Sports Business Ventures

What Sports Business Ventures does

Sports Business Ventures LLC (SBV) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based career development and networking platform serving individuals seeking to enter or advance within the sports industry. Founded in 2024 by Brian Davison and Ellen Davison, the company combines a self-serve annual membership product called The Playbook ($89.99/year) with a transactional Mentorship Marketplace that books 1:1 sessions with sports executives at $150-$300 per session. The company claims a 100,000+ member community and positions itself as a recruiting, education, and networking pipeline primarily for aspiring sports professionals and secondarily for university programs and sports organizations.

The core technology is a web-based membership platform with an integrated job board, proprietary league contact databases (NBA and NFL LinkedIn contact directories), a private community (SBV Connect), on-demand video courses, and a virtual events program including Masterclasses, Workshops, and The Huddle executive panels. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through the sportsbusinessventures.com website and a Memberful checkout flow, supplemented by free email newsletters (The Scouting Report, Sports Industry Weekly) functioning as lead magnets with a 20% conversion discount. Group/enterprise pricing is offered via direct sales to universities and corporate teams, and mentorship sessions are scheduled through a SimplyBook.me integration. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding, headcount, revenue, or enterprise anchor contracts, making it an early-stage venture with reported scale but limited financial transparency.

Name

Sports Business Ventures

Legal name

Sports Business Ventures LLC

Website

https://sportsbusinessventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Career Development Platform

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

College Recruiting & Scholarship Advisory / Athlete Placement (HSADAEAL)

Keywords

• Sports career development
• Professional networking platform
• Membership community services
• Mentorship marketplace
• Job board listings

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. The Playbook Membership Subscription: Annual subscription providing access to all SBV career tools, events, databases, and resources. Primary revenue stream at $89.99/year for individual membership with group pricing available for universities and companies.
2. Mentorship Sessions: One-on-one consultation sessions with sports industry executives. Priced at $150 for 30 minutes or $300 for 1 hour. Includes dedicated coaching, monthly video calls, unlimited email support, and industry connections.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sports Business Ventures operates a subscription-based career development platform (The Playbook) for sports industry professionals. The platform provides proprietary NBA and NFL LinkedIn contact databases, a daily-updated job board, weekly virtual masterclasses and workshops, on-demand educational courses, and a 24/7 private community. A separate Mentorship Marketplace enables members to book paid 1:1 sessions with sports executives for personalized career guidance.

Product overview

Sports Business Ventures operates as a career development platform for sports industry professionals, centered around The Playbook membership program. The core offering combines career resources, networking databases (NBA and NFL), virtual events with industry leaders, and a community platform. This is supplemented by a Mentorship Marketplace for 1:1 executive consultations and a Job Board aggregating industry opportunities. Additional modules include educational video courses, resume/portfolio templates, and two free newsletters (The Scouting Report and Sports Industry Weekly). Group pricing is available for universities and corporate teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Playbook: SBV's membership program that provides industry-proven resources, career-building insights, and access to a powerful network to help sports professionals grow their careers. Includes job board, league databases, career tools, masterclasses, workshops, and community networking.
• The Scouting Report
• Sports Industry Weekly
• Mentorship Marketplace

Products and services

• The Playbook Membership

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the dominant general professional networking platform whose own contact database and job listings underpin the broader professional networking market — and whose terms-of-service constraints create both SBV's data risk and a key substitute for members.

Direct peers

• Sportscareers.com: Sportscareers.com is a niche job board for sports industry careers, directly overlapping with SBV's job board and targeting the same audience of sports professionals seeking roles across leagues and brands.
• JobsInSports.com: JobsInSports is a sports-focused job board and career resource site targeting job seekers across teams, leagues, and sports organizations — overlapping with SBV's job board and career tools for sports professionals.
• Sports Management Worldwide: Sports Management Worldwide provides sports industry education, certificates, and career mentorship programs — overlapping with SBV's educational courses and mentorship marketplace offerings.
• Front Office Sports: Front Office Sports is the most directly comparable peer: a media platform covering sports business with newsletters, events, and a community aimed at sports industry professionals — nearly identical GTM to SBV's The Scouting Report and community-led funnel.
• Global Sports Jobs: Global Sports Jobs aggregates sports industry vacancies worldwide across roles in teams, federations, agencies, and brands — comparable to SBV's job aggregation and career resources, with a broader international footprint.
• WorkInSports.com: WorkInSports is a long-standing sports industry job board and career resource platform serving the same target customer (aspiring and current sports professionals) with job listings, employer directories, and career content.
• TeamWork Online: TeamWork Online operates a sports-specific job board and applicant tracking system used by major teams, leagues, and venues — directly comparable to SBV's Job Board product for sports industry hiring and job discovery.

Regional players

• LeagueSide: LeagueSide is a sports sponsorship and activation platform serving brands, agencies, and properties — adjacent to SBV's sports business professional audience, though focused on sponsorship sales rather than career development.

Emerging players

• Sports Networker: Sports Networker historically operated as a community and resource hub for sports business professionals seeking jobs and connections — directly comparable to SBV's networking and community focus, though with a smaller current footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SportsBusinessVentures
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sportsbusinessventures
• Instagraminstagram.com/sportsbusinessventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Sports Business Ventures