded a meal-kit delivery service called Homemade, which Curry has promoted via Instagram Live.
Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors, small forward
He doesn’t possess name recognition like teammates in Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant, but Iguodala is in the same category when it comes to technology investments, counting the likes of Twitter, Apple, Tesla and Facebook, among others, within his portfolio.
Lately, the 13-year NBA veteran has been intrigued by the power of artificial intelligence and was blown away by emerging technologies like mixed reality on a recent tour of Florida-based startup Magic Leap. A previous leader of the National Basketball Players Association technology summit, the technology advocate has somewhat ironically been outspoken of his stance against virtual reality, saying that it can’t replace the live sports experience as some would like to think. Iguodala has also backed electronic trading platform Trumid in addition to health and beauty startup Walker & Company.
Tom Brady, New England Patriots, quarterback
A long-time Under Armor endorser, the five-time Super Bowl winner appeared in a 60-second advertisement touting the benefits of athlete recovery sleepwear to curb inflammation. Brady — who has developed a unique voice on Facebook over the years through witty humor and self-deprecating posts — joined Instagram in January, making it his second social platform.
In March, the former University of Michigan quarterback joined the on-demand food delivery trend, launching TB12 Performance Meals. For a pricey $78, consumers will receive three gluten-free meals (two people) each and every week. Like tennis superstar Serena Williams, Brady also partnered with technology giant Intel, this time leading up to Super Bowl LI around the company’s new 360-degree replay technology being leveraged by FOX during the broadcast.
Marques Colston, former NFL wide receiver
The former New Orleans Saints wide receiver hasn’t been shy in diversifying his monies during his post-playing days, placing a strategic investment in compressional apparel company Enerskin nearly 18 months ago. He’s also a newly-named Special Advisor to Sport Testing Inc. Colston, who was one of the first guests on the SportTechie Podcast, has directed others investments toward sports performance facility D1 Sports, healthy water solutions company Watercura and Timeless Herbal Care, holistic wellness company.
Colston is a board member for the NFLPA’s OneTeam Collective and founder and Chief Executive Officer for Dynasty Sports Group, a consulting and business development company around sports technology.
Joe Montana, former NFL quarterback
The Hall of Fame quarterback is the oldest tech-savvy athlete on this years list, but he has diversified his recent investment across a handful of industries and disciplines. A Partner in Liquid 2 Ventures, a seed stage fund, Montana joined North American esports organization Cloud9’s $7 million Series A round in March. He’s previously invested $250,000 in messaging app and chatbot platform Blend, too.
In January, the 61-year-old Montana launched a seven-on-seven mobile virtual reality football game, the first such game of its kind licensed by the NFL Players Association. Over the years, Montana has also invested in the likes of file storage service Dropbox, Pinterest, personal finance company NerdWallet and on-demand flower delivery startup BloomThat, among others.
Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants, outfielder
There are no shortage of tech-savvy athletes hailing from the Bay Area, with Pence falling into that geographic mix. Just last month, the 34-year-old and his wife Alexis — who is an avid YouTuber and gamer herself — announced plans for a Houston-based coffee and tea shop that combines gaming, comics and new media. A Twitch streamer, Pence channeled his passion for gaming in March by investing in North American esports organization Cloud9 and its $7 million Series A round.
Over the last few years, like many on the SportTechie list, Pence has leveraged the likes of social media, including Twitter and Instagram, to build his brand online. His entertaining and sometimes goofy personality has shown through in a more formal fashion, partnering with Oberto Beef Jerky for a digital video series in 2016. He’s even been known to utilize alternative means of transportation to games — and we’re not talking by helicopter, bus or subway. We’re talking a two-wheel electric scooter.
Paul Rabil, New York Lizards, midfielder
You may not recognize the name Paul Rabil because he doesn’t compete in the Big Five in the United States or even a global sport like soccer, but he’s one of the more forward-thinking minds in sports. The Johns Hopkins University graduate has been outspoken in his approach to building an authentic brand in the digital age. Six months ago, he partnered with Amazon to make his online video subscription service (Paul Rabil Experience) available through consumers’ purchase of a Prime membership.
