Columbia Venture Community Presents: An Exclusive Sports Industry Series

Dealmaking, investing and entrepreneurship in the sports industry is poised for high growth – the sports technology market alone is set to a CAGR of 17.9% potentially reaching 100 billion by 2030 while sports properties are expected to attract record valuations in 2024 as private and institutional investors, like JPMC which just announced the creation of a sports-focused investing team, seek to tap into the increasingly lucrative industry.

Columbia Venture Community – NY presents a special series on Venture in Sports, led by CBS Alum & Team U.S.A Figure Skater, Chloé Katz.

In this series we will cover topics across Investing, Entrepreneurship and Technology in Sports while also shedding light onto the human journey of the elite athlete. Our guests will share their personal stories of heartache, survival, and love for their sport.

Join us** at the beautiful Maxwell Tribeca for a cocktail reception and panel of Professional & Olympic athletes, entrepreneurs, and world class investors.

Our discussion will focus on:

• Timely investing initiatives and entrepreneurial triumphs in the sports industry

• Strategies for winning championships in private equity and venture capital

• Methods to identify and invest in untapped potential

• Winning business ideas in the sports industry

• Strategies for investing in athlete-led ventures

• Experiences of life elite athletic training & life on the field

• How the hard – won lessons of sports can be channeled into building, acquiring operating thriving enterprises.

• The identity challenge facing athletes post-retirement

**This event is for investors, entreprenuers and business leaders in the sports industry. Participants capped at 40.

Panelist Bios:

Jay Dixon

Jay is an expert in sports and business, co-founding three companies and consulting on 50+ transactions. He believes athletic education bridges the gap between mediocrity and greatness in business. Jay authored "After the Game: Bridging the Gap from Winning Athlete to Thriving Entrepreneur" and started SuccessCoach.com, an elite accelerator for former athletes and investors to acquire and lead businesses. A former student-athlete at the University of Nevada, Jay has a master's in English Literature and has been recognized for excellence in venture capital/private equity by Columbia Business School, where he pursued his EMBA.

Blake Lawrence:

Blake Lawrence is the co-founder and CEO of Opendorse, the NIL company and leading technology provider in the athlete endorsement industry. A former University of Nebraska football player, Blake launched Opendorse with a vision to help a single teammate and friend in current NFL veteran, Prince Amukamara. Today, 150,000 athletes around the world use Opendorse to build and monetize their name, image and likeness.

Prior to Opendorse, Blake co-founded social media agency, Hurrdat, with his college football teammate Adi Kunalic (now President of Opendorse), which they later sold to marketing agency, B2Interactive. As a former athlete and University of Nebraska MBA grad, Blake leverages his passion for sports and competitive nature to introduce new innovative marketing solutions to the athlete endorsement industry.

Marques Ogden:

Marques Ogden is a former NFL player turned inspirational speaker, author, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Ogden Ventures LLC, a media and entertainment company that specializes in keynote speaking, business coaching, and consulting. Ogden is a three-time best-selling author and the host of the podcast "Get Authentic with Marques Ogden." In his speaking engagements, Marques leads his audiences to understand why “Authenticity Creates Victory” by sharing his personal story of overcoming adversity and achieving success. Marques is on a mission to inspire CEOs and other senior leaders to maximize their potential to reach their personal and professional goals.

Greg Kronenfeld:

Greg Kronenfeld is the Director of Strategic Operations at P/Co, a pioneering investment firm at the forefront of athlete-led ventures and sports entrepreneurship. Under Greg's leadership, P/Co has solidified its position as the preeminent platform empowering professional athletes to become successful investors and business professionals.

P/Co's unique strategic value lies in its ability to create a durable sourcing and investing advantage, leveraging the firm's extensive network and proprietary insights into the sports and entertainment industries. Greg's expertise in corporate law, entertainment, and digital media, honed through his experiences at Qi Venture Partners, MESA Global, and CAA. Greg's holds a BA from Vanderbilt University and a JD from Fordham University School of Law.

Chloé Katz

Chloé Katz is a former competitive pair skater. With partner Joseph Lynch she is the 2008 Couple de Nice silver medalist and the 2005 U.S bronze medalist. competed as part of the U.S National Figure Skating Team from 2006 to 2011. She also earned eligibility to two Olympic Games, including an alternate position for the 2006 Olympic Team. After a career ending injury leading up to the 2010 Olympic Games, moved into a career in emerging technology within the financial services industry. specializes in business development and strategic partnerships and was part of the founding team of an Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning startup. She has also founded two organizations to provide career opportunities for underrepresented communities in the workplace, a mission that she is passionate about. Chloé is a graduate of New York University and has completed an MBA from Columbia Business School. She currently sits on the board of the NY Chapter of the Columbia Venture Community.

Host or Publisher Columbia Venture Community