leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy
LEAD is a global venture capital firm founded in 2017 that operates four sports- and health-focused investment funds spanning Pre-Seed through Opportunistic stages, with 70+ portfolio companies worldwide and $100K–$10M ticket sizes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersOrlando, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy does
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy (operating as LEAD) is a global venture capital firm founded in 2017 and headquartered in Orlando, United States. It is structured as an institutional asset manager organized into two business units—funds and portfolio—and operates four distinct investment vehicles spanning the early-stage continuum: LEAD ONE (Pre-Seed), the Lake Nona Fund (Seed), ADvantage (Series A), and Locker Room (Opportunistic). Across these vehicles, LEAD has built a portfolio of 70+ companies with global geographic reach and ticket sizes ranging from $100,000 to $10 million.
LEAD's investment thesis is narrowly verticalized around sports and health. The firm explicitly differentiates itself from passive capital providers by offering active portfolio support, including strategic introductions, operational guidance, athlete recruitment, and "above and beyond" assistance to founders. Named portfolio companies span nutrition scoring (Bitewell), sportsbook-integrated prepaid platforms (TAPPP), and AI-enabled coaching (Mustard), illustrating breadth within the vertical.
The firm's revenue mechanics follow standard venture capital economics: equity ownership in portfolio companies generating returns through exits, IPOs, or secondary sales; management fees on deployed capital; and carried interest on investment returns. Pricing specifics—including fee rates, carry terms, and individual fund sizes—are not publicly disclosed. Marketing and sourcing rely on the firm website and a Substack newsletter, with no disclosed accelerator cohort model despite the "academy" naming. The team comprises nine individuals across Partners, a Principal, Associates, an Analyst, an Innovation Director, and Finance & Accounting functions.
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy
- Legal name
- LEAD
- Website
- https://leadsports.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- LEAD is a global venture capital firm founded in 2017 that operates four sports- and health-focused investment funds spanning Pre-Seed through Opportunistic stages, with 70+ portfolio companies worldwide and $100K–$10M ticket sizes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital Asset Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Business Consulting & Advisory (Strategy, Valuation, Due Diligence) (MPAKAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)
Keywords
Where leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Orlando
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Returns: LEAD generates returns through equity ownership in portfolio companies, realizing gains through exits, IPOs, or secondary sales. As an institutional asset manager, the firm earns management fees on deployed capital and carried interest on investment returns.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy is a global venture capital firm that invests in sports and health startups through four dedicated investment funds spanning pre-seed, seed, Series A, and opportunistic stages. The firm deploys capital across tickets ranging from $100,000 to $10 million and supports a portfolio of 70+ companies globally through a complementary portfolio support unit.
Product overview
LEAD (leAD) is a global venture capital firm consisting of two business units: funds and portfolio. The firm operates four investment funds (LEAD ONE for Pre-Seed, Lake Nona Fund for Seed, ADvantage for Series A, and Locker Room for Opportunistic investments) with ticket sizes ranging from $100K to $10M, targeting sports and health companies globally. The company manages 70+ portfolio companies and focuses on improving health outcomes through strategic investments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- LEAD ONE Pre-Seed investment fund deployed in sports and health startups at the earliest formation stage. Targeted as part of the firm's multi-stage capital stack.
- Lake Nona Fund Seed-stage investment fund for sports and health startups, providing early-stage venture capital.
- ADvantage Series A investment fund providing growth capital to sports and health startups that have moved past seed stage.
- Locker Room Opportunistic investment fund for sports and health startups, allowing flexible deal participation outside the standard pre-seed/seed/Series A cadence.
- Six-Month Accelerator Program A six-month-long accelerator program designed to accelerate sports and health startups, described as shaping the future of living through startup acceleration.
Quantifiable outcome
- 70+ portfolio companies supported across 4 investment funds
Companies that use leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Courtside Ventures: Early-stage venture firm investing at the intersection of sports, media, and entertainment. Closely comparable to LEAD in vertical specialization, fund stage focus, and active portfolio support model.
- KB Partners: Consumer-and-sports-focused growth equity and venture firm. Comparable in backing sports-adjacent startups from early stages through growth, with similar multi-stage flexibility.
- Elysian Park Ventures: Sports-focused venture firm backed by ownership of the LA Dodgers. Direct competitor for sports-tech deals with similar thesis around sports industry transformation; deeper LP base but analogous stage focus.
- RSE Ventures: Sports, entertainment, and media-focused venture and investment firm. Comparable in vertical specialization and stage-agnostic approach to sports-tech investing.
- SeventySix Capital: Sports-tech venture capital firm investing across consumer sports, media, and health/wellness. Closely comparable investment thesis and stage focus to LEAD.
- Drive by DraftKings: Strategic venture arm of DraftKings investing in sports-tech and sports-betting-adjacent startups. Comparable target market to LEAD's sports-tech portfolio companies like TAPPP.
- SC30 Partners: Athlete-led venture fund investing in sports, health, and technology. Closely comparable to LEAD in leveraging athlete networks for portfolio company support and in sports vertical focus.
Broad incumbents
- Wasserman: Global sports marketing and talent agency with venture investments through Wasserman Ventures. Broader sports-industry incumbent that overlaps with LEAD's deal flow and athlete network advantages.
- TPG Capital: Large alternative asset manager with a dedicated sports investment practice. Represents the institutional incumbent tier that competes for the same sports category but at materially larger check sizes and broader mandates.
Emerging players
- Bolt (sports venture capital): Early-stage venture firm with meaningful sports-tech exposure. Comparable in stage focus and emerging-firm profile, though with broader tech mandate than LEAD's sports/health specialization.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy
What does leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy do?
The leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy is a global venture capital firm that invests in sports and health startups through four dedicated investment funds spanning pre-seed, seed, Series A, and opportunistic stages. The firm deploys capital across tickets ranging from $100,000 to $10 million and supports a portfolio of 70+ companies globally through a complementary portfolio support unit.
Is leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy a public or private company?
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy founded?
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy based?
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy is headquartered in Orlando, United States, in the North America region.
How does leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Returns.
Who are leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Courtside Ventures, KB Partners, Elysian Park Ventures, RSE Ventures, SeventySix Capital, Drive by DraftKings and SC30 Partners. Broad incumbents are Wasserman and TPG Capital. Bolt (sports venture capital) is listed as an emerging player.
Does leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy.
What industry is leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy in?
leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Academy's product category is Venture Capital Asset Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAKAL, Sports Business Consulting & Advisory (Strategy, Valuation, Due Diligence), with a secondary code of MPAKAKAK, Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.