Sports investment firm Apex has announced the second closure of its Elite Performance Venture Capital Fund with €50 million ($53 million) of investment secured from a number of high-profile athletes from across the sporting world.

High-profile investors include Real Madrid and Brazil soccer legend Marcelo, England rugby union captain Maro Itoje, cycling’s Tour de France winner Demi Vollering, and former MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow.

The fund was first launched in September 2023, attracting big names from the worlds of Formula 1 motor racing and soccer.

With 18 investment deals agreed thus far, Apex will utilize the latest funding to continue its investments in “innovative” firms at all levels of the funding stage from pre-seed rounds through to Series A.

Firms that Apex has already invested in include TMRW Sports, the owner and founder of tech-infused golf league TGL, digital sports content management platform Scoreplay, and virtual reality sports experience company VRTL.

With TGL, it was Apex that helped to structure the deal that saw several of its investor athletes take a stake in the San Francisco TGL franchise. The investment firm performed the same function in facilitating the investment of boxer Anthony Joshua and soccer player Trent Alexander-Arnold, among others, in the Alpine Formula 1 team.

Speaking on the funding closure announcement, Apex founder and chief executive Antonio Cacorino stated: “With this second close, Apex isn't just expanding the funding available to its portfolio; we're reshaping the future of sports and entertainment through the unique lens of our athlete investors.

“Each new member brings a world of experience, not only elevating our fund but also inspiring a new generation of investments. Our success to date is a testament to the power of combining athletic excellence with strategic capital to create opportunities and drive transformative change.”