Former Milwaukee Bucks star Michael Redd has been busy building, developing and investing in tech startups since he retired from professional basketball in 2013.
Redd, played 11 years for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. He last played in 2012 for the Phoenix Suns.
Redd's latest move is joining Columbus, Ohio-based ADvantage Sports Tech Fund as a venture partner. The $50 million fund launched in 2018 and is backed by leAD Sports, an investment firm backed by the family of Adi Dassler, the founder of Adidas, and Israel's OurCrowd. The fund was designed to invest in 15 early stage tech companies focused on sports, which include data analytics and athletic performance technology.
"I reflect on how major injuries ultimately derailed my career," Redd stated in a press release from ADvantage. "The potential today for the right mix of technologies and data to prolong and enhance the playing days of professionals and amateurs alike, can unlock human potential and underpin an enormous industry."
Over the past six years, Redd has invested in over 85 companies as an angel investor, partner at Third Wave Digital, and through involvement with other funds. He was also the co-owner of Immersive, a Columbus virtual and augmented reality company focused on individualizing the experience based on psychology and was a partner at NCT Ventures in Columbus.
