What Weatherford Capital does

Weatherford Capital is a family-owned private investment firm founded in 2015 by brothers Will, Drew, and Sam Weatherford and headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The firm operates as a traditional growth equity manager with two flagship private equity funds (Fund I closed at $355M in August 2021 and Fund II closed at $300M in March 2025), plus a dedicated sports-focused vehicle (Weatherford Capital Sports LLC) supporting a $108.5M exempt offering initiated in September 2025. Across these vehicles the firm manages approximately $1.2 billion in assets under management, sourced from a diversified base of family offices and institutional limited partners. Investment activity is organized around two core theses: (i) growth equity in B2B, B2G, and highly regulated industries, with an emphasis on GovTech (the firm notes roughly half the portfolio is in GovTech, including OpenGov which exited at a $1.8B valuation to Cox Enterprises in February 2024, PayIt, Vision Government Solutions, SOMA Global, and BusPatrol), InsurTech (HDVI, Coterie, The Zebra), and select business & consumer services; and (ii) an integrated 'Sports Continuum' thesis spanning youth, collegiate, and professional sports.

The firm's core operating architecture is a platform-plus-funds model. Beyond the flagship funds, Weatherford has built or co-founded specialized investment platforms: Collegiate Athletic Solutions (CAS), a 50-50 joint venture with RedBird Capital Partners announced in May 2024 that provides capital and business-building advisory services to university athletic departments (and powered the April 2026 Big 12 Conference partnership, the first private capital arrangement at the conference level in major US college sports); CURVE Sports, a majority-owned youth baseball platform launched in February 2026 integrating Diamond Allegiance (70+ clubs, 15,000+ players) with CURVE Test Centers; and minority strategic stakes in the United Soccer League and the Tampa Bay Rays. The firm's underlying 'technology' is its proprietary investment framework — 'The Weatherford Way' (Relationships, Teamwork, Process, Learning, Impact) and the 'Sports Continuum' thesis — rather than a software stack. Initial equity checks are $10-30M per portfolio company ($75M+ with co-investment), and pricing and fund economics are not publicly disclosed (access is via Private Placement Memoranda to qualified investors).

The go-to-market motion is relationship-driven, network-based sourcing targeting visionary founders and management teams in regulated industries and sports. Distribution relies on proprietary deal sourcing from the Weatherford family network across business, finance, sports, and politics (Will Weatherford served as 84th Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives), supplemented by strategic co-investors and joint ventures (RedBird Capital, BellTower Partners, Great Hill Partners). Revenue is generated via standard PE economics: management fees on committed/invested capital plus carried interest on fund profits, with each Weatherford brother allocating more than 10% of GP carry to charity. The firm operates offices in Tampa (HQ, 12th floor of Thousand & One at 1001 Water Street), Dallas, and Chicago, with approximately 11-50 total employees as of 2026.

Name

Weatherford Capital

Legal name

Weatherford Capital Management, LLC

Website

https://www.weatherfordcapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Weatherford Capital is a Tampa-based, family-owned growth equity firm managing ~$1.2B AUM across two flagship funds, investing in B2B, B2G, and highly regulated industries (GovTech, InsurTech, FinTech) and operating an integrated sports investment continuum spanning youth, collegiate, and professional sports via the CAS JV with RedBird and platforms like CURVE Sports and USL.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity / Growth Equity Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Services (B2B) Growth Equity (FSANACAD)

