Accelerate Sports

What Accelerate Sports does

Accelerate Sports Inc. is a privately held, boutique investment bank specializing in M&A and capital-raising advisory for the professional sports industry. Founded as a firm of former college and professional athletes and sports-trained operators, the company serves professional sports team owners, leagues, sports-related businesses, and sports real-estate projects with sell-side and buy-side M&A, limited-partner equity transactions, capital raises, and league-expansion advisory. Notable engagements include multiple limited-partner sell-side mandates with the Sacramento Kings (including a transaction with Arctos Partners), buy-side limited-partner advisory for the Chicago Cubs, and the league-expansion of Atletico Madrid into Ottawa for the Canadian Premier League. The firm does not produce a technology product; its core assets are its senior team, its transaction track record, and its distribution network among team owners, league executives, and sports-focused private equity funds.

The business model is a professional-services fee model: success-based advisory fees on M&A closings, transaction and placement fees on capital raises and limited-partner equity transactions, and project-based fees for league-expansion mandates. Securities transactions are executed through a regulatory affiliation with Rainmaker Securities, LLC, a FINRA-registered broker-dealer and SIPC member that is explicitly not an affiliate of Accelerate Sports. The firm operates from offices in Sacramento, California (headquarters) and Manhattan Beach, California, with a team of 1–10 employees led by Founder/CEO Brent Lawrence.

The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales built on direct, relationship-based sourcing: senior bankers cultivate team owners, league executives, and niche sports-PE funds directly, with industry recognition (SBJ Dealmakers) and landmark transactions serving as the principal reputational and referral assets. Between 2019 and 2024 the firm closed 19 transactions across NBA, MLS, NHL, MLB, European Football, and emerging leagues, comprising 2 control transactions, 15 limited-partner transactions, and 3 capital raises. No revenue, funding, or ownership outside the founding team is publicly disclosed.

Name

Accelerate Sports

Legal name

Accelerate Sports Inc.

Website

https://acceleratesportsbusiness.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Accelerate Sports is a boutique investment bank advising professional sports team owners, leagues, and sports-related businesses on sell-side and buy-side M&A, limited-partner equity transactions, capital raises, and league-expansion mandates. Founded by former athletes and operators, the firm has closed 19 deals across major U.S. leagues, European football, and emerging leagues from 2019 to 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Investment Banking

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Event Promotion & Tournament Operations (MPAKAKAC), Sponsorship Sales, Valuation & Analytics Services (Rights Sales, Measurement, Consulting) (MPAKALAK)

Keywords

• Sports investment banking
• M&a advisory
• Capital raise services
• League expansion advisory
• Limited partner transactions

Headquarters

HQ city

Manhattan Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Fees: Advisory fees generated from sell-side and buy-side M&A transactions including mergers, acquisitions, and team equity sales for sports organizations.
2. Capital Raise Services: Fees earned from assisting sports organizations in raising capital through various financing mechanisms including seed rounds and Series A financing.
3. Limited Partner Transactions: Advisory and transaction fees from facilitating limited partner equity sales and buy-side stake acquisitions in professional sports teams.
4. League Expansion Advisory: Fees from advising leagues on establishing expansion franchises, assembling ownership groups, and negotiating stadium/arena solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Accelerate Sports is a boutique investment bank that advises professional sports teams, leagues, sports-related businesses, and sports real estate clients on sell-side and buy-side M&A, team equity sales, capital raises, league expansion transactions, and financing of sports real estate projects. Securities transactions are executed through Rainmaker Securities, LLC, a FINRA-registered broker-dealer affiliated with the firm's principals.

Product overview

Accelerate Sports is a boutique investment bank providing advisory services to professional sports teams, leagues, sports-related businesses, and sports real estate. Their service offerings include sell-side and buy-side M&A, team equity sales, capital raising, and league expansion advisory. The company closed 19 transactions between 2019 and 2024 (2 control transactions, 15 limited partner transactions, and 3 capital raises) for clients in the NBA, MLS, NHL, MLB, European Football, and emerging leagues. Securities are offered through Rainmaker Securities, LLC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory
• Capital Raise Services
• League Expansion Advisory
• Limited Partner Transactions
• Sports Real Estate Financing Advisory

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Morgan Stanley: Global investment bank with established sports and media advisory practice serving team owners, leagues, and sponsors. A scaled competitor on larger mandates where boutique specialists are displaced.
• Allen & Company: Privately held investment bank historically dominant in sports and media M&A. Competes with Accelerate Sports for the largest sports transactions but offers broader services beyond sports.
• Lazard: Global advisory firm with sports transactions experience including team sales and media rights. Provides overlapping advisory services as part of a much wider investment banking portfolio.
• Evercore: Independent investment banking advisory firm with a dedicated sports and media practice. Competes for high-end sports M&A mandates with greater resources and broader sector reach.
• Goldman Sachs Sports Group: Bulge bracket investment bank with a dedicated sports advisory practice advising team owners, leagues, and PE sponsors. Competitor at the high end of the sports M&A market where Accelerate Sports occasionally competes.
• Guggenheim Partners: Diversified financial services firm with a sports advisory practice that advises on team sales and media rights deals. Larger and broader offering than Accelerate Sports' focused sports boutique model.

Direct peers

• Raine Group: Global merchant bank with a dedicated sports and media practice advising on M&A, minority investments, and league transactions. Directly comparable in mandate types though larger and more international.
• Inner Circle Sports: Boutique investment bank focused exclusively on sports team sales, financings, and advisory. Closest direct competitor to Accelerate Sports given similar size, sports-only focus, and LP transaction specialization.
• Park Lane: Sports-focused investment bank advising on team sales, financings, and league matters. Similar boutique structure serving NBA, MLS, NFL, and NHL ownership groups.
• Galatioto Sports Partners: Specialist sports investment bank providing M&A advisory and capital raising to team owners and leagues. Comparable boutique positioning and similar transaction mix focused on minority equity sales and franchise financings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AccSportsBiz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Accelerate Sports