The world is mourning the death of 41-year-old retired NBA sensation Kobe Bryant as one of the nine victims of a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, Sunday, January 26. What makes the whole thing even more tragic is that Bryant was riding alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna to a basketball game he was supposed to coach. The father and daughter pair lost their lives in this accident.

After his retirement from professional basketball in 2016, leaving a legacy of five NBA titles, two Finals MVPs, an 81-point game, and 60 points at the final time he took the floor, Bryant made a smooth move to the business and entertainment world. He had even written and produced short animation movie Dear Basketball through his sports-focussed production company Granity Studios. The movie went on to win an Oscar.

In 2013, Bryant co-founded a US$2 billion-investment firm Bryant Stibel with Jeff Stibel, the Web.com CEO and serial entrepreneur, who is known as one of the youngest public company CEOs in America.

This article by The Street stated that the establishment is looking to “provide strategy, capital, and operational support to businesses with a focus across technology, media, and data”.

A remarkable story about the company is that most people would not connect the name “Bryant” in Bryant Stibel to the basketball legend, who managed to keep it that way for five years. The firm is said to focus on three core strategies, which are growth equity, ventures, and value.

Also Read: Great Deals raises US$12M from Navegar to be the Alibaba of Philippines

Describing the investment journey for almost seven years, Bryant Stibel’s team often takes “proverbial long shots” at a variety of businesses with familiar consumer brands.

The businesses in the discussion are a lost-item tracker-maker Tile; Epic Games, the company behind the online game Fortnite, desktop sharing and online collaboration company TeamViewer; Chinese online retail giant Alibaba, Dell Technologies, restaurant-booking company Reserve, and actress Jessica Alba’s wellness brand The Honest Company.

In last year alone, Bryant Stibel had invested in 28 companies, including the now-publicly traded Dell Technologies, Alibaba, and National Vision. The Street further noted that it recently partnered with investment firm Permira on a US$1.7-billion fund called Permira Growth Opportunities.

In 2015, an article by CNN revealed that Bryant was working with Alibaba Group to release the basketball star’s documentary Kobe Bryant’s Muse through its Tmall Magic Box TV in China. The deal also involved working with Bryant to create a new social media platform that brought new avenues of connecting China’s young people directly to Kobe and his philosophies.

Bryant’s most notable investment, however, was his 10 per cent stake in healthy sports drink maker BodyArmor, in which he managed to snag more than US$200 million for his initial US$6 million investment.

Bryant admitted in USA TODAY’s interview that of all his post-basketball ventures, it was the investment firm that became the most satisfying and exciting career win.

Also Read: Executing your mission the Alibaba way

“It’s finding that winning company as an investor,” Bryant told USA TODAY personal technology columnist Edward Baig last September. “Because I always expected to hit a game-winning shot growing up.”

Kobe Bryant’s legacy in the investment world hasn’t been too far-off from his years of experience in the sport. Further noted in the USA TODAY’s piece, Bryant said that patience and teamwork are important in business and investing.

“A lot of time through the course of a game, you may notice a gap in defence or something you can take advantage of offensively. If you attack all at once, you show your hand too early,” he said. “Team sports does a great job in teaching that and how to trust others.”

Finally, Bryant’s advice for anyone looking to grow their money is to “invest in businesses you understand and can get your hands around, and to invest with the right people. You’ve got to have strong entrepreneurs,” he said in an interview with CNBC in September.

“Yes, it’s important to see those returns, right? But it’s also important to have great opportunities, great relationships with our investors, great opportunities with our entrepreneurs to help them grow and put them in situations where they can be successful.”

Rest in Peace, Black Mamba.

–

Image Credit: Tokkoro.com/Chisholm Waite

The post From sports drink to Alibaba: A look into Kobe Bryant’s legacy in startup investment appeared first on e27.