JDS Sports
Venture capitalNew York · Seed–Series A · 5 people tracked
Find your way into JDS Sports
436 people in our graph share verified history with the JDS Sports team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Investment thesis
JDS Sports is a purpose-driven private equity firm focused on the sports and entertainment industry. It aims to fuel the future of these sectors while giving back through philanthropy, including a Donor-Advised Fund called Play with Purpose that supports non-profits using sports for positive social impact. The firm highlights work such as refurbishing courts across multiple states and countries and granting funds to over 50 sports non-profits.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 27, 2026.
Team · 5 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 23 of 27 portfolio companiesConsumer ×9Sports Tech ×8Media & Entertainment ×6AI & Machine Learning ×5Crypto & Web3 ×4AdTech ×3Creator Economy ×3Direct to Consumer ×3
HQs:United States×8Canada×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 11 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×62 founders×44+ founders×1
Where their founders studiedfrom 14 founders with education data
Cornell ×2Northeastern University ×2University of Southern California ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 10 founders with field-of-study data
Business & Management ×2Finance & Accounting ×2Social Sciences ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 14 founders with career history
Framework Labs ×2
Investments · 27 tracked
founders shown can be your intro path
Athletes.org is a players association for college athletes that educates, organizes, and represents members by negotiating the terms of their collegiate athletic experience.
Sports Tech
Jim Cavale(Founder)in
Co-investorsPhoenix Capital Ventures
Athletes Thread operates a platform for officially licensed merchandise that serves athletes across high school, college, professional, and alumni stages.
B2B MarketplacesConsumerCreator EconomyDirect to ConsumerE-commerceMarketplacesSports Tech
Luke McGurrin(Founder)in
Dibbs provides infrastructure for issuing USD-backed stablecoins with compliance and security features, serving institutions that want to issue their own digital currency.
Crypto & Web3Fintech
Endaoment provides blockchain-based philanthropic services that enable donors and nonprofits to manage charitable giving with lower fees and greater transparency through smart contracts.
Crypto & Web3FintechImpact & Social GoodNew York, US
Robbie Heeger(President & CEO)inCarter Wilkinson(Treasurer & Secretary)in
Co-investorsChapter OneCoinbase VenturesShine Capital
Five-Star Basketball runs high-intensity basketball camps, clinics, showcases, and development leagues for boys and girls, offering instruction from former NBA/WNBA and college coaches along with skill stations, evaluations, and life-skills training.
EdTechSports TechNew York City, US
Framework Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in crypto, blockchain, and digital asset companies, publishing a list of its current and historical portfolio investments.
AI & Machine LearningCrypto & Web3FintechSan Francisco, US
Michael Anderson(Co-founder)inVance Spencer(Co-founder)in
Co-investorsNxGenAnzu PartnersPathbreaker VenturesSpark Capital
Gist provides brand visibility and advertising solutions for the generative AI marketplace, offering custom AI search, engagement tools, and data-powered insights to help brands and marketers maintain visibility and performance in AI-driven digital environments.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningMarketing TechPasadena, US
Bill Gross(CEO of ProRata & Gist)
Co-investorsMayfield FundBettor CapitalBOLD CapitalCalibrate VenturesMVP VenturesSBI Investment+1 more
Gist provides a no-code platform for creating guided product tours and interactive onboarding experiences that help companies drive customer adoption.
Developer ToolsMarketing TechSaaSSales Tech
Co-investorsBetter CapitalBettor CapitalTouring Capital
IDEO CoLab is a design studio and early-stage investor that combines funding, an embedded design team, and a creative residency to help founders build and reach product-market fit for emerging-technology startups.
ConsumerCrypto & Web3Deep TechDeveloper ToolsFuture of Work
Ali Sheppard(Head of Operations)in
Lemon Perfect produces organic lemon-based hydration beverages with zero sugar and added vitamin C, marketed as a natural alternative to sugary drinks.
ConsumerFoodTechWellness & FitnessAtlanta, US
Yann-Alfred Jeffrey Hufnagel(Executive Officer, Director)Yanni Hufnagel(Founder)inAlec Hufnagel(Director)Barak Bar-Cohen(Director)Rita Patel(Director)
BoardPhillip Sarofim(Director)in
Co-investorsEvolution VC PartnersGoat Rodeo CapitalGreen Meadow VenturesMelitas Ventures LlcRaptor GroupTrousdale Ventures
Future provides personalized coaching services powered by technology to help people build strength, improve movement, and support long-term health outcomes.