Keywords

• Private equity investment
• Growth equity capital
• Family office investing
• Regulated industry investing
• Sports investment platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund I Capital Commitments: Closed $355 million in oversubscribed limited partner commitments for Weatherford Capital Fund I in August 2021. LPs commit capital for the fund's investment period.
2. Fund II Capital Commitments: Closed $300 million in commitments for Weatherford Capital Fund II in March 2025, actively deploying capital with seven portfolio investments at announcement of Nick Parrish. Each Weatherford brother allocates more than 10% of GP carry to charity.
3. Management Fees and Carried Interest: Standard private equity economics: management fees on committed/invested capital plus carried interest (GP carry) on fund profits. Firm has surpassed $1 billion AUM as of Feb 2023 and reached approximately $1.2 billion AUM by Oct 2025.
4. Sports-Focused Exempt Offering (Weatherford Capital Sports LLC): SEC Form D filed Dec 2025 for Weatherford Capital Sports LLC, a Delaware LLC, for an exempt securities offering totaling $108,500,000, starting September 2025. Proceeds used per regulation to support sports investment strategy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Weatherford Capital is a family-owned private investment firm that raises and deploys committed private equity fund capital (Fund I $355M; Fund II $300M) into growth equity, mid-to-late-stage venture, and recapitalization transactions, primarily in B2B, B2G, and highly regulated industries across Technology, Financials, Sports, and Business & Consumer Services. The firm also operates specialized investment platforms — most notably Collegiate Athletic Solutions (CAS) for university athletic departments and CURVE Sports for youth baseball — and provides portfolio companies with strategic business development, market entry, public sector, and corporate strategy support alongside capital.

Product overview

Weatherford Capital is a family-owned private investment firm that operates a platform-plus-funds architecture rather than a single software product. The firm offers two flagship investment funds — Weatherford Capital Fund I ($355M, closed 2021) and Weatherford Capital Fund II ($300M, closed March 2025) — that deploy growth equity into B2B, B2G, and highly regulated industries. Beyond its funds, Weatherford has built and co-founded several specialized investment platforms that extend its Sports Continuum strategy: Collegiate Athletic Solutions (CAS), a 50-50 venture with RedBird Capital that provides capital solutions to university athletic departments; CURVE Sports, a unified youth baseball platform combining Diamond Allegiance and CURVE Test Centers; and a strategic investment partnership with the United Soccer League (USL). The Weatherford Way philosophy underpins all of these offerings, guiding the firm's relationship-driven approach to partnering with founders and management teams. The firm also maintains a broader portfolio of operating companies across Technology, Financials, Sports, and Business & Consumer Services sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Collegiate Athletic Solutions (CAS): A 50-50 joint venture between RedBird Capital and Weatherford Capital providing capital solutions and a business-building platform for university athletic departments.
• CURVE Sports

