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Warm Fund

Creative Artists Agency

caa.com

“At Connect Ventures, we aim to invest in 'The Greats' — exceptional founders who have found their founder-product fit and are rewriting how consumers engage with culture. We invest in consumer and prosumer companies across sports, digital health, media, entertainment, e-commerce, and marketplaces.”

$500K – $5M
Check Size
Leads & Follows
Lead Tendency
01Investment Thesis

Half of our investments focus on AI-enabled and AI-native consumer companies; the other half invests in traditional consumer companies positioned to benefit from massive behavioral tailwinds. We combine CAA's cultural reach and insights with NEA's institutional best practices to help portfolio companies achieve breakout velocity through CAA's ecosystem of 1,000+ agents, talent, media, IP, partnerships, and sponsorships.

Exclusion Criteria

B2B enterprise software, deep tech, infrastructure plays without consumer focus, non-consumer SaaS

02Founder Preferences

Founders with human-career fit — the rare intersection of passion, values, and skillset. Founder-product fit and founder-market fit are paramount. Theses: (1) Founder-product fit and founder-market fit are everything; (2) Product first, brand second, influence third; (3) Many small markets make a big market.

03Investment Team
MY
Michael Yanover
04F4 Research Brief

Connect Ventures Research Document

Investment Thesis

Connect Ventures is a venture capital partnership between Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a leading entertainment and sports talent agency, and New Enterprise Associates (NEA), a global venture capital firm. Launched in January 2020, Connect Ventures combines CAA's unparalleled relationships, expertise, and resources across entertainment, sports, media, and culture with NEA's deep technology investing experience and company-building expertise. The fund invests in founder-driven, consumer-obsessed businesses at the intersection of culture and commerce, with a particular focus on leveraging CAA's network to accelerate growth of early-stage consumer companies.

Sector Focus

Connect Ventures focuses on consumer-driven businesses across specific sectors:

  1. Media & Entertainment - Content platforms, production tools, distribution channels
  2. Sports Technology - Sports analytics, fan engagement, athlete ventures
  3. Gaming - Game development, gaming platforms, esports infrastructure
  4. Health & Wellness - Fitness apps, wellness platforms, digital health
  5. E-commerce & Marketplaces - Consumer marketplaces, D2C brands, shopping platforms

The fund's unique positioning leverages CAA's deep relationships with talent, athletes, creators, and entertainment executives to identify and accelerate consumer companies. The partnership with NEA ensures rigorous venture capital discipline and extensive operational support.

Stage Focus

Connect Ventures is primarily a Seed and Series A investor:

  • Seed stage: Early-stage companies with product validation and initial market traction
  • Series A: Companies with proven product-market fit seeking to accelerate growth
  • Selective pre-seed for exceptional founder teams with industry expertise

The fund has deployed over 30 investments across its portfolio companies since inception.

Check Size

Based on portfolio company stages and fund positioning:

  • Seed: $500K - $2M
  • Series A: $2M - $5M+
  • Typical check size: $1M - $3M

Lead Tendency

Connect Ventures co-leads early-stage rounds in partnership with other quality investors. The fund leverages NEA's operational expertise and CAA's unique network access to lead or co-lead Seed and Series A rounds.

Recent Activity

Recent portfolio highlights include:

  • TMRW Sports (founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy) - Sports technology and media company
  • Music.AI (Moises) - AI-powered music and audio production platform
  • Harper Wilde - Direct-to-consumer intimate apparel brand
  • OpenSea - NFT marketplace (noted in NEA partnership press)
  • Jomboy Media - Sports content and entertainment media

The fund has been actively investing through 2025 and into 2026, with recent leadership changes including Nicole Quinn and Michael Blank appointed as co-leaders in January 2026. Michael Blank previously served as CAA's Head of Consumer Investments for 15 years before departing in October 2025.

Portfolio Highlights

Connect Ventures' portfolio demonstrates deep consumer and entertainment focus:

  • TMRW Sports - High-profile founders (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy) in sports technology
  • Music.AI (Moises) - AI-powered music production platform (Salt Lake City based)
  • Strong track record of investments in creator economy and consumer brands
  • Portfolio companies often feature celebrity/athlete founders or deep entertainment connections

Team

Leadership:

  • Michael Blank, Co-Founder and Managing Partner - Ex-CAA (15 years), Head of Consumer Investments
  • Nicole Quinn, Co-Founder and Partner - Entertainment industry executive

Organization:

  • Leverages both NEA's institutional VC capabilities and CAA's entertainment/sports network
  • Access to CAA's extensive talent and athlete relationships
  • NEA operational and scaling expertise

Decision Process

Co-founder partnership model with Michael Blank and Nicole Quinn as primary decision makers, working in partnership with NEA's investment committee and CAA's executive team. Decision process balances venture capital rigor (NEA) with entertainment industry relationships and founder connectivity (CAA).

