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Wasserman
Casey Wasserman turned a legacy Hollywood talent agency into a sports and media platform that launched a $100M venture arm in 2024.
Wasserman
Casey Wasserman founded the firm in 2002 after acquiring the talent agency his grandfather, Lew Wasserman, had built into MCA. The firm has since expanded well beyond representing athletes and entertainers into a multifaceted sports and media platform. Its principal, Casey Wasserman, also serves as President of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a role that embeds the firm deep within the infrastructure of global sports. This evolution mirrors a broader shift among talent agencies like CAA and WME-IMG toward owning the assets their clients influence, rather than simply taking commissions on their earnings. Wasserman deploys capital across venture, media rights, and direct sports team stakes. In 2024, the firm announced a $100 million venture fund focused on sports, media, and entertainment technology, targeting sectors including fan experience, creator tools, and performance data (per the firm, 2024). The group also manages and consults on media-rights sales for leagues such as the Premier League and U.S. Soccer, while its representation business handles commercial partnerships for athletes across the NFL, NBA, MLB, and global soccer. Direct investments include a minority stake in English Premier League club AFC Bournemouth. The firm operates across North America from its primary hubs in Los Angeles and Toronto, with additional offices in Boston and San Diego. The firm leverages a team spanning talent management, brand consulting, and corporate advisory. A pivotal operational shift occurred in September 2024 when Wasserman launched its dedicated investment division, Wasserman Ventures, formalizing a thesis it had been executing with balance-sheet capital for years (per Sportico, September 2024). The group also operates a philanthropic arm, the Wasserman Foundation, which is a separate, long-standing family entity. This structure allows the commercial business to pursue athletic and media convergence opportunities without the constraints of a traditional venture fund’s lifecycle. Wasserman’s structural differentiator lies in amassing soft power as a strategic asset. Casey Wasserman’s role as LA28 chairman gives the firm preferential access to Olympic ecosystem partners, federation heads, and host-city officials. That public-private nexus is rare in sports investing — a competitor might own a team or represent players, but few hold both a major sports event’s governance role and an active venture practice. The firm acts as a bridge between institutional capital and sports properties that require political navigation in addition to financial underwriting.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
2002
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Los Angeles
Corporate office
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Additional offices
Toronto, Canada · Boston, MA · San Diego, CA
Principals
Casey Wasserman
Chairman & CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Wasserman?
Investment decisions are ultimately driven by Chairman and CEO Casey Wasserman, who controls the privately held firm. In 2024, the firm formalized its investment activity under Wasserman Ventures, led by a dedicated investment team reporting to Casey Wasserman. The group’s dual identity as a talent agency and investment platform means deal sourcing often originates from its representation divisions, but committee-level decisions are centralized.
How does Wasserman source proprietary deal flow?
Wasserman sources opportunities through its representation of more than 1,000 athletes, artists, and brands. This network surfaces early-stage media and sports-tech companies that seek the firm’s distribution access or athlete endorsers. Additionally, Casey Wasserman’s position as President of the LA28 Olympic Games provides visibility into municipal and federation-level sports infrastructure and sponsorship deals.
Is Wasserman a family office, a venture firm, or a talent agency?
Wasserman operates as a hybrid across all three categories. It is a privately-held talent agency representing athletes and entertainers, a media rights consultancy for leagues, and, since 2024, a formalized venture investor through Wasserman Ventures. The firm does not manage external limited-partner capital in the traditional sense, instead deploying from its own balance sheet and discrete strategic pools.
Does Wasserman manage third-party capital like a traditional venture fund?
The 2024 Wasserman Ventures vehicle was announced as a $100 million dedicated pool. While the firm has historically invested its own capital, it uses strategic relationships rather than a blind-pool fund structure. Details on external limited partners remain undisclosed, and the vehicle functions more as a corporate venture arm than a standard LP-GP fund.
What is the connection between Wasserman and the LA28 Olympics?
Casey Wasserman serves as President and Chairman of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a volunteer role that oversees the organizing committee. This position is held independently of Wasserman the firm but creates overlap in the sports-investment landscape, giving the firm insight into host-city contracts, sponsorship deals, and federations that few other private investment platforms can match.
Does Wasserman have its own philanthropic foundation, and is it connected to the main business?
Yes, the Wasserman Foundation is a separate philanthropic entity with its own endowment and grant-making process. It was established by Lew and Edie Wasserman and predates Casey Wasserman’s commercial ventures. The foundation focuses on education, arts, and community development in Los Angeles, and it operates independently from the talent agency and investment divisions.
What is Wasserman’s known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
Wasserman has historically co-invested selectively alongside major sports team owners and institutional investors. Its minority stake in AFC Bournemouth placed it alongside a consortium that included other entertainment and sports figures. The firm does not market itself as a co-investment vehicle but has demonstrated willingness to join syndicates when the deal aligns with its media and athlete-ecosystem strategy.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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