ORIGIN Sports Group

What ORIGIN Sports Group does

ORIGIN Sports Group is a London-based, privately held portfolio sports company that combines venture-capital-style investment with hands-on advisory and operational delivery for the global sports industry. Founded and chaired by Sir Keith Mills GBE DL following his role as CEO of the London 2012 Olympic bid and Vice Chairman of LOCOG, the firm is organised around three service modules: Investment Advisory (strategic advice to sports and entertainment clients on investment decisions), Major Events Management (end-to-end delivery of international sporting events spanning commercial, media, governance, operations, and hospitality), and Rights Acquisition & Management (identification, structuring, and direct or co-investment in commercial sports rights with International Sports Federations, National Governing Bodies, and rights holders).

The company serves a concentrated set of high-value institutional clients, including rights holders, international federations, host cities, sponsors, and capital partners, with a documented track record spanning the London 2012 Olympics (£700m in sponsorship raised), the America's Cup (including the 2023 Barcelona hosting mandate and a supporting event in Jeddah), four cycles of the Invictus Games with presenting partner Jaguar Land Rover, and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games bid. Geographic reach is global, with active mandates across the UK, Spain, the USA, Canada, Australia, and Saudi Arabia.

The revenue model blends professional-services fees (advisory mandates), transaction-style returns from direct and co-investments in sports properties, licensing/royalty-related work on rights acquisition, and event-management fees. Distribution is entirely direct and consultative, supported by a thin digital footprint (corporate website and LinkedIn). The firm is founder-owned with 11–50 employees, no disclosed institutional funding, no proprietary technology, and no disclosed financial figures — characteristics consistent with a boutique advisory/investment platform whose value driver is the personal network and execution credibility of its principals rather than scalable product infrastructure.

Name

ORIGIN Sports Group

Legal name

ORIGIN Sports Group

Website

https://originsportsgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

London-based, founder-led sports investment and advisory firm (Sir Keith Mills) serving federations, rights holders, sponsors, and host cities across investment advisory, major events management, and rights acquisition globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Investment and Advisory

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Business Consulting & Advisory (Strategy, Valuation, Due Diligence) (MPAKAKAL)

Keywords

• Sports investment advisory
• Sports property development
• Rights acquisition management
• Major events management
• Sports venture capital

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: Returns from direct and co-investments in sports properties, including ownership transitions, management buyouts, growth initiatives, and distressed sports properties.
2. Investment Advisory Fees: Strategic advisory services to clients in the sports and entertainment sectors, providing impartial insight-driven advice for strategic investment decisions.
3. Major Events Management: Full-service event delivery covering all stages from concept to completion, as well as streamlined services for specific needs.
4. Rights Acquisition and Management: Advisory and investment services for commercial rights acquisition, with flexibility to make direct and co-investments as well as provide advisory services to rights-holders or third-party investors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

ORIGIN Sports Group is a portfolio sports company that delivers growth for clients and customers through investment in and development of sports properties. The firm operates three interconnected service modules: Investment Advisory (strategic investment decisions and capital deployment for sports properties), Major Events Management (end-to-end planning, logistics, and execution of major international sports and entertainment events), and Rights Acquisition & Management (identification, assessment, and maximisation of commercial rights opportunities in sport). It balances venture capital-style investment with operational and executive delivery capability.

Product overview

ORIGIN Sports Group is a portfolio sports company that operates as a unified platform offering three interconnected service modules: Investment Advisory, Major Events Management, and Rights Acquisition & Management. The Investment Advisory module focuses on strategic investment decisions in sports properties, while Major Events Management provides end-to-end event delivery capabilities. Rights Acquisition & Management bridges investment and consulting, enabling direct co-investments and advisory services to rights-holders. The company balances venture capital style investment with hands-on operational delivery capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment Advisory Premier investment advisory services tailored to the sports and entertainment sectors, providing strategic solutions to maximise value and growth potential for clients, including direct investments, co-investments, and advisory mandates for rights holders and capital partners.
• Major Events Management Comprehensive event planning, logistics, and execution services for major international sports and entertainment events, covering media, commercial, event planning, marketing, governance, operations, field of play, and hospitality.
• Rights Acquisition & Management Identification and maximisation of commercial rights opportunities in sport, including rights assessment, business case development, investment strategy formulation, and negotiation with stakeholders including International Sports Federations and National Governing Bodies.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Emirates Team New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Appointed by Emirates Team New Zealand to conduct a global venue search for the 37th America's Cup, resulting in Barcelona confirmation as host city. Also handled commercial negotiation of Hosting Agreement and additional agreements for supporting event in Jeddah, KSA.
• Jaguar Land RovercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Presenting Partnership secured for Invictus Games 2015 in London, with successful renewals for subsequent Games in 2016 (USA), 2017 (Toronto), and 2018 (Sydney). ORIGIN was instrumental in all areas from commercial strategy and sales to operational delivery of all elements of the Games.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arctos Sports Partners: Private equity firm that takes direct minority stakes in sports teams, leagues, and properties — directly comparable to ORIGIN's direct/co-investment activities in sports rights and properties.
• Bruin Sports Capital: Sports-focused investment firm making control and non-control investments across leagues, teams, and sports-adjacent media — overlaps with ORIGIN's investment advisory and rights acquisition mandates.
• Raine Group: Global merchant bank with deep sports, media and entertainment advisory practice — directly comparable investment banking / strategic advisory model targeting sports rights holders and investors.
• MSP Sports Capital: Sports investment firm deploying capital into teams, leagues, and federations globally — peer in direct/co-investment advisory to sports properties.
• Octagon: Global sports marketing and event management consultancy with sponsorship, rights, and event delivery practices — overlaps with ORIGIN's advisory, sponsorship, and major events management services.
• Two Circles: Sports marketing agency providing data-driven sponsorship, fan engagement, and rights-holder advisory — comparable to ORIGIN's advisory and rights acquisition work for sports properties.

Broad incumbents

• CVC Capital Partners (Sport Division): Large-scale European PE firm with a dedicated sports investment practice (Formula 1, rugby, volleyball, La Liga investments) — broader incumbent competing for the same sponsor and rights mandate pool.
• Endeavor (IMG): Global sports and entertainment conglomerate (events, talent, media rights) including IMG — a broad incumbent offering overlapping rights acquisition, event management, and advisory services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/origin-sports-group
• Xx.com/Origin_S_G

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about ORIGIN Sports Group