Kobe Bryant Was A Start-Up Darling Of The LA Tech Industry

The world has been shaken by the news of the sudden death of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianni Maria-Onore Bryant in California Sunday. He was traveling to the Mamba Academy basketball facility when his helicopter crashed in Calabasas.

Besides being a basketball superstar, an Olympic medalist, an Oscar winner, Kobe also had a sizeable business profile. He was invested in many start-ups in Los Angeles.

As the news of his death went viral, tributes started pouring in from the Los Angeles tech industry, which he heavily invested in.

“Kobe was loved in Los Angeles, He not only played at the peak of his sport but everything he did was quality from film, to books to philanthropy. It’s truly a sad day in LA,” Mark Suster, managing partner of the Los Angeles-based venture capital firm Upfront Ventures, told TechCrunch.

Mattias Metternich, the co-founder of Bryant’s grooming startup, Art of Sport, stated in an email to the publication, "As a founding partner to [Art of Sport] he was woven into the very fabric of our company and its vision and DNA. As a mentor, we drew on his wisdom, passion and drive every day… In the short term, our thoughts and hearts are with him, Gianna and his surviving family."

Kobe had launched a $100 million venture capital fund along with entrepreneur Jeff Stibel called Bryan Stibel in 2016, which focussed on technology, media and data start-ups. Over a period of three years, the fund grew to a valuation of $1.7 billion.

In 2014, Kobe bought a 10 percent stake in BodyArmor. After his investment, Coca-Cola purchased a minority stake in the company. This raised the overall valuation of Kobe’s stake from $6 million to $200 million.

He also founded Granity Studios, which produced the Oscar-winning short film, “Dear Basketball.”

The MVP and 18-time All-Star record-holder helped make Lakers the dominant NBA team of the 2000s.