Fundraising Partnership Models

Is Venture Capital alive and well in South Africa? I spoke recently to someone at a prominent SA VC. The liquidity exists, they said. What’s scarce is good models and fundable founders. Plenty of applicants; few meet the threshold. So the real question isn’t “where’s the money?” It’s “how do we build the machine that turns talent into investable companies?” The best ecosystems compound through their alumni. The PayPal Mafia — Thiel, Musk, Hoffman, Levchin — seeded Tesla, LinkedIn, YouTube, Palantir and Affirm, then funded the next wave. In the UK, 100+ Revolut alumni have started companies that raised over $2bn collectively — more than Revolut itself. In the Netherlands, the “Adyen Mafia” now counts 500+ former employees turned founders, their startups raising close to half a billion dollars. The pattern is consistent: successful operators recycle money, time and wisdom back into the system. That’s what builds depth. We can do this here. But it takes deliberate effort. Some suggestions: 1. Founder readiness. Structured programmes that teach the funding journey — cap tables, milestones, what a Series A actually requires — before founders pitch. 2. Exited founders re-entering. Rope in those who’ve had liquidity events as angels, mentors and NEDs. Their pattern recognition is the missing layer. 3. Institutional capital. Regulation 28 already permits retirement funds up to 15% in private equity. Our collective pension pool is vast. A fraction directed to local venture would transform the seed and Series A gap. I’d challenge trustees and asset managers: back the ecosystem that builds the very economy your members retire into. 4. Connected networks. Ecosystems are relationships — founders backing founders, intros that carry weight, follow-on already lined up. None of this is one person’s job. It’s collective. So I’ll put it to this network: What would it take to build a genuine venture ecosystem in South Africa? Where are the real gaps — capital, capability, or connection? And if you’ve exited, would you come back in? Tell me what I’m missing. Let’s build it. FYI - the building on the right is the new Cape Town office for GoTyme Bank. From start-up to Global Fintech and Digital Bank!

🏀 The Future of Sports Partnerships: Less Logo Slaps, More Impact 🚀 Not long ago, sports sponsorships were all about logo placements—billboards, jerseys, static signage. But in today’s world, brand partnerships need to do more than just “show up.” They need to resonate. The best sponsorships aren’t just transactions; they’re strategic integrations that drive real impact for brands, teams, and fans alike. 🔹 The Shift: Brands are moving from passive visibility to active engagement—think interactive activations, digital integrations, and immersive fan experiences. 🔹 The Opportunity: The right partnership can’t just exist; it needs to enhance the game-day experience, tell a compelling story, and build emotional connections. 🔹 The Challenge: How do we create sponsorships that feel authentic instead of forced? 💡 Here’s what I’ve learned from negotiating partnerships at the Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx: 1️⃣ Innovation Wins – The most successful partnerships are the ones that create new categories and unlock untapped revenue streams. If it’s never been done before, that’s the opportunity. 2️⃣ Cultural Relevance Matters – Fans don’t just love sports; they love the culture around it. The best sponsorships tap into local pride, viral moments, and emerging trends. 3️⃣ ROI is More Than Impressions – Brands aren’t just looking for visibility anymore; they want measurable engagement, data-driven insights, and proof that their investment drives results. At the end of the day, the best deals aren’t just signed—they’re built. They’re the result of deep conversations, creative problem-solving, and a commitment to aligning brand objectives with fan passion. 🔥 What’s the most creative or unexpected sports partnership you’ve seen recently? Drop your thoughts below—I’d love to hear! 👇 #SportsSponsorships #BrandPartnerships #SportsMarketing #FanEngagement #RevenueGrowth

I've been asked a lot recently on podcasts how to evaluate and think about large sponsorships. At ClickUp, we had a strategic partnership with the San Diego Padres that was extremely beneficial from an activation perspective. Here are some key points on how it worked/ was structured: 1. Embedded Partnership: It was important for us to be as integrated into their ecosystem as they were in ours. Our agreement included them using ClickUp as their primary work management tool across several departments. This integration was beneficial in many ways, helping them to speak our language when building out assets and discussing different aspects of our sponsorship. 2. High-Quality Content: We brought our team on board and ensured we had almost unlimited access to tell their story alongside ours. Baseball has a rich history and underwent significant transformations during the pandemic and when everything reopened. We were alongside them for that journey and wanted to tell that story through high-quality content. 3. Fluidity: I dislike rigid agreements. Life and business are dynamic, and our agreements should reflect that. We structured our partnership to be as fluid as possible, allowing us to add assets ad-hoc and make real-time changes. This created a true two-way partnership where both parties were continually thinking about how to further utilize each other. In many ways, it was one of the best partnerships/sponsorships I've done in my career (and I've done a lot). When evaluating potential sponsorships, beyond market fit and target demographics, consider the type of relationship you want with your partners. Look for organizations that align with that vision—it will pay dividends.

