A former JPMorgan investment banker has joined forces with an ex-managing director of Eurosport to establish a new European sports investment fund, marking a significant entry into the growing sports finance sector.
Athvance Capital Launches European Sports Platform
Athvance Capital has officially launched as a dedicated European investment platform with a clear mission to unlock long-term value across the global sports industry. The fund positions itself as a specialist entity focusing on strategic investments within the sports value chain.
Founders Bring Decades of Experience
The fund is spearheaded by Karim Ben Rejeb, a former JPMorgan investment banker with over two decades of deal-making experience in financial markets. He is partnered by Danny Menken, previously of Eurosport and data platform Infostrada Sports Group, who also co-founded Eleven Sports.
This combination brings together deep financial acumen with extensive sports media and operational expertise, creating a unique proposition in the investment landscape.
Initial Deployments and Investment Strategy
Athvance Capital has already deployed capital across several sports ventures, demonstrating its active investment approach. Initial investments include:
- Padel Copa
- Estrella Football Group, which holds investments in Portuguese side GDS Cascais
- Queen & King of the Court volleyball series
The fund specifically targets under-commercialised intellectual property alongside technology and service providers that support growth within the sports ecosystem. This strategic focus aims to identify assets with significant untapped potential for monetisation and value creation.
Vision for Long-Term Value Creation
"Athvance Capital combines industrial expertise, hands-on operational execution and financial discipline to deliver long-term value creation," explained Ben Rejeb. "Within the sport value chain, we focus on categories where we see the highest potential for growth and profitability."
The former banker emphasised the fund's commitment to building institutional-grade sports assets that blend financial returns with genuine passion and purpose within the industry.
European Market Opportunities
Danny Menken highlighted the particular opportunities within the European sports market: "This is an exciting moment for the sports industry, driven by powerful trends in entertainment and wellbeing, technology innovation and consumer-led disruption."
He noted that 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," Menken added.
Growing Investment in Sports Sector
The launch comes at a time when investment in sports is experiencing significant growth, with both private equity giants and smaller specialist offices increasingly seeking opportunities within the space. Athvance Capital represents a focused approach to this expanding market segment.
The organisation has confirmed it is currently in the process of closing additional acquisitions that will further strengthen its investment platform, suggesting an ambitious growth trajectory for the newly established fund.
