ESM

What ESM does

ESM Sports Business (legal entity: ESM Participações e Consultoria Ltda.) is a privately held, São Paulo–based sports business operations platform founded in November 1999. The company explicitly positions itself as an operator rather than a marketing agency, creating, running, and scaling sports commercial assets on behalf of clubs, leagues, confederations, venues, and corporate brands. Its portfolio spans five interconnected service pillars: (1) E-Commerce Esportivo, executed through a joint venture with Netshoes/Magalu that operates official online stores for 7 major Brazilian football clubs (Corinthians, Sport, Santos, São Paulo, Cruzeiro, Internacional, Vasco) and the CBV volleyball store; (2) Gestão de Ativos, covering strategic management of leagues and high-performance teams including LBF (Women's Basketball League, 8-year tenure with ESPN/UOL media coverage) and Vôlei Renata in the Superliga; (3) Arenas & Marcas, providing sectorization and premium hospitality design for Allianz Parque (Lounge Centenário, 600 capacity with 800+ waitlist), Ginásio do Taquaral, and Arena Farma Conde; (4) Academia Vôlei Brasil, a CBV-partnered volleyball academy network scaling from 10 active schools toward a 200-unit target by 2027; and (5) Eventos, organizing major properties such as Superliga Finals, the South American Volleyball Championship, Sports Experience, and the broadcast-scaling Driving Together program on Band TV.

The underlying technology platform integrates e-commerce operations, fan relationship management, sponsorship sales, and event commercialization through a database ESM describes as Brazil's largest sports consumer asset, covering 16M+ active unique customers. The GTM motion is B2B and sales-led, targeting partnerships with major football clubs, sports confederations (CBV, CBFS), and corporate brands seeking activation in sport. Revenue mechanics blend transaction fees on e-commerce GMV (via the Netshoes/Magalu JV), managed-services fees for league/team/confederation clients, professional services for arena commercialization and event organization, and recurring subscription-style academy fees.

Operationally, ESM runs 9 business units simultaneously, employs 101-250 people at its Itaim Bibi headquarters, and has no public listing, disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or subsidiary structure. Customer concentration centers on eight top Brazilian football clubs, three national confederations/leagues, and a roster of named corporate sponsors (Netshoes/Magalu, Nestlé, TIM, Samsung, American Tourister, among others). Geographic scope is Brazil-domestic, with no disclosed international operations despite South America being listed as the served region.

Name

ESM

Legal name

ESM Participações e Consultoria Ltda.

Website

https://esm.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ESM Sports Business is a São Paulo–based sports operations platform, founded 1999, that creates, runs, and scales commercial assets — including e-commerce, league and team management, arena hospitality, and volleyball academies — for 8 top Brazilian football clubs, sports confederations, and corporate brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Business Operations and Marketing Services

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Data, Analytics & CRM Services (Fan Data, Insights, Audience Development) (MPAKAKAO)

Keywords

• Sports business operations
• Sports e-commerce management
• Sports property management
• Fan engagement platform
• Arena commercial management

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Operations: Operates official e-commerce platforms for major Brazilian football clubs via joint venture with Netshoes/Magalu. Revenue generated from merchandise sales, transaction fees, and data monetization through fan behavior insights.
2. Sports Property Management: Strategic management of sports leagues (LBF), confederations (CBV, CBFS), and high-performance teams (Vôlei Renata). Revenue from sponsorship acquisition, media rights management, and operational fees.
3. Arena & Brand Activation: Commercial development and management of major arenas (Allianz Parque), premium hospitality experiences (Lounge Centenário), and corporate brand activation in sports.
4. Event Organization: Organizes major sports events including Superliga Finals, South American Volleyball Championship, and proprietary experiences like Sports Experience and Driving Together.
5. Academy Operations: Operates Academia Vôlei Brasil, a volleyball training academy network with CBV partnership. Revenue model includes academy fees and development programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

ESM is a sports business operations platform that creates, operates and monetizes sports assets for football clubs, leagues, confederations, arenas and corporate brands in Brazil. Its core services include official club e-commerce via a joint venture with Netshoes/Magalu (covering 7 major clubs and 16M+ active customers), strategic management of sports properties such as LBF, Vôlei Renata, CBV and CBFS, commercial development of arenas like Allianz Parque (including Lounge Centenário), sponsorship acquisition and brand activation, event organization (Superliga Finals, Sports Experience, Driving Together), and operation of the Academia Vôlei Brasil academy network.

Product overview

ESM Sports Business operates as a comprehensive sports business platform with five interconnected service pillars: e-Commerce Esportivo (official club stores via Netshoes/Magalu JV), Gestão de Ativos (leagues, teams and sponsorship management), Arenas & Marcas (venue development and brand activation), Academia Vôlei Brasil (volleyball academy network), and Eventos (major sporting event organization). The company manages a portfolio of brand storefronts including ShopTimão, Santos Store, SAO Store, Loja do Cruzeiro, Inter Store, Shop Vasco, and Loja PST, plus Vôlei Shop for the volleyball confederation. Notable managed properties include LBF - Liga de Basquete Feminino, Vôlei Renata, and the Lounge Centenário VIP hospitality experience at Allianz Parque. The platform leverages over 16 million active customer records as Brazil's largest sports consumer database, serving 8 major football clubs and operating across the complete sports business value chain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Academia Vôlei Brasil: Strategic partner of CBV (Brazilian Volleyball Confederation) operating volleyball schools across Brazil, with a goal of 200 units by 2027.
• LBF — Liga de Basquete Feminino
• Lounge Centenário

