Naomi Osaka has scored another investment.
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the tennis athlete launched the media company Hana Kuma with Stuart Duguid in June 2022, in collaboration with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Co., which serves as its financing, operations, and producing partner.
In April 2023, Hana Kuma closed a $5 million funding round that included participation from SpringHill and other investors to support its team and programming and create “a more robust business plan.” The move was part of a spin-off that would give the company more independence.
“We really want to see her build her own version of SpringHill,” Carter said then, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “We’ve worked really hard to get SpringHill where it is, but now we want to help others to do the same, and to do it different than as we have done at SpringHill, and to do it in their own way and their own voice.”
Just over a year since its last investment, Hana Kuma has attracted investment from athlete-led venture capital firm The Players Fund. The investment will help create partnerships and explore new content-creation opportunities, Sports Pro Media reports.
“We are thrilled to welcome The Players Fund as an investor in Hana Kuma,” Osaka said in a statement, according to the outlet. “Their extensive network of elite athletes from all backgrounds aligns perfectly with our mission to uplift diverse voices and perspectives through innovative storytelling.”
The Players Fund joins SpringHill, Nike, Epic Games, and Fenway Sports Group as investors in Hana Kuma.
“What Naomi [Osaka], Stuart [Duguid], and the team at SpringHill are building with Hana Kuma shall be the framework for diverse storytelling for years to come,” Fergus Bell, managing partner at The Players Fund, said. “We have waited a long time for a female athlete-led content platform and believe that with The Players Fund’s global network, we can truly accelerate the Hana Kuma roadmap alongside partners such as Epic Games, Fenway Sports Group, Nike and LeBron James.”
