Comcast Ventures, the venture capital arm of Comcast Corp., said National Basketball Association player, author and entrepreneur Andre Iguodala has joined its Catalyst Fund as a venture partner.
Iguodala is a three-time NBA champion as a member of the Golden State Warriors and currently plays for the Miami Heat. He has also served as first vice president of the NBA Players Association. The author of best seller “The Sixth Man,” Iguodala also is a successful entrepreneur and investor, funding more than 40 companies.As an investor and a member of the board of directors for Jumia Technologies, Iguodala helped the company grow and go public in April with a billion-dollar IPO.
The Catalyst Fund was formed in 2011 and has supported more than 70 startups with founders from diverse backgrounds through direct investments, and in partnership with leading accelerator programs. The Fund’s portfolio represents companies from multiple industries and sectors including gaming, DTC products, fintech, and enterprise applications.
“We are thrilled to welcome Andre to the Comcast Ventures team,“ said Comcast Ventures’ Head of Funds and Managing Director Amy Banse in a press release. “Andre’s investment experience and network, coupled with his passion for supporting entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, is a perfect fit for our Catalyst Fund. Together, we can offer early stage companies unique resources for growth, building on our vision of a startup ecosystem full of founders creating technologies for a diverse world.”
Iguodala joins principal Fatima Husain at the Catalyst Fund and will focus investments in companies founded by African American, Latinx, and female entrepreneurs. Husain joined Comcast Ventures in 2019 and was previously a Senior Growth Product Manager at Airbnb.
“I am excited to join the Catalyst and Comcast Ventures teams, which will provide me with the opportunity to advise and work with emerging entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds,” Iguodala said in a press release. “I have admired Comcast NBCUniversal’s commitment to invest in startups with founders who are typically underrepresented in the venture world. Together, we have unique experiences and resources no other venture firm has to help founders grow their companies.”