He is also one of the only athletes regularly integrating YouTube into their digital strategy, whether it’s to create trick shots with group Dude Perfect, provide exclusive access to events or answer fans’ questions via his #AskPaul digital series. Rabil, who just launched his podcast Suiting Up to discuss lessons from the biggest power brokers in sports, is also an investor in and content creator for multi-platform network Whistle Sports.
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks, forward
In 2013, Anthony was one of the first modern day athletes to hit the technology scene, formally founding Melo7 Tech Partners with entrepreneur and ex-NBC executive Stuart Goldfarb. Since founding, Melo7 has invested in 25-plus companies such as ride-sharing app Lyft, ticketing platform SeatGeek, fantasy sports company DraftKings and clothing company Bonobos. He’s been relatively quiet in 2017, perhaps due to his pending situation on the hardwood, but one of his more recent investments with Goldfarb was Wine n Dine app, an Instagram-style app that allows users to see friends’ food recommendations in their city.
Kobe Bryant, former Los Angeles Lakers guard
After earning nearly $700 million during his 20-year NBA career, Kobe Bryant partnered with serial entrepreneur Jeff Stibel around a $100 million venture capital fund. The duo formally publicly launched the fund last August, saying they would be investing in data, media and technology companies in sports and other industries. Bryant — who was an early investor in sports media publishing platform The Players’ Tribune — has also been continuously tied to potential esports investment, according to remarks made in 2016 by former teammate and esports team founder Rick Fox.
Since the Bryant Stibel fund was launched in 2013, the firm has invested in 14 companies, including Chinese education company VIPKID, hospital platform Reserve.com, legal advice company LegalZoom and home cold-pressed juicing system Juicero, among others. All told, Bryant Stibel has advised or invested in 50-plus companies such as premium sports drink BODYARMOR, where Bryant served as the creative director for the brand’s first national advertising campaign in 2017. Personal investments for Bryant run through his own company, Kobe, Inc., that he founded in 2014, with his first investment being BODYARMOR.
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors, forward
In the NBA, Durant is one of the more active investors across technology and media, taking some notes from the playbook of current teammate Andre Iguodala. Earlier this year, the former University of Texas standout participated in a $30 million Series C round for Zenreach, a marketing and CRM platform.
Durant, who is also an investor in Derek Jeter’s The Players’ Tribune, started a business and philanthropy firm called The Durant Company with partner and agent Rich Kleiman. The MVP for the 2017 NBA Finals, Durant owns a small stake in an on-demand delivery service (Postmates) along with Acorns, a company that invests the differences from consumers’ daily purchases. Prior to the NBA Playoffs, Durant launched his own YouTube channel, which has over 2.5 million views to date.
Derek Jeter, former New York Yankees shortshop
While Jeter hasn’t been diversified as of late, at least publicly with his investments, the 42-year-old Jeter made a big announcement as headed towards retirement with the founding of sports media startup The Players’ Tribune in 2014. The digital company reimagined how athletes communicate directly with their fans instead of their message being routed through traditional media. To date, the company has raised $58 million and has 50-plus athlete investors such as five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant. Over the last three years, more than 1,500 athletes have penned first-person accounts or contributed to the site.
J.T. Brown, Tampa Bay Lightning, forward
Brown isn’t a common name among mainstream sports, but the NHL player is making waves in the digital and streaming space as he finds a new way to engage with fans. This year, the 26-year-old High Point, N.C. native became Twitch’s first official hockey partner for its athlete and influencer program. With over 2,000 followers on Twitch, Brown has been streaming NHL 17 and Battlefield 1 in an effort to raise money for different charities like Hockey is for Everyone.
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers, forward
James is the world’s second highest-paid athletes, according to Forbes, was one of the first athletes to circumvent the media and build his own digital platform in UNINTERRUPTED, which has received investment backing from Turner Sports and Warner Bros. Before virtual reality regularly entered the sports conversation in 2016, James created virtual reality content that could be viewed with a Samsung GearVR headset. During the most recent season, the three-time NBA champion took advantage of a new NBA rule and studied plays from an iPad on the sidelines as well. In the late 2000s, James invested in WePlay, an online community for youth athletes, parents and coaches, that eventually was acquired by TeamSnap, Inc. in 2013. Last year, James starred in CNBC’s Cleveland Hustles, a show that gave young local entrepreneurs an investment to launch their brick-and-mortar stores.
