Kevin Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman add to their soccer holdings by investing a minority stake into NY/NJ Gotham FC through their Thirty Five Ventures firm.
“It checks so many boxes in my head,” Kleiman says. “As an investment, we got in at a great valuation, we made a significant investment and the upside is tremendous. Also, I love owning a team in professional sports. Also I love being able to support women’s sports. Also I’m a born and bred New Yorker who wants to be down with New York. The brand’s cool, the colors are cool—it started checking all of these boxes and I was like, ‘I can sell this to the Boardroom community.’
The pair have also invested in the Philadelphia Union (MLS), but have also been making a conscious effort to invest in women’s sports, with investments in Just Women’s Sports and Athletes Unlimited. The addition of Gotham FC to the portfolio adds to that mission.
“We’re focused on continuing to build our imprint in women’s sports, which has been a business priority for 35V for some time,” Durant says. “Gotham FC is a New York area team with a lot of talent on and off the field, and there’s a ton of potential for our team to help them grow.
“With increased investment, the audience for women’s soccer has grown a lot in recent years, and that’s something we’re really excited about being a part of moving forward.”
