Thread by @kingtutspacs

$AVAN & @Sportradar Connections 🕵️

- Sawiris family and sports investments
- Jeff Yakubi, ex-Fiserv and new Sportradar Global Chairman
- Wes Edens: Bucks & Aston Villa
- Bruin Sports Capital

Speculation Thread ⬇️🧵

$AVAN is looking for a European target with a strong US/International nexus.

Sportradar is based in St. Gallen, Switzerland 🇨🇭

The company has 35 offices in 24 countries around the world including New York City, Las Vegas, London, Trondheim, Munich, Ljubljana, Sydney and Singapore.

Nassef Sawiris of $AVAN has been investing heavily in sports over the last 5 years.

- 2015: Acquired majority stake in @adidas + sits on board
- 2018: Co-owner of soccer club Aston Villa
- 2020: 6.3% stake in Madison Square Garden (Knicks & Rangers)

sportico.com/business/finan…

In 2011, Samih Sawiris (Nassef's brother) bought a 12.5% stake in Swiss soccer club FC Luzern (sold in 2019).

Sawiris also owns Andermatt Swiss Alps, a ski resort in Switezerland.

He spends the majority of his time between Switzerland and the UK.

ft.com/content/a4d809…

Back to Nassef. Why acquire a majority stake in Adidas?

"Sawiris’ interest in Adidas comes at a critical juncture for the company. Adidas' board is seeking a new boss who can help restore its fortunes in the U.S., where sportswear trends are born."

reuters.com/article/us-sou…

"Speaking in fluent German, Sawiris told the board he hoped his knowledge of emerging markets and financial expertise would help strengthen the board: “I am looking forward to successful cooperation,” he said."

Sawiris speaks fluent German!

reuters.com/article/us-adi…

Since Sawiris' involvement in Adidas in 2015 as an activist investor, the company has seen a huge turnaround and global expansion in different markets, specifically the US.

Shares of Adidas have quintupled since.

nasdaq.com/articles/could…

In addition to his connections in Europe, Sawiris has strong ties to the U.S.

He attended the University of Chicago and owns one of Manhattan’s most expensive co-ops, matching his investment in MSG (Knicks and Rangers) to break into the American sports.

bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Last January 2021, Sportradar announced the appointment of Jeff Yabuki as Global Chairman.

Yabuki was Fiserv’s CEO from 2005 to 2020, a tenure in which the public company more than tripled its revenue from $3.2 billion to more than $10 billion.

sportico.com/business/finan…

During Yabuki's time at Milwaukee-based Fiserv, the company signed a 25-year naming rights deal with NBA team the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018.

Milwaukee Bucks arena --> Fiserv Forum

bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news…

Co-owner of the Bucks Wes Edens said this upon the deal:

"We are proud to become a long-term partner with Fiserv, a dynamic international company with a prominent Wisconsin presence, which deeply shares our commitment to bettering and growing Milwaukee."

Wes Edens is the co-founder of Fortress Investment Group (think $FAII, $FVT, $FVIV 🤔).

Edens led the transformation of the Bucks since acquisition in 2014, building the new arena from the ground up. The Fiserv deal is the biggest in the team's history.

jsonline.com/story/sports/n…

It was actually rumored that Yabuki would join the Bucks as minority owner as part of the naming rights deal.

bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news…

What else does Wes Edens do?

He's also the Co-Owner of English Premier League side Aston Villa, along with Nassef Sawiris.

The American billionaire Wes Edens and his business partner Nassef Sawiris blew into the Midlands.

They led the team from second division and cash-stripped to the Premier League and stable financially.

birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football…

It's also worth noting that Sawiris is a partner in US-based Bruin Sports Capital, a sports and entertainment conglomerate led by former IMG President George Payne.

Bruin’s portfolio of includes 1700 people operating out of 37 offices worldwide.

variety.com/2019/biz/news/…

Pyne, a former senior executive at Nascar and IMG, founded Bruin with an initial US$250 million investment from WPP; Rock Ventures, a firm founded by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert; and NNS Group, an investment company spearheaded by Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris.

Bruin's portfolio of investments includes sports media technology company Deltatre, sports event hospitality provider On Location Experiences, marketing agency Engine Shop, branding specialist Soulsight, and OverTier, a global provider of direct-to-consumer streaming services.

In Feb 2020, it was rumored that Sportradar was going to acquire Deltatre.

The union of the two groups could give rise to the world leader in the sector of statistics and graphics for sport, services offered to sports leagues and federations.

carlofesta.blog.ilsole24ore.com/2020/02/13/la-…

Lastly, Brent Hoberman (Director $AVAN), is into the betting/gambling space.

In Jan 2021, Sazka Group, one of the fastest-growing lottery companies, announced that it hired the services of Hoberman on its bid for a National Lottery license in the U.K.

gamblingnews.com/news/brent-hob…

Per the Sportico article, Sportradar is looking at a $10 billion valuation in discussions with SPACs.

$AVAN currently has $600m in their trust, with an additional $100m forward purchase agreement.

So if this happens, we're looking at a big PIPE.

sportico.com/business/finan…

Finally, this is all PURE SPECULATION. Not investment advice. Not recommendation to buy. All the bla bla bla.

Sportradar or not, I think $AVAN has a solid team and with their Euro connections, they would hopefully land an attractive unicorn 🦄

And of course I have a position.