Geographic Focus

Primarily US-based companies with strong focus on companies leveraging entertainment, sports, and media relationships. Portfolio companies show presence in major hubs including Jupiter FL (TMRW Sports), Salt Lake City (Moises), and broader US markets.

Founder Preferences

Connect Ventures seeks founder teams with:

  • Consumer obsession and founder-driven ambition
  • Entertainment, sports, media, or culture industry expertise or connections
  • Ability to benefit from CAA's relationship network
  • Strong product and business fundamentals
  • Often features celebrity, athlete, or entertainment industry founders

Fund Status

The fund is actively deploying capital. Recent leadership appointments in January 2026 signal continued active investment. Fund appears to be in mid-deployment phase with ongoing portfolio expansion and board support for existing companies.

Notable Context

Connect Ventures represents an interesting hybrid model combining entertainment industry (CAA) with venture capital (NEA). The fund's positioning at the intersection of culture and commerce allows it to identify emerging consumer opportunities that benefit from entertainment industry relationships and distribution access. Recent leadership changes suggest renewed focus on expanding and accelerating the portfolio.

05Selected Portfolio
Crypto & Web3
Open Sea
EdTech
Sekai
Media & Entertainment
Moises·Jomboy Media·Music.ai·Moonvalley
Other
TMRW Sports (TGL)·Harper Wilde
Open the full portfolio→
06Recent Updates

Fresh signals from public announcements, essays, and portfolio activity.

See full activity (12) →
Third edition of The Greats newsletter compiling research from Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, PitchBook, a16z, Menlo, Forerunner on consumer AI opportunity. Features interview with Midas-listed investor Jeremy Liew. Also announced Sekai Series A investment.
ESSAY·connectventures.beehiiv.com
AUG 3, 2026
Connect Ventures co-led Sekai's $20M Series A alongside Khosla Ventures. Sekai is a platform to create and share AI-powered mini apps from text prompts. Nicole Quinn sits on the board.
INVESTMENT·connectventures.beehiiv.com
JUN 1, 2026
Grammy-nominated Charlie Puth joined Moises as Chief Music Officer to guide creative and product direction. Moises serves 70M+ artists globally with AI-powered music tools.
MILESTONE·connectventures.beehiiv.com
MAY 7, 2026
NFL officially partnered with TMRW Sports to launch a professional flag football league for women and men, aligned with the 2028 LA Olympics. Investors include Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Billie Jean King and others.
MILESTONE·connectventures.beehiiv.com
MAY 7, 2026
Second edition of The Greats newsletter featuring a deep dive on why LPs need consumer exposure, plus an interview with CAA CEO Bryan Lourd and President Jim Burtson. Also announced NFL partnership with TMRW Sports for professional flag football league and Charlie Puth joining Moises as Chief Music Officer.
ESSAY·connectventures.beehiiv.com
MAY 7, 2026
07Frequent co-investors
CV
Connect Ventures
Both backed 4 of the same companies
Open Sea, Jomboy Media, Sekai, Moises
Find the investors for your round→
08Similar Firms
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Verdict Capital
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→
NV
Nothing Ventured
Pre-Seed · Seed
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PF
Progression Fund
$500K – $3M · Pre-Seed · Seed
→
CV
Creator Ventures
$200K – $2.5M · Pre-Seed · Seed
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AC
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Quick Reference
Check Size
$500K – $5M
Stages
Seed · Series A
Decision
Partnership
Warm Intro
Not Required
Involvement
Board Seat
Sector Focus
Consumer Apps & SocialE-Commerce & MarketplacesGamingMedia & Entertainment
Models
Consumer AppsMedia & EntertainmentGamingHealth & Wellness
Technology
AIConsumer AI
See all Consumer Apps & Social investors →See all E-commerce & Marketplaces investors →See all Gaming investors →
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Focus Areas
Consumer Apps & SocialE-Commerce & MarketplacesGamingMedia & Entertainment

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F4 Intelligence Report · Last Researched August 27, 2026F4 Research Engine