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Assia Grazioli-Venier
Founder Muse Capital
Assia Grazioli-Venier is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience at the forefront of technological disruption, working with consumer tech startups, public companies, and sports businesses.
She co-founded Muse Capital VC and has a strong background in creating strategic partnerships that drive revenue and scale for companies.
Assia's career includes advisory roles for influential companies such as Spotify, ATC Management, and Juventus Football Club, where she sat on the board of directors for 9 years.
Her expertise spans across various industries including music streaming, subscription models, D2C commerce, women's health, wellness, sustainability, gaming, entertainment, and sports tech.
As a breast cancer survivor, Assia advocates for diversity in business and conscious capitalism, emphasizing the economic value of diversity.
She is multilingual, speaking four languages, and has lived in major cities like NYC, London, Milan, Rome, Stockholm, Los Angeles, and NYC.
Assia's educational background includes studies at London Business School, Barnard College, and Groton School.
She has been associated with key organizations and boards such as Sports Innovation Lab, Washington Spirit, Northzone, Marquee Raine Acquisition Corp, and Juventus Football Club.
Highlights
A few weeks ago, I was honored to host a private event at our home celebrating the Women's Sports Foundation 50th anniversary and their mission to create opportunities for girls and women in sports. I cohosted the gathering with the extraordinary Paralympian Scout Bassett, featuring a panel conversation with Cari Champion, Scout and WSF CEO Danette Leighton.
I cannot stress this enough: Everyone in the industry today, from investors to media platforms to athletes and technologists, is here because of the incredible work of the foundation over the past 50 years.
Sports icon and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King founded the WSF in 1974 with $5,000, and it today has an annual operating budget of nearly $10M. It is renowned as one of the first organizations to recognize the powerful connection between sports access, equity and society. From their landmark programmes spanning from youth to professional athlete mentorship, to their grants increasing sports opportunities for girls, to their work increasing the number of female coaches, and widening career paths for women across the entire industry...WSF has been there.
It’s thanks to the Foundation's advocacy to protect Title IX, advocating for equal pay, urging more media coverage of and investment in women’s sports – it’s this work that has contributed to many blockbuster moments being seen across women’s sports today. It was deeply moving to gather with visionaries and driving forces behind this important cause. Elite athletes such as Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, former UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi, two-time Paralympic medalist Jaleen Roberts and decorated sailing GOAT James Spithill.
Thank you to my investing comrades like Tim F. and Peter Delgrosso for supporting, and industry greats like Carol Stiff from Women's Sports Network, Heather Brooks Karatz, Maria Teixidor and Reyes Bellver (who came from Spain!), Haley Rosen of Just Women's Sports, Allison Galer of Disrupt The Game and many more.
I'm grateful to my Muse Capital co-founder Rachel Springate for her sisterhood in driving capital to unmet needs across the the future of how we CARE, LIVE & PLAY, like our portfolio companies Mavida Health, Beekeeper's Naturals, and Flickplay , who represented at the event. Rachel and I also launched our platform Muse Sport after investing in Washington Spirit 4 years ago, and since then have supported the sports ecosystem from talent management (Disrupt the Game) to data (Sports Innovation Lab) and SailGP (largely intrigued by its Womens Pathway Programme). As I wrote in my op-ed earlier this year in Sports Business Journal, the rise of women's health and rise of women's sports are in tandem, and we could not be prouder to be leading in both areas.
Thank you also to Mavida Health, Beekeeper's Naturals, SISTERLY, Hugh & Grace, Sequel and SellaV for your generous contributions, SBJ for your coverage, and Springtime Media for the photos! #WSF50 DONATE to WSF here: https://lnkd.in/gzSSCAEq
