Baller League: Why We Believe in A New Era of Football 

We back founders who move culture. Founders who build movements - not only companies. Felix Starck, founder and CEO, and his team at the Baller League team are on such a journey - a mission - taking the biggest game on earth into a whole new era.

As a homage to the game on the street, Baller League brings the sport back to its roots. It’s how most players around the world experience the game: 6v6, or 1v1, or 5v6, because that’s who showed up. High energy. High stakes. No fluff. 

The format is tailor made for today’s audiences – fast, familiar, and captivating.  

⚽ 2x15’ halves including 3’ gamechanger bursts at the end of each half.  
⚽ A compact 30 x 50m pitch, meaning plenty action and technical flair. 
⚽ Characters on and off the field, creating stories fans actually want to follow. 
⚽ Teams led by icons - global creators like KSI, iShowSpeed, and footballers like Lukas Podolski and John Terry. 
⚽ Players are former academy, top tier division, or pros in early retirement - all drafted for skills suited for the format. Democratizing this is something near and dear to the Baller team.

Matches are accessible by design - free to watch on YouTube, Twitch, distributed via SkySports and ProSieben. Tickets prices are about the same as a burger.  It’s high-quality football, democratized for a new generation. 

Yes it’s entertaining – but this isn’t a sideshow. Sport comes first. 

Felix is one of the most driven founders we’ve met. He moves fast - turning vision into reality with relentless momentum. A former academy player himself, with roots in media and UGC, he’s uniquely positioned to build this category. The Baller team mirrors this energy: as a small crew with taste, precision, and serious execution speed. In year one they rallied some of the world’s biggest stars and brands in the world, played two seasons, and generated double-digit millions in revenue. 

With a loyal community co-creating the next era of football, they’re creating something deeply authentic – something that belongs to everyone. It’s not just about Monday night matches. It’s a movement. And we believe it’s here to stay.

Why sports though, as tech investors?  

Sports are still one of the few true cultural universals—and they’re undergoing massive structural change. Global sports media is being redrawn in real time. In the U.S. alone, sports rights spending hit $25 billion in 2023, up from $15 billion in 2015 [1], and viewership is shifting fast—especially among Gen Z, who are just as likely to stream a Twitch match as they are to tune into traditional broadcasts.

Once famous for “Netflix and Chill” content, streaming platforms Netflix and HBO’s Max are actively adding live sports. Yet, unlike traditional broadcasters, they’re cherry picking, choosing specific events over entire seasons.  RE signing a first-ever 3yr NFL deal for Christmas Day games, Netflix CEO said in July 2024:

“We’re in live [content] because our members love it, it drives a ton of engagement, and it drives a ton of excitement,” said Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos. “Those things are very valuable. So the good thing is that advertisers like that, too, and they like it for the exact same reason.”[2]

At EQT Ventures, we believe the leaders of every major category will be tech companies—and sports is no exception. Tech-native sports companies can unlock global fanbases via platforms and channels untapped by established leagues, engage communities in real time, and design entirely new models—unburdened by legacy rights structures and gatekeepers.

As former operators, we’ve seen what happens when people truly love a product. The speed of growth can be exponential. Now apply that to the world’s most popular sport — and the opportunity becomes obvious.

We’re Proud to Lead the $25M Series A

We are joining existing investors such as Dreamcraft Ventures and welcoming new ones like Apex, V3 Ventures, and Courtside Ventures in the Series A. Up next is a first UK season, a third German season, and much more. 

We’re grateful to Felix and the Baller League team for letting us be part of the journey. Time to build. 

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