Kobe Bryant was a founding partner of Bryant Stibel since its inception in 2013. Bryant was a five-time National Basketball Association champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and was CEO of Kobe Inc. He was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, an NBA Most Valuable Player, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, a 15-time All-NBA player, an 18-time NBA All-Star, and the NBA’s No. 3 all-time scoring leader.
Since 2003, Bryant partnered with Nike, playing a leadership role in designing footwear and leading storytelling related to Kobe Bryant product lines. In 2006, he launched the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation to give young people access to sports, mentorship, and economic empowerment. In 2009, he partnered with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation to create the Kobe China Fund, dedicated to the welfare and education of youth in China. Historically Bryant invested in entrepreneurial companies, such as BODYARMOR and Red Ventures, that shared in his vision.
Kobe Bryant, who died Sunday (Jan. 26), was a well-known businessman and leaves behind a strong legacy of savvy investing and mentoring, according to a report by CNN Business.
He was 41 at the time of his death.
“For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Sunday. “… He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share with future generations of players…”
Bryant created the venture capital firm Bryant Stibel in 2013 with Web.com founder Jeff Stibel. The firm has over $2 billion in assets and has invested in dozens of companies, including Dell, Alibaba, Fortnite creator Epic Games, payment company Klarna and household products outfit The Honest Company.
“You’ve got to have strong entrepreneurs, that’s really the key for us is looking at the people,” Bryant said in a CNBC interview in September. “Yes, it’s important to see those returns, right? But it’s also important to have a great opportunity, great relationships with our investors, great opportunities with our entrepreneurs to help them grow and put them in situations where they can be successful.”
Bryant also made millions when he invested in sports drink Body Armor, which sold a stake to Coca-Cola.
“When Kobe puts his stamp of approval on something and really gets behind you as a partner, the world of sports and everyone across the spectrum of the sports industry takes note, and you’re suddenly validated in a way that most startups just don’t experience until much further on,” said Brian Lee and Matthias Metternich, founders of skincare brand Art of Sport, in a statement before Bryant’s death.
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps said Bryant was an inspiration for that second stage after an athletic career.
“I think Kobe’s somebody who’s been super fun to kind of pick his brain about some things,” Phelps told The Wall Street Journal in August. “We’ve had the privilege and the opportunity in our sports to be successful and reach the pinnacle, and we know what it takes to get to that top level. So now, it’s always the challenge for the athletes to find that drive outside of the sport.”
Kobe was teaching black basketball players what to do with their money he had a plan it was powerful, God rest his soul, one of a kind
As in sports, Kobe’s efforts in the world of business and investing are leaving a legacy we can all be proud of.
To date, Bryant Stibel as a firm has invested in over 40 businesses with approximately 75% still active and growing. While 2020 had its fair share of ups and downs, over the past year we saw our portfolio grow and our companies masterfully handle macro events, most namely COVID-19, and continue to flourish.
Bryant Stibel companies such as Epic Games and Scopely raised huge rounds to fuel their growth. Other portfolio companies such as TeamViewer, LegalZoom, ringDNA, VIPKid, Tile, etc. continued to grow their businesses and market share significantly. Cholula – our favorite hot sauce company – was acquired by McCormick for $800M. And lastly, Art of Sport, a company we helped start and Kobe actively engaged with, can now be found rolled out nationwide through all 1,600 Target stores and the company is well on its way to becoming a global brand.
Many may not know that Kobe was a strong proponent of financial literacy and providing athletes with access to smart financial advice during and after their careers. In that spirit, we created partnerships with a handful of firms to enable athletes to get access to global deal flow. Since setting down this path, our partnership with Permira, a global investment firm founded in 1985 with a total committed capital of approximately $50BN, has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into companies across the globe over the past few years with our participation through Bryant Stibel Permira Growth Opportunities Fund I.
Lastly, but most importantly, we saw our community and social responsibility efforts accelerate, focusing on the things that mean the most to each of us – helping others and doing what’s right. The partners of our firm continued to stay active lending our time, money, and resources to the causes that mean the most to us. We are proud to work with a wide range of partners and organizations to focus on racial equity and inclusion, education, and giving back to our community and will continue to make that a significant part of our mission.
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REMEMBERING KOBE BRYANT
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PARTNERS
On January 26, 2020, the world lost Kobe Bryant, one of the most well-known and respected sports icons. We lost our friend and business partner.
Kobe was more than a founding partner at Bryant Stibel. He was a family man and a creative visionary who quickly became an accomplished entrepreneur and investor. While he was known as one of the greatest athletes of all time, his time off the court was becoming just as remarkable.
Kobe was a five-time NBA champion, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, an NBA Most Valuable Player, a 15-time All-NBA player, an 18-time NBA All-Star, and the NBA’s No. 4 all-time scoring leader. As CEO of Kobe Inc. and Granity Studios, Kobe became a New York Times best-selling author for his young adult Wizenard Series, and an Academy Award recipient for a best animated short film, “Dear Basketball.”
Kobe partnered with Stibel & Co. at Bryant Stibel’s inception in 2013 as his basketball career was entering its final years. He was one of 10 General Partners at the firm, bringing a passion and entrepreneurial spirit that helped launch and shape the firm’s strategic direction. Kobe recognized that entrepreneurs shared a similar work ethic and dedication that is found in the very best athletes. He shared a passion for helping businesses creatively tell their story and find their brand truth.
We will forever be heartbroken to lose Kobe as a colleague and a friend. He of all people would want us to continue helping entrepreneurs realize their dreams and create sustainable, long-term success stories.
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