171. Sports Tech and the Future of eSports (Wayne Kimmel)

Wayne Kimmel of SeventySix Capital joins Nick to discuss Sports Tech and the Future of eSports. In this episode, we cover: Talk about the investment focus and approach of your firm When did Ryan Howard start working w/ you and how did he become a part of the leadership team? Talk a bit about sports tech has evolved over the past decade. All these players or former players are getting involved on the investment-side... some pretty savvy, some more green... good thing or bad thing? What lens or framework does your firm use to segment the sportstech landscape? I've heard SportsTech categorized into Athlete performance tech, broadcast audience enjoyment tech, and In-person experience tech. Do you consider startups in these categories and where have you seen the most opportunities? eSports (ie. video games as a sport)... has exploded in popularity. Talk a bit about what you're seeing in esports and how you're approaching it from an investment standpoint. I know a number of sportstech investors that avoid the youth, amateur and collegiate markets, b/c they think all the money is in the professional markets. Missed opportunity or is there something to this position? Lessons from owning the USFL champions, the Stars? What are the specific ways you get involved with portfolio companies? You've spoken a lot about the importance of networking, and even wrote a book about it. What key lessons do you have for listeners w/ regard to networking?