The Curling Group (TCG) announced it has raised US$5 million in seed funding to take the sport of curling to new heights through strategic investments, innovation, and content production that will broaden the sport’s global reach. Toronto-based venture capital firm Relay Ventures led this funding round.
Founded by sports, media, and entertainment industry veterans Nic Sulsky and Mike Cotton, The Curling Group announced its launch in April 2024 by acquiring the Grand Slam of Curling event series from Sportsnet (Rogers Communications). And The Grand Slam of Curling is the world’s only international curling event series, featuring the best men’s and women’s teams worldwide.
Global interest in curling has risen quickly, driven by its popularity during the Winter Olympics and a new generation of young and charismatic international curlers. And at the same time, niche sports markets are quickly expanding, and popularity is booming thanks to the ability to engage and monetize growing fan bases through direct-to-consumer digital offerings and streaming platforms. The Curling Group is focused on professionalizing the sport while reimagining how curling content is created, distributed, and consumed.
The rise in curling’s popularity is reflected in the interest of pro athletes and celebrities, including former NFL star Jared Allen and current NFL stars George Kittle and TJ Hockenson – who are a part of The Curling Group’s initial group of investors. Two-time Olympic gold medal curler John Morris and Olympic gold medal curler Jennifer Jones also serve as strategic advisors.
The Grand Slam of Curling season starts with the HearingLife Tour Challenge on Tuesday, October 1st in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. And this marks the first Grand Slam event under the stewardship of The Curling Group. Enhancements to the Grand Slam of Curling experience and product will be immediately noticeable, including a total rebrand.
The Curling Group has also unveiled its newly-created Board of Directors, whose collective expertise will guide The Curling Group moving forward:
— Maryann Turcke (Chair) – RBC Board Member, former Chief Operating Officer of the NFL, former President of Bell Media
— Nic Sulsky – Chief Executive Officer of The Curling Group, former Chief Commercial and Revenue Officer of PointsBet Canada, former President of Monkey Knife Fight
— John Albright – Managing Partner of Relay Ventures
— John Kawaja – President of G/FORE, former President of TaylorMade, former head of North American marketing for adidas, and two-time Canadian Men’s Curling Champion (1983, 1990) and World Curling Champion (1983, 1990)
— Nicole Musicco – Former Chief Investment Officer of CalPERS, former Partner at RedBird Capital
KEY QUOTES:
“As the value of niche sports properties continues to rise, we are also seeing an evolution within the sports landscape on how fans choose to engage with content and on what platforms. The Curling Group is well-positioned at the forefront of this evolution, bringing together industry leaders to identify innovative ways of reaching curling’s growing global fanbase.”
-Maryann Turcke
“Curling’s global image is long overdue for a makeover, and we’ve made it our goal at The Curling Group to provide a reimagined, elevated offering that matches the changing face of the sport. Today’s announcement will accelerate our plans to spark massive growth within the curling world, providing fans with more ways to engage with the sport through content creation and innovation, while identifying curling’s untapped monetization potential.”
-Nic Sulsky
“We’ve been investing in sports tech & media since our inception, including companies like FUN Technologies (acquired by Liberty Media), theScore (acquired by Penn National), and Playmaker (acquired by Better Collective), among many others. All of this has led us to become deep believers in the importance and value of sports content and fan engagement. The Curling Group has a rare opportunity to develop and produce sports content and engage over 100 million fans on a global scale. We are very excited to support the development of the sport and business of curling alongside the amazing team at TCG.”
-John Albright
“Curling has global reach and is ready to go to the ‘next level’. As a former curler who has watched the steady growth of the game over the past decades, I’m energized to be a part of curling’s next chapter by supercharging the sport for fans around the globe.”
-John Kawaja
“Investing in niche sports like curling can offer unique investment opportunities for those with the vision to see its untapped potential. The Curling Group has positioned itself where passion, community, and emerging trends will converge for long-term growth.”
-Nicole Musicco