ConsumerHealthtechWellness & Fitness
Ali Jafari(CEO)Meredith Harris(CPTO)Kathleen Tampoya(VP, People)Jeff Lynn(VP, Finance)
Co-investorsKleiner PerkinsAndreessen HorowitzAbstract VenturesEvolution VC PartnersOptum VenturesCourtside Ventures+1 more
Fulwell 73 is an entertainment production company that creates and elevates storytelling across multiple formats, focusing on narratives with broad cultural resonance and audience engagement.
Creator EconomyMedia & Entertainment
Ben WinstoninLeo PearlmaninBen TurnerGabe TurnerinJames Corden
Co-investorsRedBird Capital Partners
Round21 is an ecommerce retailer that sells licensed sports apparel and merchandise, including a collaboration with the Mexican Football Federation that features branded clothing for fans.
B2B MarketplacesConsumerCreator EconomyDirect to ConsumerE-commerceSports Tech
Jasmine Maietta(Founder)in
Co-investorsRed Beard Ventures
Slate makes lactose-free, high-protein milk-based drinks — including chocolate milk shakes and iced coffees — sold in aluminum cans with 0g added sugar and 20g protein, produced using ultrafiltration.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTech
Manny Lubin(Founder)inJosh Belinsky(Founder)in
Co-investorsBantam GroupOvereasy VenturesRiverPark VenturesFoundership VenturesGolden Gate Ventures
StatusPRO creates immersive virtual reality sports gaming experiences, primarily for the NFL, that let players and gamers practice athletic skills and compete in authentic game scenarios.
GamingHardwareMedia & EntertainmentSports Tech
Andrew Hawkins(Co-founder)Troy Jones(Co-founder & CEO)
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesGV (Google Ventures)Limited VenturesDigerati InvestmentsDisney AcceleratorTitletownTech
The GIST is a sports media brand that produces newsletters, podcasts, and social content with emphasis on equal coverage of women's and men's sports.
GamingMedia & EntertainmentSports TechToronto, CA
Jacie deHoopinEllen HyslopinRoslyn McLartyin
Co-investorsTechstarsBettor CapitalBezos ExpeditionsBlackstoneSapphire SportWinslow Capital
The GIST is a sports media brand providing news, podcasts, and social content focused on equal coverage of women's and men's sports.
ConsumerMedia & EntertainmentSports Tech
Jacie deHoopEllen HyslopRoslyn McLarty
Co-investorsR/GA Ventures
Sneaker marketplace app where collectors trade, buy and sell authenticated shoes rather than paying resale prices.
Austin, US
Mbiyimoh Ghogomu(Founder)inDarren Smith(Founder)in
Co-investorsCourtside VenturesTrinityWestbound Equity Partners
Transmit provides an AI-powered platform that analyzes live media streams to identify high-impact moments and optimize ad placement, serving content owners, advertisers, and FAST channels.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningMedia & Entertainment
Scott Young(Founder)in
Co-investorsComcast VenturesFeenix Venture Partners LLCGeneral AtlanticInsight Partners
Vidmob provides software to help brand marketing teams discover top-performing creative requirements, maintain consistent brand guidelines across advertising platforms, and manage creative data at scale.
AdTechAI & Machine LearningMarketing TechNew York, US
Alex Collmer(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inStephanie Bohn(Executive Officer)inGreg Lieber(Executive Officer)inJason Donnell(Executive Officer, Director)George Rose(Director)Craig Coblenz(Executive Officer)
Co-investorsBuildGroupDentsu VentureseGateway CapitalInterlock PartnersPROOFShamrock Capital+1 more
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
by SLAMSLAMSlamonline
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Framework · kucoin.com · Aug 19, 2026
Athletes · eaglecountryonline.com · Aug 10, 2026
Vidmob · morningstar.com · Jun 10, 2026
Merged With SpringHill · shieldsgazette.com · Mar 10, 2026
Slate Milk · worldcoffeeportal.com · Sep 22, 2025
Gist · finance.yahoo.com · Sep 8, 2025
Gist · startuphub.ai · Sep 5, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has JDS Sports made?
- JDS Sports has 27 tracked investments.
- What stage does JDS Sports invest at?
- JDS Sports invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
- What sectors does JDS Sports focus on?
- JDS Sports focuses on Media & Entertainment, Sports Tech.
- Where is JDS Sports located?
- JDS Sports is headquartered in New York.
- Who does JDS Sports co-invest with?
- JDS Sports most often shares deals with Evolution VC Partners, Comcast Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, among 32 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the team#12: Purpose-Driven Sports & Entertainment Fund with Peter Robert Casey, CEO of JDS Sports
Vetted Sports · Peter Robert Casey
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