Investing in What Makes Us Human: AV’s Sports & Humans First Opportunity
We’re investing in the post-pandemic pivot from isolation to identity, backing platforms that help people connect, experience, and explore.
As AI and automation dominate tech headlines, a powerful countertrend is emerging: a growing demand for real-world, human-first experiences. Alumni Ventures’ Sports & Humans First Syndication Club backs entrepreneurs building platforms that foster community, identity, and embodied connection — not as a rejection of technology, but as its highest purpose. From wellness and skill-sharing to sports and third spaces, this fund invests in scalable, culture-driven solutions that enhance what makes us uniquely human.
“The most valuable businesses of the coming decade will be built by entrepreneurs who seek to empower people rather than make them obsolete.” — Peter Thiel
Mainstream tech is increasingly synthetic — AI-generated companions, frictionless automation, screen-first lives. While powerful, this trajectory risks detaching us from what makes life most meaningful. But we’re now at the convergence of two potent forces: a rising cultural hunger for real-world experience and a new generation of technologies capable of scaling community, identity, and belonging.
At Alumni Ventures, we believe this is more than a trend — it’s a turning point. Our Sports & Humans First Syndication Club backs entrepreneurs building for what’s real: experiences grounded in movement, meaning, and human connection. This isn’t a rejection of AI or automation — it’s a bet on their highest use: strengthening the irreplaceable.
We are living through a human-first recalibration. After a decade defined by digital convenience and algorithmic efficiency, consumer behavior is turning back toward what’s embodied, emotionally resonant, and shared. The pandemic accelerated a sense of disconnection, and now, people are eager to reclaim presence, spontaneity, and community.
The numbers say it all:
- 81% of Gen Z say they wish it were easier to disconnect from digital devices. Raised on screens, this generation isn’t rejecting tech — they’re rejecting what tech has taken away: serendipity, physical togetherness, and real-time experience.
- Millennials are leading a shift from ownership to experience. Material accumulation is giving way to travel, concerts, wellness, and live events — spaces where people can be present, engaged, and connected.
- Gen Z is driving the in-person revival — Not despite their digital nativity, but because of it. Brands that offer shared physical experience, cultural belonging, and community are earning deeper loyalty and long-term value.
This fund isn’t about nostalgia but about the rising value of shared, embodied, deeply human experiences. In a world obsessed with what’s next, we’re investing in what’s always mattered: the need to move, gather, and belong. Whether on a field, at a concert, in a studio, or around a table, these are the spaces where culture is lived. In those moments, participation is more than the medium: it’s the product.
Our Investment Thesis: Backing the Irreplaceable
The Sports & Humans First Syndication Club is rooted in a timely insight. While much of venture capital continues to chase AI automation and digital scale, a growing opportunity lies in technology that enhances — rather than replaces — real-world, human-centered experiences.
We’re seeing the rise of two converging forces: cultural fatigue from digital overload and the emergence of tools that empower richer, more participatory engagement. After years of remote everything, people are choosing presence over pixels — seeking more control, connection, and meaning. The U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness a national epidemic, and 73% of Americans say technology is part of the problem. But we believe it can be part of the solution.
This club is built for a market moment. Post-pandemic rebound meets venture market correction — creating an ideal entry point for investments that meet real emotional and societal needs. The convergence of personalization tech, wellness, experience-driven consumption, and community infrastructure represents a multitrillion-dollar, underserved opportunity.
As AI handles the routine, we’re backing what it can’t replicate: the richness of human experience. Our thesis is anchored in these defining shifts:
- Home
From Passive to Participatory:
Gen Z and Millennials want to play, not just watch. - Home
From Digital-First to Hybrid:
Tech should amplify physical life, not replace it. - Home
From Products to Presence:
The most valuable offerings are lived, not owned. - Home
From Isolation to Identity:
Belonging isn’t just emotional — it’s a monetizable driver. - Home
From Clicks to Community:
Loyalty today is built through connection, not conversion.
This is a transformative opportunity. We’re investing in the infrastructure, platforms, and people bringing humans back to the center of innovation.
Why Now?
Despite surging demand for authentic connection, community-driven, human-first platforms remain largely underfunded. Venture capital continues to skew toward automation and AI infrastructure. In fact, EY reported that in Q4 2024 alone, AI-focused deals accounted for over 60% of total VC investment — highlighting just how much capital is chasing synthetic scale over social experience.
Yet market signals tell a different story. Consumers are increasingly drawn to technologies that foster participation, presence, and belonging.
Consider the numbers. The global sports economy alone is worth $2.65 trillion, with more than $68 billion in M&A activity recorded in 2024. Strava — a community-powered fitness platform — now reaches over 120 million registered users across 90 countries, marking a 26% year-over-year increase. Experience-led, connection-centric platforms are both culturally resonant and commercially scalable.
This is a multitrillion-dollar opportunity, backing technology that enables people to gather, learn, move, and build identity together.
Building the Infrastructure of Belonging
We invest across five distinct interconnected pillars that together create a comprehensive ecosystem for human connection and cultural participation. Each pillar addresses a critical component of how people engage with culture, community, and their own identity in the modern world.
1. Community & Participation
We invest in the infrastructure powering modern cultural participation — platforms that enable creators, leagues, and fans to build and share experiences in more direct, dynamic ways. These tools go beyond content to invite deeper engagement.
