Kobe Bryant launches $100 million venture capital tech fund
Retired NBA guard Kobe Bryant announced Monday the creation of a venture-capital fund, investing $100 million in technology, media and data companies.
Bryant, 37, will team up with Jeff Stibel, an entrepreneur and investor.
The Los Angeles-based company will be called Bryant Stibel.
“Sometimes you can spot it right away, other times not so much,” Bryant said to the Wall Street Journal. “It’s the inner belief that a person has that he will endure no matter what the obstacle may be. It’s that persistence, the entrepreneur doing what he or she truly believes in and truly loves to do.”
Some of Bryant's investments include website The Players Tribune, videogame designer Scopely, LegalZoom, a legal-services company, and a home-juicing company called Juicero.
“If you would have asked me 10 years ago, I would say I need to win now,” Bryant said. “Age tends to give you perspective. The most important thing I enjoy now is helping others be successful. I enjoy doing that much much more, that’s something that lasts forever, and hope they do that for the next generation.”
Bryant retired at the end of this regular season after a 20-year NBA career.
He retired with career averages of 25 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Bryant was a 5-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, an 18-time All-Star, and made the All-NBA First Team 11 times.
- Scooby Axson
