Marquee Ventures

What Marquee Ventures does

Marquee Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund founded in 2023 and headquartered in Chicago. The firm spun out of the ownership group of the Chicago Cubs and other global sports assets, with the stated thesis of investing in companies that can redefine sports, entertainment, and consumer experiences. Marquee Ventures positions itself as a "relevant partner and not just capital," supplementing equity investment with strategic relationships and operational support drawn from its embedded sports and entertainment network. The investment team comprises three professionals: Managing Partner Erik Hammer (previously a partner at Alumni Ventures and the PGA Tour New Ventures Group), Investor Roshen Karavattuveetil (previously at Siddhi Capital and Cleveland Avenue), and Associate Peri Ehlman (previously at Chingona Ventures and Goldman Sachs), supplemented by an advisory board.

The fund's core product is its investment vehicle, deploying capital across seed, Series A, Series B, and growth-stage rounds. Disclosed portfolio activity through March 2026 includes at least 18 companies spanning sports technology and marketplaces (Anzu, Anvara, Greenfly, Guidesly, Valence, PunchUp Live), consumer products and experiences (Trashie, Cafeteria, Oros, Pro Shop, Howbout, Rec), media and AI infrastructure (Animaj, Lingopal AI, Spatial, New Era ADR), and consumer privacy (Cloaked). Marquee Ventures has led rounds (e.g., PunchUp Live) and participated as a co-investor alongside larger lead investors such as General Catalyst, Liberty City Ventures, HarbourView Equity Partners, Bpifrance, and JP Morgan, and has realized at least one exit via Action Network. Revenue is generated through traditional venture fund mechanics — management fees on committed capital and carried interest on realized exits — though specific AUM, fee terms, and return figures are not publicly disclosed.

The firm has no proprietary technology product and does not develop software. Distribution occurs through direct deal sourcing and a content marketing channel called the Nine Innings interview series, which features portfolio CEOs and industry leaders across tech, commerce, entertainment, and sports. The stated geographic focus is the United States, though portfolio investments include companies headquartered in Paris, London, and other international markets.

Name

Marquee Ventures

Legal name

Marquee Ventures

Website

https://marqueeventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Marquee Ventures is a Chicago-based, early-stage venture capital fund founded in 2023 that spun out of the Chicago Cubs ownership group to invest in sports, entertainment, and consumer experience companies, supplementing capital with strategic relationships and operational support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

Keywords

• Early-stage venture capital
• Sports technology investing
• Entertainment sector funding
• Consumer experience ventures
• Seed and series A investing

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: Marquee Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage companies, with proceeds realized through portfolio company exits. The firm has deep roots in sports and entertainment, with Action Network listed as a past portfolio company (exited).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Marquee Ventures operates an early-stage venture capital fund that invests in companies redefining sports, entertainment, and consumer experiences. The firm deploys equity capital in seed, Series A, and later rounds, and supplements capital with strategic relationships and operational support drawn from its deep roots in the Chicago Cubs ownership group and broader sports/entertainment industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marquee Ventures Fund Early-stage venture capital fund that invests equity in companies redefining sports, entertainment, and consumer experiences, providing capital alongside strategic relationships and operational support to founders and leadership teams of early-stage companies.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Alumni Ventures: Large, multi-stage venture firm where Marquee's Managing Partner previously worked. Not a direct competitor on vertical, but the most relevant institutional pedigree peer and a model for Marquee's growth trajectory.
• Forerunner Ventures: Well-known consumer-focused early-stage VC. Overlaps with Marquee on the consumer-experiences side of the thesis, but with much broader consumer mandate and significantly larger fund sizes.

Direct peers

• Courtside Ventures: Early-stage VC focused on sports, media, and consumer tech. Direct competitor to Marquee Ventures in the same sports/entertainment vertical at seed/Series A, with a similar thesis of being domain-relevant partners.
• SeventySix Capital: Sports technology venture capital firm investing in early-stage sports, esports, and entertainment companies. Highly comparable vertical specialist competing for the same founder pool as Marquee Ventures.
• Sapphire Sport: Sports-focused investment platform from Sapphire Ventures backing early- and growth-stage companies at the intersection of sports and technology. Competes with Marquee for sports tech deals, with deeper capital but broader LP base.
• Stadia Ventures: Sports business accelerator and venture fund focused on early-stage companies in the sports industry. Directly comparable in vertical focus and early-stage check size to Marquee Ventures.
• KB Partners: Early-stage venture firm focused on sports technology and active lifestyle. Closely comparable in vertical specialization and stage focus, competing for the same sports-tech founder pool.
• WISE Ventures: Early-stage fund investing in the future of entertainment, gaming, and consumer. Direct peer on the entertainment/consumer side of Marquee's thesis.

Emerging players

• Chingona Ventures: Chicago-based early-stage VC focused on software. Comparable in size and stage, with geographic overlap to Marquee; Marquee's Associate previously worked here.
• Lerer Hippeau: Early-stage VC investing in consumer, media, and commerce. Comparable on the consumer-experiences side of Marquee's mandate with a longer track record and similar stage focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments15 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Marquee Ventures