From AI-powered media to fan ownership models, today’s most compelling entertainment isn’t passively consumed — it’s interactive, participatory, and community-driven.
AV-Backed Examples:
BlueSky: A decentralized social media platform built on the AT Protocol, aiming to offer users more control over their online experience. As of March 2025, the platform had crossed the 33-million user mark globally.
Sleeper: A fantasy sports platform that makes connection and community central to gameplay by seamlessly integrating chat, group messaging, and social feeds.Has the most engagement per user of any sports app, and retention is in the top 50 of all apps.
Fanstake: Enabling fans to invest directly in their favorite college athletes and teams through NIL-backed crowdfunding. Expansion into over 30 NCAA programs, pioneering community-owned college sports.
2. Identity & Expression
People want to express who they are and where they belong. We back platforms that help individuals showcase their identity through authentic, personalized experiences and products.
AV-Backed Examples:
The Realest: The next-gen authentication standard for sports and entertainment memorabilia — sourcing directly from artists and athletes. Trusted by NFL, NBA, and MLS teams; top artists like Post Malone and Snoop Dogg; and museum-grade items like Brad Pitt’s Ocean’s 11 Ford Falcon Futura
AC Momento: Helps fans turn live events into shared memories — offering a platform to track games and concerts, build digital scrapbooks, and connect through collective experience. Introduced Momento Music this year, supporting over 400,000 artists and millions of concerts.
Cohart: A social marketplace that helps artists grow their brand and connect with buyers through discovery, direct interaction, and community tools. Now offers artists a custom website builder, enhanced tax compliance tools, and an improved dashboard to streamline portfolio management, sales, and community engagement.
3. Third Spaces
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s concept of “third spaces” — places beyond home and work where community forms — is being reimagined for the digital age. We invest in platforms that create belonging through shared experiences and curated communities.
AV-Backed Examples:
StatusPro: Redefining sports entertainment by building a community at the intersection of gaming, broadcast, and athlete training through immersive, first-person, VR football experiences. StatusPro’s tech is now used by eight NFL teams and featured on ESPN, where its segments regularly top 1 million views within 24 hours.
Journey: A preventative mental health platform that builds community through live group learning, peer support, and collective emotional growth. Partnered with leading employers to offer proactive mental wellness programs and has seen rapid adoption as companies prioritize social connection as a core benefit.
Teach Me To: A community-driven marketplace connecting people through real-world skill-sharing experiences — from sports to creative arts — fostering local connection and lifelong learning. Active in over 100 U.S. cities, with thousands of instructors and strong demand across youth and adult learners.
Postcard Cabins: Offers curated cabin retreats near major cities, creating a consistent third-space experience where people unplug, reconnect with nature, and build deeper bonds away from daily routines. Will integrate into Marriott’s system and Bonvoy loyalty program in 2025, expanding its reach while preserving its focus on nature-immersive retreats.
4. Personal Wellness
The democratization of elite performance tools is creating a new category of personal optimization. We back platforms and technologies that help people perform better in their physical and professional lives.
AV-Backed Examples:
Oura: Smart ring technology providing science-backed insights into sleep, recovery, and overall wellness. Raised $200M+ with a $5.2B valuation; sold over 2.5M rings; trusted by athletes, CEOs, and wellness professionals.
Epicore Biosystems: Creates sweat-sensing wearables that deliver real-time health insight. Tech is expanding into occupational safety, clinical trials, and broader wellness applications.
Hydrow: Smart rowing machines delivering immersive, water-like workouts. Recently acquired Speede Fitness to expand into strength training.
5. Culture Infrastructure
Culture infrastructure companies build the core tools that power content creation, distribution, and monetization across sports, media, and entertainment — enabling immersive experiences, rights management, and data-driven engagement at scale.
AV-Backed Examples:
Staked AI: The leading AI audio platform for sports, enabling brands to instantly create real-time, podcast-style content that drives engagement and monetization. Partnered with WagerGames during the 2025 Super Bowl; now ranks in the top 10% of followed accounts, with content driving top 20% better activation among all affiliate creators.
Allstar: Enables gamers to be short-form video creators through next-generation creator tools and infrastructure. 2M+ active users and 558K creators, with content delivering 253% higher engagement and up to 3.3x more watch time per hour than platforms like Twitch
Stadium Live Studios: Building a digital playground where Gen Z can engage with sports and pop culture via an interactive and gamified experience. The #1 social sports app with 3M+ users, 50M+ chats sent, and 100B+ coins spent.
Final Word
We’re not turning away from technology. We’re investing in what it makes life more valuable: the moments that must be felt, not just streamed. In a world of infinite content, we’re backing finite, irreplaceable experiences that make us human.
Let’s build what makes us human — together.
If you’re ready to back the companies that bring people together, we invite you to join our Sports & Humans First Syndicate Club.
Membership includes:
- Access to 10–15 high-conviction deal annually. No obligation opportunity to review deal opportunities for the most promising startups in wellness, sports, and culture.
- A like-minded community. Join other investors who believe connection is the next great frontier in tech.
- Curated events. Attend exclusive gatherings with entrepreneurs, athletes, and cultural leaders.
Spots are limited. Apply now; takes 10 minutes. No fees to join, no obligation to invest.
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