Family investments
The link between the source of wealth and the destination of investments is particularly evident in the sports sector: according to Fintx, 18% of family offices investing in this sector have built their wealth in sport and the media. Next come family offices from the media and entertainment sector, accounting for 11 per cent, whilst telecommunications, personal services and technology represent other significant sources of capital. Among the best-known examples are the family office of former baseball champion Alex Rodriguez, ThirtyFive Ventures run by NBA star Kevin Durant, and Nala Investments, owned by the Mexican Diez Barroso Azcárraga family, which built its fortune in the media and entertainment sector.
Data for May 2026
The acceleration in investment was also clearly evident in May. According to data provided exclusively to CNBC by FIintrx, family offices made 51 direct investments in companies, maintaining a pace that was essentially unchanged from April. Among the most significant deals is that of billionaire Tom Dundon’s family office, which has entered into a partnership with Apollo’s new sports-focused fund to invest $225 million in Pickleball, the holding company that controls Major League Pickleball and the professional PPA Tour. The deal confirms the growing interest in emerging sports and disciplines experiencing strong commercial growth. Dundon, after all, already owns the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA and the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL, reflecting an investment strategy aimed at building a diversified sports ecosystem capable of generating value both through media rights and by expanding fan communities.
As for the major professional leagues, Michael Dell has instead increased his stake by acquiring 25 per cent of the Las Vegas Raiders, as part of a consortium led by Egon Durban, managing partner at Silver Lake. The founder of Dell Technologies already holds minority stakes in the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs and the Austin Gamblers, a professional bull-riding team.
Investing in sports tech
However, family offices’ interest is not limited to sports franchises. A growing proportion of capital is being channelled into sports technology, which is regarded as one of the segments with the greatest growth potential. This is the case with David Adelman, an American entrepreneur active in the student housing sector who is playing a leading role in the ongoing expansion of the sports economy. Adelman is a co-owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, Premier League side Crystal Palace and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, as well as holding a stake in Fanatics, a global giant in sports merchandising.
Last May, his investment holding company, Darco Capital, led – alongside Bolt Ventures (David Blitzer’s family office) and Pentland Ventures – a $12 million Series A funding round in PlayerData, a British start-up specialising in technologies for monitoring athletic performance. The company produces GPS-equipped vests and smart balls capable of collecting data on athletes’ movement, speed and performance. This technology is already being used by some of the teams in Adelman’s portfolio. Among them is Crystal Palace, which uses PlayerData’s devices for training sessions in its youth academy.