Cameron Porter, Sporting KC, forward
A graduate of Princeton with a computer science degree, Porter is wearing two hats these days: one as a forward for Sporting KC and the other as a software engineer on the development side for MLS Digital. Yes, you read that right. The 24-year-old Porter is pulling double duty for the league office, perhaps the only player in North America working for the same league that employs him. He also has a deep interest in Ethereum, which is a decentralized platform, in addition to front-end development framework called React. Though he is now removed from the day-to-day operations, as a junior in college, he helped launch his first startup in Ivy Research Council, which helps companies understand best practices in recruiting young talent.
Serena Williams, tennis
In 2017, Williams dipped her toes into the technology waters as she joined the board for online survey giant SurveyMonkey. Similar to Tom Brady, who also appears on the list, the 23-time Grand Slam winner partnered with technology corporation Intel and encouraged fans to upgrade their computer processor. Over the past 18 months, Gatorade has featured Williams, who has been a long-standing endorser, on Snapchat. The brand’s first big splash with her came during Super Bowl 50 when she highlighted its sponsored lens where users could dunk themselves with a Gatorade bath. The Snapchat activation received an estimated 160 million impressions. Around the 2016 U.S. Open, Williams and Gatorade also released a video game advertisement called “Serena Match Point” through the social platform as well. A newly-named investor in sports and entertainment property UFC, Williams also invested in a hair extension company called Mayvenn Hair in 2015.
Kelvin Beachum Jr., New York Jets, offensive tackle
When Beachum isn’t in the trenches on Sundays, the Southern Methodist graduate is leveraging Linkedin to broaden his network in the venture capital and technology space, which includes deep interests in everything from drones and robotics to aviation and artificial intelligence. He has been a staunch supporter of programs centered around STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and their ability to provide complimentary means of education to what students are learning in the traditional classroom setting. During his recent community football camp, Beachum included tech-based gadgets in hospitality bags as a way to say thanks to teammates and NFL friends who assisted. Beachum, who recently spoke at the U.S. News STEM Solution conference in San Diego this summer, is an investor in venture capital fund Next Play Capital. Also a board member for the NFLPA’s OneTeam Collective, Beachum has formally or informally worked with the likes of Chevron and NASA, two companies where relationships have initiated and developed via Beachum’s use of social media.
Rick Fox, former NBA forward/guard
Fox wasn’t one of the league’s faces when he played in the NBA, but during Career 2.0, he has been one of the leading traditional sports figures in esports. In late 2015, he purchased a League of Legends team and has since added professional teams across Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Super Smash Bros., among other titles. Fox, who was recently challenged by his esports players in basketball, launched a private equity firm called Vision Venture Partners that is looking to form a “generation-always” investment portfolio, according to Fox and his partner Stratton Sclavos. One of the main focuses of the company, which will invest several hundred million dollars over the next seven to 10 years, will be esports. So far, VVP has invested in an entertainment company that will be creating esports content specifically for Facebook Live in the future.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, forward
He’s the most followed athlete on social media, including the only one — male or female — to hit 100 million followers on Instagram. Off the pitch, the global icon is among the world’s top tech-savvy athletes, partnering last year with Chinese smartphone company ZTE to be a brand ambassador for its Android-based smartphone (Nubia). In 2014, he also became a spokesperson for Japanese face-strengthening gadget called Pao, which also incorporated the Real Madrid star into a few advertisements. Five years ago, Ronaldo invested in invested in Portuguese app Mobbito, the sports-equivalent of Foursquare where users are awarded for interacting with local businesses.
According to Forbes, he is the the world’s highest-paid athlete, pulling in $93 million between salary and marketing/sponsorship deal. Ronaldo has leveraged his social following, which also includes him being the top-followed person in the world on Facebook (121.5 million fans), into endorsement deals with brands such as online gambling site PokerStars.