Webinar
Masterclass: Lessons from the Greatest Sports Unicorn Investments
Join Alumni Ventures’ Keaton Nankivil and Lucas Pasch for an in-depth masterclass exploring the most successful unicorn investments in the sports industry and the lessons they offer to today’s venture investors.
From digital media platforms to fan engagement technologies and athlete-founded startups, sports-related ventures have delivered some of the most iconic wins in the VC world. This webinar will break down what made these companies stand out, how investors got in early, and what patterns are emerging for the next wave of breakout opportunities.
Whether you’re a sports enthusiast, investor, or founder, this session will offer valuable insights into identifying and backing the next sports tech success stories. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn what separates a great sports startup from a unicorn.
Why Attend?
- HomeCase Studies: Explore real-world examples of unicorns that transformed the sports industry.
- HomeInvestment Insights: Learn what traits top-performing sports startups share.
- HomeForward Focus: Discover where the next generation of sports innovation is likely to emerge.
About your presenters
Senior Principal, Sports Fund
Keaton has spent his career focused on high-level teamwork. A proud Wisconsin Basketball alumnus, he started his career playing professional basketball in Europe. He played for and led teams in competitions across Europe, including stops in Germany, Spain, Latvia and Italy. When he returned from overseas, his career focus shifted to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. He has worked with both institutional and corporate venture teams and completed and MBA with a focus on entrepreneurship. He holds a BS in kinesiology from UW-Madison and an MBA from the Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking from the Wisconsin School of Business.
Lucas brings an operator’s perspective to Venture Capital, having led teams at fast-growing startups in digital health, proptech, and retail. Most recently, he led BizOps at LetsGetChecked, an at-home lab diagnostics company that helps people detect conditions early and live longer lives. Lucas earned his MBA from Kellogg, where he focused on entrepreneurship and venture. During that time, he founded a marketplace for esports viewing events called FanHome, culminating in a first-place victory in The Garage’s summer accelerator demo day. Complementing that experience, Lucas worked part-time while in business school as an investment associate at MATH Venture Partners, where he focused on evaluating early-stage SaaS investments and developed a passion for venture. Prior to business school, Lucas cut his teeth in investment banking at KeyBanc Capital Markets, as well as on the strategy team at Trunk Club. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.