Creator Sports Capital Research
Investment Thesis
Creator Sports Capital (CSC) is the sports-focused arm of Creator Capital, founded in 2024 by Benjamin Grubbs (who also founded and runs Creator Capital, the parent creator-economy fund) and Brian Kabot. The firm invests at the intersection of the sports economy and the creator economy, on the belief that authenticity, community, and digital-first distribution are becoming the core competitive advantages for sports-adjacent businesses. CSC organizes its investing around three explicit lanes: Emerging Consumer Brands (creator-led brands building authentic connections with sports communities), Emerging Leagues & Teams (new competitive formats designed for the digital age and creator-driven content), and Emerging Products & Services (solutions enhancing the fan and participant experience). The firm's public portfolio pages are structured by sport (Golf, Lacrosse, MMA, with more sports planned), signaling a deliberate vertical-by-vertical expansion strategy rather than a single-sport focus.
Stage Focus
CSC's disclosed deals span a wide range: a $2.75M seed-plus round (Grass League), a $20M Series B (Blue Jeans Golf/Golf Ranch), and larger $45M and $60M growth/strategic financings (Good Good Golf and Scott Coker's new MMA league, respectively). This suggests the firm is comfortable writing checks from early seed through late-stage growth rounds when the sports/creator-economy thesis fits, rather than anchoring to a single stage.
Check Size
No specific check-size range is disclosed publicly. Round sizes the firm has participated in range from roughly $2.75M to $60M, but those are total round sizes with multiple co-investors, not CSC's individual check.
Lead Tendency
CSC has led or co-led every publicly disclosed deal to date: it led Good Good Golf's $45M round, co-led Grass League's $2.75M seed-plus round alongside Old Tom Capital, was named alongside Old Tom Capital as lead investor in Blue Jeans Golf's $20M Series B, and led the $60M financing for Scott Coker's new MMA league (with Griffin Gaming Partners and other strategics participating). Old Tom Capital and Griffin Gaming Partners are recurring co-investors.
Recent Activity
CSC has been highly active over the past 18 months:
- March 2025: Led Good Good Golf's $45M growth investment (alongside Peyton Manning, Manhattan West Private Equity, and Sunflower Bank)
- July 2025: Co-led (with Old Tom Capital) Grass League's $2.75M seed-plus round
- September 2025: Co-led (with Old Tom Capital) Blue Jeans Golf's $20M Series B to expand the Golf Ranch driving-range concept
- May 2026: Led a $60M financing for a new global MMA league founded by Scott Coker (ex-Bellator, ex-Strikeforce), with participation from Griffin Gaming Partners, Tony Hawk, and other strategic investors
Portfolio Highlights
- Good Good Golf — creator-led golf media and lifestyle brand; raised $45M in March 2025 to expand media, commerce, and live experiences
- Grass League — the world's first high-stakes par-3 golf league; raised $2.75M seed-plus in July 2025
- Blue Jeans Golf (Golf Ranch) — tech-enabled driving range concept; raised $20M Series B in September 2025 to fund national expansion
- Scott Coker's new MMA league — a still-unnamed global MMA promotion led by Scott Coker and Peter Levin (Griffin Gaming Partners), targeting a 2027 launch, backed by $60M including CSC, Tony Hawk, and NFL/NBA-connected investors
Team
- Benjamin Grubbs, Co-Founder & Managing Partner — 25+ years in online video and the creator economy. Held leadership roles at Yahoo!, eBay, Turner Broadcasting, and Google in Asia-Pacific before relocating to the US in 2015 to become YouTube's global director of top creator partnerships. Founded Next 10 Ventures in 2018, transformed it into Creator Capital in 2021, and co-founded Creator Sports Capital with Brian Kabot in 2024. B.S. in Marketing Management, Syracuse University.
- Brian Kabot, Co-Founder & Managing Partner — 25+ years across private equity, hedge funds, venture investing, and strategic advisory, with prior senior roles at Stable Road Capital, Sterling Partners, Riverloft Capital Management, and Sun Capital Partners; began his career at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Sits on the boards of Momentus Space (NASDAQ: MNTS), Old Pal, and Good Good Golf. B.S. in Finance and Accounting, Cornell University.
Decision Process
CSC is co-managed by its two founding partners (Grubbs and Kabot), consistent with a small-partnership decision process rather than a formal investment committee.
Founder Preferences
CSC backs founders building creator-led or athlete-adjacent brands, leagues, and products where authentic community and digital-first distribution are the primary advantage — spanning media/content operators (Good Good Golf), sports-format innovators (Grass League), consumer-facility operators (Blue Jeans Golf), and proven sports-industry operators building new leagues (Scott Coker).
Geographic Focus
CSC is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California. Its disclosed portfolio is entirely US-based (Texas, and a globally-oriented MMA league headquartered in the US), with no explicit international geographic mandate stated.