CiCi Bellis: From Pro Athlete to Launching a $10M Sports and Health Tech Venture Fund

Today’s episode, I’m joined by CiCi Bellis. 


Cici is the Founder and General Partner of Cartan Capital as well
as a former professional tennis player. Still only 24 years
old, she’s never let age be a barrier, famously having won a
match at the 2014 US Open as a 15 year-old against a top 20
opponent.


Having failed to shake-off a recurring injury, CiCi announced her
retirement in 2020 and she has set to work on reaching the top in
the world of venture.


This was initially set in motion thanks to WTA’s partnership with
Indiana University where CiCi got her degree. She then joined
leAD Sports and Health Tech Partners Investment Team before
setting up as a solo GP and launching Cartan Capital in 2023, a
$10 million pledge fund focused similarly on sports and health
but more specifically now leveraging her network and her
experience as an athlete. 


Time Stamps 


2:00 - Early Professional Tennis Career 


5:00 - Developing an Interest in Venture Capital 


12:00 - Cartan Capital's Areas of Interest 15:00 - The
Opportunity in the Wearables Space 


18:00 - Cartan’s Investment into Proto Holograms


23:00 - Investing into Sports Betting 


27:00 - Finding a Silver Lining to First Hand Experiences in
Rehab and Recovery


29:00 - The MASSIVE Opportunity to Invest into Femtech 


35:00 - Attracting attention from Female Founders and Athlete
Founders 


Additional Links


Cartan Capital's Monthly Newsletter


Former tennis pro CiCi Bellis on launching her own VC to invest
in sports and health tech


How former WTA World No. 35 launched a $10MM Sports
& Health Tech Fund


Cartan Capital Invests in Proto Hologram


Flo Health on how its content drove daily app usage with pregnant
mothers - 
ABBA Voyage passes 2 million tickets sold


Connect with CiCi on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here