Leading the future of sports and culture
Driving value at the intersection of sports, technology, and media & entertainment
Los Angeles | Chicago | Auckland | London
Our Approach
We are a group of investors, founders, operators, and technologists who share a common belief in the disruptive power of sports and technology combined. We have successfully founded, invested, operated, and exited across a number of companies globally. At Ludis Capital, we invest in early stage companies that operate at the intersection of sports, technology and entertainment.
Our Thesis
We believe that in an ever cluttered world of content, sports will maintain its global position as a key pillar of entertainment and culture. At least fifty percent of the world’s population identifies as a sports fan. No other cultural phenomenon can claim to have as large an impact on human society as sports. We believe sports are here to stay and here to grow. The world continues to shift technologically, culturally, and economically. We believe startups play a pivotal role in guiding and arming the sports industry through these opportunities. We also believe innovation sourced first in sports can ultimately be applied more broadly elsewhere.
This is our thesis at Ludis Capital.
Sports and Life
4 Billion
Number of people who identify as sports fans. This number is over 50% of world population
$50 Billion
Total value of media rights across major sporting leagues and federations globally
198,000 Min
Minutes spent globally on leisure and sports, including watching sports
79%
Percentage of sports fans who own a mobile phone; 67% are willing to consume sports content digitally
Investment Team
Matilda Sung | General Partner | Los Angeles
Matilda is a hands on early stage investor with over fifteen years of operator experience helping companies strategize, conceptualize, develop, and deliver on digital products, services, and experiences. In addition to being a General Partner at Ludis, she is also a Managing Partner at Sung Capital Partners, a family office with locations in the US and Asia. Her FO portfolio includes names such as Robinhood and Bakkt. Prior to Ludis, Matilda built and ran the digital strategy group at the National Football League, which was responsible for all of NFL’s direct to consumer digital experiences. Matilda has also worked at McKinsey & Co., PayPal, and HSBC Investment Banking. Matilda is an active mentor with the Berkeley Entrepreneurship program, and also participates frequently as an advisor/judge/ambassador for various tech and sportstech accelerators including Colosseum Sports, Plug & Play, and NewChip. She is a member of Tech Coast Angels and also serves on various committee boards with the Los Angeles Ballet. Matilda spends her free time reading, playing piano, and watching sports with her family. She holds an MBA from Berkeley Haas School of Business and a Bachelors of Commerce from McGill University in Canada.
Advisory Boards: TendedBar, PumpJack Dataworks, and others
Vertical Specialties: Data and Analytics, Fan Engagement, Fantasy and Gaming, Stadium and Venue Experiences, Blockchain, Health & Wellness
Domain Expertise: Strategy, Business Model Definition, Go To Market Planning, Strategic Partnerships, Company Capitalization, Product Design and Development, Organization and Change Management, Leadership Development
Affinities: Los Angeles Rams / Dodgers / Lakers, Vancouver Canucks, Golf
Sam Li | General Partner | Auckland
Sam is an experienced investor and advisor in the sports tech industry. He has over ten years of experience in the traditional sports industry, having served as Vice President at the NBA and Head of International Business Strategy for Sina Sports. Sam's personal investment and advisory portfolio includes over seventy startups with several material exits. He also serves as mentor/advisor for some of the most selective sports tech accelerators including Stadia Ventures, Techstar Sports, Startupbootcamp and HYPE Innovation. Sam has a Juris Doctor degree from University of Michigan Law School and dual bachelor degrees in Computer Science Engineering and Economics from University of California, Los Angeles. He also has a LEAD Certificate in Corporate Innovation from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Advisory Boards: Socios.com/Chiliz, beastcoast, Sport Buff, Blockasset and others
Vertical Specialties: Fan Engagement, Web3 (NFTs, metaverse, gamefi), Social Media, eSports, Broadcast Technology, Betting
Domain Expertise: Strategy, Strategic Partnerships, Go To Market, Product Market Fit, Financial Projections, Long Term Strategy.
Teams: Oakland A's, Golden State Warriors, Borussia Dortmund
Sébastien Gros | Venture Partner | London
Sebastien is a VC investor with a passion for the sports, digital health, media & gaming industries. Over the last 6 years, he has been actively investing in and advising founders in the space, while supporting the best-in-class and market-disruptive companies that will shape our future. He previously worked for Aser Ventures (Leeds United FC, Eleven Sports, MyCujoo, Whistle, etc.), the first European-based fund dedicated to sports and media investments, where he was responsible for the origination and execution of all potential investments as well as portfolio management, including strategic and business development support. He was also director of portfolio and early-stage investments for leAD Sports, the global sports venture ecosystem founded by the grandchildren of Adi Dassler (Adidas), overlooking a portfolio of 40 early-stage start-ups ranging from pre-seed to series A. He is also an active mentor for Techstars in Indiannapolis, and Le Tremplin in Paris. Prior to becoming a VC investor, he spent 3 years at Accenture Strategy where he was part of the M&A / Corporate Strategy practice in the UK, with a special focus on TMT clients, working on a variety of international projects across Germany, South Africa, Spain, US and France. He holds a Masters Degree in Corporate Finance & Strategy from Grenoble Graduate School of Business, which he completed between France and Australia. In his spare time, Seb can be found on a tennis court, a sport he used to play at competitive level since he was 6 years old. He is also a gravel cycling enthusiast and a proud Olympique de Marseille fan.
Advisory Boards: Rooter, Tersa, Rewire, Champions Round, Znipe.tv
Vertical Specialties: Athletes Performance, Fan Engagement, eSports, Fantasy and Gaming, Digital Health & Fitness Domain
Expertise: Strategy, Equity Storytelling, Fundraising, Portfolio Development, Financial Modelling, Go To Market Strategy
Affinities: Olympique de Marseille / Roger Federer / Hiking / Kite Surfing
Ajay Nwosu | Venture Partner | Los Angeles
Coming soon
Chris Minor | Venture Partner | Chicago
Chris is executive leader with 20+ years of experience owning, operating, consulting and investing. He is focused on business growth and innovation within the fitness, health & wellness and sports technology sectors. Chris is a former founder with a genuine entrepreneurial spirit who has operated and successfully exited multiple companies including the Acceleration Sports Performance Centers. In addition to being a venture partner at Ludis, he is also the managing partner at Coact Capital investment fund out of Chicago & Los Angeles. Chris has been actively investing and advising for the past 10 years and his portfolio includes names such as Hyperice, Speede Fitness, and Pathwater. His mission is to partner with like-minded founders and best-in-class startups to help streamline the way we live, interact, train and process data.
Advisory Boards: Speede Fitness, Centred-Wellness, Lasso Gear, Acheev, FISH
Vertical Specialties: Fitness Technology, Sports Technology, Wellness, Athlete Performance
Domain Expertise: Strategic Partnerships, Deal Sourcing, Growth & Innovation
Jessica Abramovich | Venture Partner | Newport Beach
Coming soon
Austin Wilson | Venture Partner | Los Angeles
Coming soon
Amith Boteju | Venture Partner | Los Angeles
Coming soon
Get in touch.
We are actively fundraising for our fund as well as vetting startups for investment and advisory. Please reach out if you would like to learn more.
Please fill out this form if you are an investor and want to consider an investment into our fund.
Please fill out this form if you are a startup founder and want us to consider your startup for investment.
Our Community
Below are companies, organizations and academic institutions where our investment team and extended team of advisors currently work for or have worked for and advised with
“The team at Ludis gets it. From helping us strategize on the business model to pulling together the best team to getting us in front of customers…they were out there with us, with their sleeves rolled up and ready to go. ”
— Stealth Startup Founders