The new Oregon Sports Angels president comes to the role with a critical eye on sustainability.
Jim Chi, a former Nike product developer who's also worked in the investment sector, said bringing the notion to the sports industry makes sense.
“Everybody talks about sustainability, but when you ask them, ‘How are you actually doing that?’ you get a lot of catchphrases,” said Chi. “When OSA started up seven years ago, I just happened to be around the same orbit of people, because (among) the founding membership, more than half were former Nike folks. And I was like, ‘Oh that sounds really cool, here's what I did with private investors who were doing this in other industries,’ and it seemed like a really great fit.”
Oregon Sports Angels invests in sports product and technology firms. It has 18 companies in its portfolio, including Portland-based upcycler Looptworks and women's athletic apparel maker Handful.
Chi, the group's first new president since 2017, is the principal of Cascade Management, a local consulting company that supports the apparel, footwear and equipment industries. The former Nike product developer brings experience with private equity and investment to the role he assumed from OSA founder Kate Delhagen, a former Portland Business Journal Woman of Influence honoree.
He takes over a group with three dozen-plus members nationally who invest in more than 30 sports-related companies.
Chi hopes to help the next generation of founders in Portland and nationally revolutionize the sports product and technology sectors.
He also wants the organization to build its portfolio of minority-led projects and offer traditionally underrepresented groups with opportunities for investment and success.
“If you're part of that two-and-a-half percent of women founders or founders of color, you may not have that network … and if you don't have the network, how do you get that first step?” Chi said.
Chi said the amount of pitches the organization gets continues to rise. The founders who stand out to OSA members demonstrate a strong understanding of the market’s needs and make an argument as to why their product is revolutionary and different.
Despite its national reach, most OSA founders and members still reside in the Portland-metro area, which hundreds of small sports-related businesses call home. The local network helps founders better show how their products and technologies stand out.
“For simplicity's sake, say that you’re another shoe company. What need are you fulfilling in the market that one of the other 100 brands here in Portland has not already addressed? Are you doing something that is notably better?” Chi said.
Chi hopes to build the group's national presence while giving back to the local community as much as possible.
“All of the members, in one way or another, have benefited from their lifetime involvement in sports, whether they were actually playing sports or whether they were involved in the sports industry,” Chi said. “We want to continue to give back to our community in terms of sports in general, whether that is in the business of sports or participating in sports.”
A previous version of this story said Chi was the principal of a property management company, Cascade Management, but Chi is the principal of a consulting company with the same name. The story has been updated to reflect this.
