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Kevin Durant and his manager/business partner have reportedly invested in Athletes Unlimited through their startup 35 Ventures. Athletes Unlimited is a women's professional sports league that has expanded to cover four major sports: Basketball, Indoor Volleyball, Softball and Lacrosse.
Boardroom and Athletes Unlimited put out statements about the investment. Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman joined a host of diverse investors who raised $30 million in AU's latest round of funding.
AU's CEO John Patricof spoke to Boardroom on 35 Ventures' investment in the league, stating:
“Kevin (Durant), Rich (Kleiman), Sarah (Flynn), and the entire 35V team have been an important part of the Athletes Unlimited Advisory Board from the very beginning. We’re thrilled they are participating in our first outside capital raise."
“We look forward to working with them to continue to grow Athletes Unlimited. They bring a unique athlete-driven perspective on all aspects of the sports industry.”
Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman both made statements about their investments, with Durant praising AU's "athlete-first business model."
“We have been advisors for AU since the very beginning, and we’re excited to be a part of this capital raise," Durant said. "Athletes Unlimited is at the forefront of women’s sports and an inspiration for how sports leagues can thrive with an athlete-first business model.”
Kleiman added:
“Every pro sports league should take note of what AU is doing, especially the pathway for athletes to have a financial stake in their own leagues."
Kevin Durant has previously invested in women's sports. Earlier this year, along with Kleiman, he became a minority owner of Gotham FC, a football club in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Kevin Durant outside basketball
Kevin Durant's time in the Bay Area didn't just get him two NBA titles. As Durant has previously stated in his interviews, the tech-savvy environment in San Francisco led him to become an aggressive investor. While his time with the Warriors has long been over, Durant is just getting started as an investor.
Durant founded 35 Ventures with his business partner and manager Rich Kleiman, a startup that makes diverse investments. For the financially inclined, 35 Ventures acts as a stand-in for Kleiman and Durant to act as venture capitalists.
35 Ventures' investment portfolio includes 75-plus companies spanning a diverse range of financial startups, media companies and more. They have produced several documentaries and won an Academy Award for a short film in 2021.
