Former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston and former professional mixed martial artist Nick Edwards are teaming up to bring sports investing to the masses. Together, the longtime business partners have launched the Champion Fund, an evergreen sports asset fund under their firm, Champion Venture Partners (CVP), Front Office Sports reports.
While ownership stakes in teams and sports businesses have historically been limited to the wealthy, the Champion Fund allows anyone to participate for as little as $500, according to the outlet. The entry point is intentionally low, according to Edwards, who describes it as “compliance driven” but also practical.
“Instead of sitting there swiping on DraftKings, or sitting at a baseball game and putting $500 on a parlay, you can have some meaningful ownership,” Edwards told Front Office Sports.
“We think of it like a mutual fund. After you invest, you can see all the logos and know that you own part of this team, you own part of this stadium,” Edwards continued.
The Champion Fund will pool investments into growth-stage sports businesses, including ticketing platforms, hospitality, stadium real estate and even direct team stakes, Front Office Sports reports. Unlike traditional venture capital, Edwards stresses that the approach isn’t about “high-risk VC investment.” Instead, the focus is on established names and brands that are usually locked behind private deals.
“All of these are known names and brands, they just happen to be private, off-market deals that we get through our deal flow, and pass along to investors,” he told Front Office Sports.
Since launching CVP in 2024, as
previously reported, the firm has generated roughly $100 million in portfolio value. Those assets will now be rolled into the Champion Fund, which is open-ended and designed to continue raising capital over time, Front Office Sports reports.
For Colston, accessibility has been central to the vision from the start. “The vision was always to have at least one arm of our firm that was accessible to every investor,” he explained to the outlet.
“The Champion Fund allows us to do that,” he added.
The fund also reflects Colston’s personal journey navigating life after football. “A lot of people have made money off your back as an athlete. Can we open some doors to where you can participate in the economy that you’ve created?” he said in an interview with Sportico.
The launch comes at a time when athlete-led funds are becoming more common. As AFROTECH
previously reported, other evergreen funds, such as the Cashmere Fund, backed by NFL players Josh Allen and Damar Hamlin, share a similar goal of making startup and sports-related investing more accessible.