The Italian football club, Como 1907, have joined forces with The Players Fund, the world’s largest athlete-led investment platform, to launch Como Ventures, a new startup accelerator designed to connect emerging companies with the global sports and lifestyle ecosystem.
The initiative will offer early-stage startups a six-month immersion within Como 1907’s environment, giving them access to the club’s facilities, international brand reach, and fan engagement channels. Participating ventures will focus on six key sectors: luxury hospitality and travel, media technology, merchandising and retail infrastructure, health technology and human performance, next-generation mobility, and sustainability.
Applications are now open, with shortlisted candidates invited to a Pitch Day later this year. From there, three to four startups will be selected for the inaugural cohort. The program will conclude with a Demo Day, where founders will showcase their solutions to investors, sponsors, and commercial partners.
While Como 1907 will contribute brand access and operational support rather than direct funding in the first phase, The Players Fund is expected to invest in chosen companies. Beyond capital, the fund will also act as a strategic adviser to the club, helping shape its broader innovation agenda.
Speaking on the occasion, Ryan Shelton, Chief Revenue Officer, Como 1907, said, “Como Ventures is a natural extension of what makes this club unique. We are giving founders a platform they cannot find anywhere else, one that combines Lake Como’s cultural magnetism with athlete and investor access at a global scale.”
Andy Marston, Head of Corporate Venture, The Players Fund, added, “We’re delighted to be working with Como 1907 to launch Como Ventures. The club’s global brand, distinctive culture, and commitment to doing things differently make it an exceptional partner for us. Together, we’ve built a venture platform that creates a flywheel: it surfaces and validates startups for The Players Fund while giving Como a front-row seat to breakthrough innovation. That combination of real-world testing, global visibility, and shared ambition is what makes this collaboration so powerful.”
Como 1907, recently promoted to Serie A under the ownership of the Djarum Group, has increasingly positioned itself as more than a football club, with investments in culture, lifestyle, and business innovation. The launch of Como Ventures signals a broader shift across global sport, as clubs and rights-holders explore venture platforms to diversify revenues and capture long-term growth opportunities.
The Players Fund is the world’s largest athlete-led venture capital platform, bringing together hundreds of professional athletes to invest in and accelerate early-stage companies. Alongside Como Ventures, it partners with clubs and rights-holders to unlock new models of growth at the intersection of sport, technology, and culture.
