Arctos, a private investment firm that provides growth and liquidity solutions, differentiated thought partnership and value creation services to sports franchises (Arctos Sports) and alternative asset managers (Arctos Keystone), announced the final close of Arctos Sports Partners Fund II.
Fund II, along with co-investment and parallel affiliated vehicles, closed with over $4.1 billion in capital commitments from a diverse group of global investors, including some of the world’s leading pension funds, retirement systems, endowments, insurance companies, family offices, and global wealth platforms, bringing Arctos’ aggregate sports-related Assets Under Management to about $7 billion. And Fund II and its predecessor fund, Arctos Sports Partners Fund I, represent the world’s largest aggregation of institutional capital dedicated exclusively to professional sports franchise investments.
Around 30% of Fund II’s capital has been deployed across several investments, including Smith Entertainment Group, the holding company that owns the Utah Jazz; Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment, the owner of New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers; Paris Saint-Germain F.C.; and Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. And Arctos is currently the only institutional investor approved to invest in multiple teams by MLB, the NBA, the NHL, MLS, global motorsports organizations, and European soccer federations.
Evercore Private Funds Group was the exclusive global placement agent for the Fund II raise, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to Arctos.
KEY QUOTES:
“Arctos was purpose-built to bring more than just capital to our partner teams, leagues and businesses. By using data science-backed insights paired with deep operational and domain expertise, we are proud to be a trusted partner for major sports franchises and limited partners seeking access to this robust and durable industry. We are all very grateful for the support of our investors and the leagues, owners and operators who have chosen to partner with us.”
– Ian Charles, co-founder and co-managing partner of Arctos
“In just over three years, we have seen the demand for sports as an asset class grow tremendously. Arctos is uniquely positioned as a growth and thought partner to innovate, unlock opportunity and transform the markets we participate in. With the success of Fund II, our firm is well-positioned at the forefront of the professional sports ownership market.”
– Doc O’Connor, co-founder and co-managing partner of Arctos
