Ryan Sports Ventures

Rob Ryan is the Managing Partner and sits on the investment committee. He is joined by Partners Paul Ryan and Brian Ryan, alongside committee members Pat Ryan (founder of Chicago Ventures) and Patrick G. Ryan (founder of Aon and Ryan Specialty). The website suggests a consensus-driven committee process drawing on decades of operating and investing experience across sports, technology, and insurance.

The firm leverages its family's three-decade sports portfolio — including a stake in the Chicago Bears and a directorship at Penske Corporation — to access founders, leagues, and media properties. Its network includes relationships with specialist sports technology funds like ADvantage and Will Ventures, where it is a limited partner, giving it visibility into early-stage sports-tech companies before they seek broader institutional capital.

It operates as the sports investment arm of the Ryan family rather than an open, third-party fund. The firm describes itself as 'builders and not strictly investors' and deploys balance-sheet capital directly into companies and properties. It does not publicly raise external funds, though it co-invests alongside venture and growth equity managers it backs as a limited partner.

Both. Its portfolio includes direct operating stakes in properties (AFC Bournemouth, FC Lorient, Moreirense Futebol Clube) and direct equity positions in companies like Playermaker, Quintar, and Greenfly. It also commits as a limited partner to sports-focused venture funds, including ADvantage Sports Tech Fund and Will Ventures.

The family's wealth originates from the insurance industry. Patrick G. Ryan founded Aon, grew it into a global brokerage with over 500 offices and $7 billion in revenue, and later founded Ryan Specialty in 2010. The family has since diversified into transportation (Penske Corporation), professional sports, and venture investing.

The firm's site does not formally define co-investment rights, but its structure as a family-funded vehicle with multiple LP relationships suggests it frequently co-invests alongside the specialist funds it backs. Its multi-club football model and technology portfolio point to a collaborative, network-driven approach rather than fragmented passive commitments.

Properties serve as the central platforms around which other investments come to life. The firm acquires controlling or influential stakes in teams and leagues, then layers in technology companies that can enhance athlete performance, fan engagement, or commercial operations across those properties — a full-stack approach that treats teams as both assets and distribution channels.