Kyle Kuzma, a forward for the Washington Wizards team and a 2020 NBA champion, has recently taken on a new role as an adviser to an early-stage venture firm called Scrum Ventures.
According to TechCrunch, Kuzma joined Scrum Ventures in March as an adviser to help with the company's sports and entertainment fund, which aims to raise $120 million.
NBA Champion Kyle Kuzma Joins Scrum Ventures
This partnership was initiated in January when Kyle Kuzma's agent, Austin Eastman, connected with Scrum Ventures managing director and partner Michael Proman.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Kuzma cited his entrepreneurial interest and desire to secure his family's generational wealth as reasons for entering the venture. According to Kuzma, getting into venture will only "take that to a different stratosphere."
Proman described Scrum's sports fund as unique from other sports-focused venture capital funds due to its focus on technology that could be helpful to athletes and enterprise sports clients while also applicable to other industries.
Experiences of NBA Champion Kyle Kuzma in Angel Investing
Kyle Kuzma has already ventured into multiple sectors since he started angel investing in 2020. His portfolio includes Lemon Perfect, a soda alternative that has raised substantial venture capital; Surf, a consumer data company; and Bezel, a watch marketplace.
The NBA champion said he is committed to being an actively engaged investor, leveraging his network and connections to support the growth of the companies he collaborates with. He also views his basketball background as an asset in venture capital because he is used to working in a competitive environment and as a team.
"I bring a competitive nature... When you play sports at the highest level, like the NBA, you are playing chess and not checkers. We are smart... We are not just people that play sports and not do anything else," Kuzma told TechCrunch.
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