Products and services

• e-Commerce Esportivo (Sports E-commerce) End-to-end operation of official online stores and sports-retail commerce for major Brazilian football clubs via a strategic joint venture with Netshoes/Magalu. Serves clubs seeking demand-engineering, digital performance and fan-monetization backed by Brazil's largest sports consumer database (16M+ clients).
• Gestão de Ativos (Sports Property Management) Strategic management of leagues, confederations and high-performance teams with direct responsibility for operations, revenue and property development. Covers LBF (Liga de Basquete Feminino), Vôlei Renata and sponsorship acquisition and management.
• Arenas & Marcas (Arena & Brand Activation) Commercial development and management of major sports arenas and on-site brand activation. Includes Allianz Parque sectorization and Lounge Centenário premium hospitality (600 capacity, 800+ waitlist, most luxurious seat in Brazilian football), Ginásio do Taquaral and Arena Farma Conde.
• Academia Vôlei Brasil Volleyball training academy network operated as a strategic partner of CBV - Confederação Brasileira de Vôlei, spanning grassroots to high-performance athlete development across Brazil.
• Eventos (Sports Event Organization) Organization and management of major Brazilian sporting events with national and international reach, including Superliga Finals, South American Volleyball Championship, Sports Experience and Driving Together.
• Lounge Centenário Premium VIP hospitality experience at Allianz Parque (Nubank Parque), the most luxurious seat in Brazilian football, with 600-person capacity and 800+ on the waiting list.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8 years of LBF management with national media coverage (ESPN/UOL)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Netshoes / MagalucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Strategic joint venture for official club e-commerce operations. ESM and Netshoes/Magalu operate e-commerce for 7 major Brazilian football clubs including Corinthians, Sport, Santos, São Paulo, Cruzeiro, Internacional, and Vasco. This partnership represents ESM's core e-commerce distribution channel with 16M+ active clients.
• CBV - Conselho Brasileiro de VôleicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Strategic partnership with Brazilian Volleyball Confederation for integrated operations across the entire volleyball chain — from grassroots to high performance. ESM operates Academia Vôlei Brasil (AVB) with CBV and the Brazilian National Team, manages Vôlei Renata in Superliga, and organizes major volleyball events including Superliga Finals and South American Championship.
• LBF - Liga de Basquete FemininocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20158 years of strategic management of the Women's Basketball League. ESM has direct responsibility for resources, partnerships, and brand development in the national scene. Media coverage secured with ESPN and UOL.
• Vôlei Renata / CampinascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFull management of high-performance volleyball team competing in Superliga, one of the main teams in the league with focus on financial sustainability and audience growth. Sponsors include Pastifício Selmi/Renata, Caixa, among others.
• CBFS - Conselho Brasileiro de FutsalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Brazilian Futsal Confederation for sports property management and development.
• Allianz ParqueflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerArena sectorization development and management including creation of Lounge Centenário — the most luxurious seating in Brazilian football. ESM was involved from pre-inauguration working with WTorre on sectorization design. Lounge Centenário has 600 capacity with 800+ waitlist.
• American Tourister (Samsonite)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand activation partnership for 'Mala da Torcida Brasileira' campaign featuring 10+ athletes across different sports wishing luck to Brazil, supported by another 20 athletes on social media.
• WTorreflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPre-opening arena development partnership for Allianz Parque sectorization and premium hospitality design including Lounge Centenário creation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Excel Sports Management: Athlete representation and sports marketing firm focused on commercial deals, endorsements, and property partnerships. Comparable to ESM's athlete-side commercial work and brand activation.
• TEAM Marketing: Swiss sports marketing firm historically central to UEFA club competition commercial rights and club-level sponsorship. Comparable as a sports-business operator for top-tier football clubs across multiple revenue streams.
• LiveMode: Brazilian sports marketing agency focused on sponsorship, athlete management, and brand activation for major Brazilian sports properties. Most direct domestic peer to ESM's sponsorship and activation work.
• Wasserman: Sports marketing and talent management agency with deep football club, sponsorship, and brand activation capabilities. Comparable to ESM's brand activation and property management verticals.
• Sportfive: European-headquartered sports rights, sponsorship, and venue commercial management company, with a strong football-club focus. Closely mirrors ESM's mix of club-level commercial partnerships, sponsorship sales, and arena sectorization.
• Octagon: Global sports marketing agency offering sponsorship sales, athlete management, event management, and brand activation. Highly comparable to ESM's Arenas & Marcas and Gestão de Ativos pillars, though at much larger global scale.

Broad incumbents

• IMG (Endeavor): Global sports and entertainment conglomerate covering events, talent management, media rights, and licensing. Comparable in functional scope to ESM but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• WME Sports: Sports division of WME/Endeavor offering talent representation, property sales, and event operations. Comparable in functional mix to ESM but embedded in a much larger entertainment conglomerate.
• CAA Sports: Sports division of Creative Artists Agency representing athletes and operating in sports media rights and properties. Comparable to ESM's athlete development (Academia Vôlei Brasil) and property management functions.

Regional players

• The Sports Company (Brazil / LatAm agencies): Cluster of regional Brazilian and Latin American sports marketing agencies (e.g., Artplan Sports, Hightown) competing for club-level sponsorship and activation mandates. Regional comparables to ESM's domestic Brazilian footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esm-sports
• Instagraminstagram.com/esmktesportivo
• Facebookfacebook.com/esmmkt

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 ESM