Sphera Partners
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Sphera Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sphera Partners
- Legal name
- Sphera Partners
- Website
- https://spherapartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sphera Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sports Investment / Private Equity
- NAICS
- Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391), Spectator Sports (71121)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Franchise Ownership Groups & Multi-Club Organizations (Multi-team owners, holding companies) (MPAKABAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds (FSANAJAM)
Keywords
Where Sphera Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sphera Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Investment Returns: Generates returns through equity investments in sports businesses and leagues. Acts as founding investor providing capital to build and scale portfolio companies, with returns realised through growth and exit events.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Sphera Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sphera Partners is a UK-based investment firm that provides capital and strategic expertise to undercommercialised sports businesses and leagues, with a dedicated focus on women's and mixed-gender sports. The firm pursues founding investor positions in sports properties such as UPSHOT, a women's professional basketball league debuting in 2026, returning value through equity growth and exit events.
Product overview
Sphera Partners is an investment firm dedicated to accelerating the growth of women's sports, rather than a technology product company with a software portfolio. The firm's primary offering involves strategic investments in women's sports ventures, with its notable current initiative being UPSHOT, a women's professional basketball league development platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- UPSHOT Investment Founding investor partnership in UPSHOT, a women's professional basketball league designed as a development platform for elite women's basketball talent, set to debut in 2026 in the U.S. Southeast. The investment pairs capital with strategic expertise from Sphera and its leadership network.
Companies that use Sphera Partners
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Sphera Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sphera Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- UPSHOTflagshipUPSHOT is an innovative women's professional basketball league debuting in 2026. Sphera Partners serves as a founding investor, partnering with experienced leadership including former WNBA executive Donna Orender and minor league operator Andy Kaufmann. The league focuses on player development, community engagement, and long-term sustainability, launching initially with four teams in the Southeast U.S. (Jacksonville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Savannah).
- Donna OrendercoreFormer WNBA executive serving as part of UPSHOT's leadership team. Provides deep expertise in women's professional basketball operations, player relations, and league development from her WNBA background.
- Andy KaufmanncoreProven minor league operator serving as part of UPSHOT's leadership team. Brings operational expertise in league management, team operations, and minor league sports business development.
- Cheryl MillercoreBasketball Hall of Famer and part of UPSHOT's ownership group. Provides basketball credibility, brand recognition, and connects the league to basketball's legacy and heritage.
- Ann Meyers DrysdalecoreFormer WNBA and NBA executive and part of UPSHOT's ownership group. Brings executive leadership experience in professional basketball operations and women's sports development.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sphera Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Oakwell Sports Capital: Sports-focused investment and advisory firm backing sports businesses, leagues, and rights holders. Highly comparable in target deals and value-add operating model to Sphera.
- Mercury Sports Capital: Sports-focused private investment firm building and acquiring sports-related businesses. Closely aligned with Sphera's model of taking operating/founding positions in sports properties.
- 1875 Capital: Venture capital firm purpose-built for the sports industry, investing in sports-related businesses and properties. Highly comparable investment scope and sports-specialist DNA to Sphera.
- Dynasty Equity: Sports-focused investment firm with a remit that includes leagues, teams, and sports-adjacent businesses. Comparable founder-led, thesis-driven approach to sports investing.
- Courtside Ventures: Sports-focused venture and growth fund investing across sports businesses, teams, and technology. Comparable to Sphera's vertical, fund structure, and sales-led deal sourcing in sports.
- Arctos Partners: A sports-focused private investment firm that takes minority stakes in sports franchises, leagues, and businesses — closely aligned with Sphera's franchise/league ownership strategy, including multi-club structures.
Emerging players
- SC Holdings (Sway Capital / women's sports funds): Emerging investment vehicles specifically focused on women's sports opportunities. Comparable thesis and target market to Sphera, though typically smaller scale and earlier stage.
- Bolt Ventures: Early-stage venture firm focused on women's sports and female-founded companies — operates in the same women's-sports investment thesis as Sphera but at venture/check-size scale rather than league/foundership scale.
Regional players
- Play Ventures: Venture firm investing in sports, gaming, and entertainment businesses across Europe and globally. Comparable sports-business investment thesis, with a stronger European/Scandinavian orientation.
Broad incumbents
- RedBird Capital Partners: Large-scale alternative asset manager with significant sports franchise, league, and media rights investments (e.g., AC Milan, Fenway Sports Group). Competes for the same deal flow as Sphera but with materially more capital and broader sector mandate.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Sphera Partners social profiles
Digital presenceSphera Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sphera Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Sphera Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sphera Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sphera Partners
What does Sphera Partners do?
Sphera Partners is a UK-based investment firm that provides capital and strategic expertise to undercommercialised sports businesses and leagues, with a dedicated focus on women's and mixed-gender sports. The firm pursues founding investor positions in sports properties such as UPSHOT, a women's professional basketball league debuting in 2026, returning value through equity growth and exit events.
Is Sphera Partners a public or private company?
Sphera Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sphera Partners founded?
Sphera Partners was founded in 2024. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sphera Partners based?
Sphera Partners is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Sphera Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Returns.
Who are Sphera Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Oakwell Sports Capital, Mercury Sports Capital, 1875 Capital, Dynasty Equity, Courtside Ventures and Arctos Partners. Emerging players are SC Holdings (Sway Capital / women's sports funds) and Bolt Ventures. Play Ventures is listed as a regional player. RedBird Capital Partners is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Sphera Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sphera Partners.
What industry is Sphera Partners in?
Sphera Partners's product category is Sports Investment / Private Equity. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKABAJ, Franchise Ownership Groups & Multi-Club Organizations (Multi-team owners, holding companies), with a secondary code of FSANAJAM, Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds. Its NAICS code is 52391 and its SIC code is 6282.