Lionel Messi diversifies his portfolio with the creation in the US of a company to invest in sports, media and technology globally, as announced in a statement.
San Francisco-based Play Time will be your primary investment vehicle, exploring existing market opportunities and supporting start-up founders in launching businesses. "I am excited to extend our roots to Silicon Valley, and I am delighted that Play Time collaborates with entrepreneurs from around the world," said the Argentine in the statement.
The focus is on sports technology projects, such as the auction portal for shirts used in official matches AC Momento, in which it already has a stake. The company is also considering investing in equipment.
Leading Play Time will be Razmig Hovaghimian, a partner at venture capital firm Graph Ventures. The manager is also co-founder of the Matchday.com platform, which now has Play Time as its first investor and plans to launch before the start of the 2022 World Cup, in Qatar in a month.
"Since I met Leo and the Messi family in 2017, it was clear that his vision for the future is bold," said Hovaghimian. His resume also includes running Hoodline, a local news outlet that incorporated machine learning, and Viki, an entertainment outlet that he sold to Rakuten in 2013 for $200 million. The businessman then joined the Japanese company, in which he held management positions.
Michael Marquez, founding partner of investment bank Code Advisors, will serve as special advisor. Both have experience in Silicon Valley. They are joined by Morado, a fund specializing in investments in early-stage companies.
"I hope that through its success, Play Time will help many people and have a positive impact on the world," Messi said. The new adventure of the soccer star joins others of his investments, such as in tourism through the MIM hotel brand, or in restaurants.