Products and services

• Weatherford Capital Fund I First flagship private equity growth fund closed at $355 million in August 2021, focused on rapidly growing technology and technology-enabled companies with B2B or B2G focus and those operating in highly regulated industries.
• Weatherford Capital Fund II Second flagship growth equity fund closed at $300 million in March 2025, focused on regulated industries across Technology, Financials, Business & Consumer Services; invests in B2B, B2G, and highly regulated industries.
• Collegiate Athletic Solutions (CAS) 50-50 joint venture between RedBird Capital Partners and Weatherford Capital providing dedicated capital and a business-building platform for public and private university athletic departments, acting as a trusted advisor to university presidents, CFOs, and athletic directors. Powers the Big 12 Conference private-capital partnership.
• CURVE Sports Unified, baseball-first platform backed by Weatherford Capital that combines Diamond Allegiance (70+ independent youth clubs, 15,000+ players) and CURVE Test Centers (athlete testing and longitudinal performance data) into an integrated ecosystem for testing, training, competition, and recruiting.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than $1 billion in assets under management (over $1.2B as of Oct 2025)
• +5 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Big 12 ConferenceflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026Strategic business partner via Collegiate Athletic Solutions. Five-year agreement providing at least $12.5M capital infusion to the conference (with optional additional $12.5M within a year), up to $30M credit lines per member school (at ~10% interest), and a strategic commercial sponsorship operations component that has already generated roughly $100M (headlined by a PayPal partnership). Considered the first private-capital partnership at the conference level in major US college sports. 12+ of the Big 12's 16 schools initially declined the credit line portion.
• Collegiate Athletic Solutions (CAS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 202650-50 joint venture between RedBird Capital Partners and Weatherford Capital announced May 22, 2024, formalized as a capital solutions platform for university athletic departments. Powers the Big 12 Conference partnership; CAS intends to invest between $50M-$200M into top-tier college sports. Drew Weatherford is co-founder of CAS.
• BellTower PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Co-investor with Weatherford Capital in the United Soccer League (USL). BellTower Partners made its initial USL investment in September 2025 (led by Kewsong Lee, former Carlyle Group CEO, who joined the USL Board as Vice Chair). Weatherford joined BellTower's strategic investment in February 2026, broadening the league's investor base ahead of USL Premier's 2028 launch. Initial investors also included Advaya Capital and family offices/ultra-high net worth individuals.
• United Soccer League (USL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Strategic investment partner in the USL, the largest and fastest-growing soccer organization in the United States. Weatherford Capital joined BellTower-led investor group as the league prepares to launch USL Premier (Division I) in 2028 with promotion and relegation. Weatherford brings sports expertise, national network, and operational insight; expected to play active role in media rights and sponsorship strategies as USL's CBS and ESPN deals expire after the 2027 season. Financial terms undisclosed.
• CURVE SportsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2026Flagship platform investment launched February 5, 2026 in Tampa, FL. Weatherford Capital provides long-term partnership to the unified baseball-first platform integrating Diamond Allegiance (network of 70+ independent youth clubs, 15,000+ players) and CURVE Test Centers (athlete testing and longitudinal performance data). The Ogg Family and Matthew Scattarella are co-backers. CURVE Sports expanded in April 2026 by acquiring Pitch 2 Pitch, also backed by Weatherford.
• RedBird Capital PartnersflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2024Co-development partner with Weatherford Capital in Collegiate Athletic Solutions (CAS), a 50-50 joint venture announced May 2024 to provide capital solutions to university athletic departments. CAS then powered the historic Big 12 Conference private capital partnership (April 2026), which provided at least $12.5M to the Big 12 plus optional $30M credit lines per school. RedBird's connection to Paramount Global (owner of CBS) is cited as a strategic value-add for future media rights negotiations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Avenue Capital Group: Operates the $1B Avenue Sports Fund, the most direct competitor to Weatherford's Sports Continuum thesis across professional leagues, teams, and sports-related businesses. The firm is also the source of Weatherford's new sports investing Partner (Todd Marcy), signaling deep strategic overlap.
• Arctos Partners: Dedicated sports private equity firm investing across professional sports franchises, leagues, and related businesses. Directly comparable to Weatherford's sports thesis and a primary competitor for league-level private capital mandates in the US.
• Great Hill Partners: Mid-market growth equity firm with a comparable B2B/B2G software and regulated industries focus. Great Hill co-led the majority recapitalization of Vision Government Solutions alongside Weatherford, illustrating direct deal-level overlap in target sectors and check sizes.
• Main Street Capital: Lower mid-market B2B-focused investment firm with comparable check sizes and a focus on founder-friendly, relationship-driven capital. Highly comparable business model and target-deal profile to Weatherford's regulated industries and business services strategy.
• RedBird Capital Partners: Sports-focused private equity firm that is Weatherford's 50-50 joint venture partner in Collegiate Athletic Solutions (CAS) and shares the thesis of private capital institutionalizing sports. Similar AUM scale and co-investor profile make it the most direct peer in the sports platform strategy.
• GI Partners: Mid-market growth equity firm that co-invested with Weatherford in BusPatrol. Similar check size range and B2B/B2G focus make it a natural peer in the lower mid-market growth equity category.
• BellTower Partners: Sports-focused investment firm (led by former Carlyle Group CEO Kewsong Lee) that co-invested with Weatherford in the United Soccer League. Direct overlap in the league-level sports investment strategy and similar emerging-platform profile.

Broad incumbents

• Thoma Bravo: One of the largest software-focused private equity firms, with deep exposure to regulated vertical SaaS, GovTech, and FinTech. Functions as a broad incumbent in the same regulated-software universe that Weatherford targets, and a frequent competitor for the same founder relationships.
• Insight Partners: Large-scale growth and venture investor with significant regulated-software and B2B focus. Insight co-invested in PayIt alongside Weatherford and is a frequent co-investor and competitor in the same regulated-vertical SaaS category.
• Vista Equity Partners: One of the largest B2B software-focused private equity firms globally, with deep overlap in regulated vertical SaaS. Vista is also the source of Weatherford's new COO (Jessi Marshall, ex-Partner & MD), and the firms frequently compete for the same type of B2B/B2G software assets at the upper end of the market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/weatherfordcap
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weatherford-capital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments18 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Weatherford Capital