In a world increasingly shaped by #conflict, #displacement, and #disruption, the role of #humanitarian institutions is becoming central to global resilience. A new term is quietly gaining traction: PPPP – Public, Private, and Philanthropy Partnerships. This emerging model recognizes that no single sector can address today’s complex humanitarian challenges alone. We’ve seen this model succeed globally: • In #Ukraine, where philanthropic funds and tech companies have complemented government aid in real time. • In #Ghana and #Rwanda, where vaccine distribution was accelerated through collaborations between governments, philanthropic funds, and private logistics players like Zipline and DHL. • In #Turkey and #Syria, where earthquake relief was driven by a mix of public funding, private logistics, and global donations. Now, the GCC is entering this space in a more structured way, and not just through donations. The region is preparing to fill a humanitarian and NGO gap that traditional players like USAID and DFID have left behind. Both the #UAE and #KSA are already setting the tone: • UAE’s Dubai International Humanitarian City is the largest global logistics hub for humanitarian aid. • KSA’s KSrelief is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most active humanitarian donors. • New regional partnerships are emerging that combine private sector innovation with philanthropic capital and government coordination. In this turbulent global context, the GCC is becoming an essential power in the humanitarian ecosystems. And with this comes both responsibility and opportunity: to build more inclusive, localized, and future-ready responses to global crises. #PPPP #MiddleEastLeadership #Sustainability #Philanthropy #GlobalResilience #CenterForSustainableFuture Rudolph Lohmeyer Beth Bovis Valentin Lavaill Maha Al Horr Kearney Kearney Middle East and Africa

Stop treating your CRO like a vendor - and start treating them like a partner. CROs aren't just service providers you hire and forget. Instead, they are strategic partners who can make or break your study success. Instead of: "We hired them to execute our plan."   Think: "We partnered with them to achieve our shared goals." But - what does make a sponsor-CRO relationship successful? Trust: The basis for solving problems together. When a site is struggling with enrollment, the partners brainstorm solutions as a team rather than playing the blame game. Transparency: The best sponsors give their CROs full context and not just task lists. The better I know the sponsor's goals, the better I can manage (my/your) our study. The partners have a common goal. Flexibility: We need to acknowledge that protocols may change, timelines shift, and unexpected challenges arise. The better the risk assessment, the higher the accepted need for flexibility. Respect: We must not forget that success is collective. Partnering on the sponsor side means: Choosing CROs based on capability and cultural fit, not just the lowest bid.  Investing time in relationship building, not just contract negotiations. And providing regular feedback, not just when problems arise. And CROs? They should think like owners, not contractors. They bring solutions and consult in case of challenges. They communicate proactively, especially when things go wrong. Let us be honest: Most CRO professionals entered this industry for the same reason as pharma, biotech or medtech professionals: Namely to help bringing life-changing treatments to patients. What does partnership look like in your sponsor-CRO relationship? #ClinicalResearch #SponsorCRO #Partnership #ClinicalTrials #Collaboration 

When The Walt Disney Company and Formula 1 align, it’s not just a mascot moment — it’s a structural experiment in how fandoms, franchises, and nations converge around velocity, emotion, and IP. On Nov 8, the Fuel the Magic collaboration debuts in Las Vegas. But beneath the spectacle is a strategic test of global complementarity rarely seen at this scale. 🌎 A tale of two global empires — finally overlapping. F1 is dominant in Europe, Latin America, and the Gulf — markets driven by prestige, performance, and sponsorship capital. Disney has strong gravitas in North America and Asia — regions defined by storytelling, family travel, and retail IP ecosystems. 💡This isn’t about cross-promotion, it’s portfolio synergy across continents — a great example of how a single activation can rebalance regional brand asymmetry. 🧩 Complementarity as strategy, not coincidence. F1’s active fan base exceeds 800M, 43% under 35. Disney’s ecosystem touches 250M+ people each year, skewing family and young-adult. Disney’s retail footprint — spanning ~6,000 stores, 12 parks, and thousands of licensees worldwide — gives it a physical storytelling layer F1 has never owned. Meanwhile, F1’s experiential architecture — 24 races, 22 nations — gives Disney a calendarized event system to drop content, merch, and narratives into. 💡 In audience terms: F1’s adrenaline economy meets Disney’s imagination economy. The overlap creates a new commercial species — the “aspirational family” segment — consumers who want emotional storytelling and elite experiences. ⚙️ The multiplier effect. When F1 gains access to Disney’s footprint, its lifetime value per fan can rise sharply. When Disney gains entry to F1’s live-event cadence and affluent fan psychographics, its average revenue per household diversifies beyond films and parks. Add it up and the synergy math looks compelling: Incremental reach: +25–30% global overlap potential. Earned-media value: double-digit lift during Vegas week. Merch & licensing: $15M+ year-one upside, with long-tail park integration. 🏎️ Execution Will Be the Differentiator The blueprint is already visible — what will define success is precision in execution. From day one, this collab has a clear go-to-market strategy built for acceleration: a synergistic blend of PR, creator/talent activations, digital storytelling, and retail presence designed to convert global buzz into measurable traction. The partnership’s first year hinges on sequenced storytelling — leading with flagship categories, and experiential activations, while supporting with secondary verticals that extend reach and shelf life. In other words, this isn’t just launch hype — it’s a multi-channel flywheel engineered to turn one race week into a year-long franchise. Can't wait to see what Emily, Tasia, Liz, Joss, Joslyn, and team unveil in a few weeks. #Disney #Formula1 #Licensing Disney Experiences

Why are crypto brands spending billions on sports sponsorship even after everything the category has been through? 🤔 Every decade has had its “land grab” category. Tobacco. Alcohol. Telcos. Betting. Now it’s crypto. 🧑🏻💻 And the strategy is simple: build awareness fast, scale globally, and become the default brand in a new category. That’s why we’re seeing billions flow into sports partnerships. But what makes crypto such a strong fit for sport? 📌 First, audience alignment. Sports audiences – especially in football, F1 and esports – skew younger, digital-first and more open to new technologies. Exactly the demographic crypto platforms want to reach. 📌 Second, global reach. Most crypto companies are “born global”. Sport gives them instant access to international audiences at scale — something very few channels can replicate. 📌 Third, trust & legitimacy. For a category still battling perception challenges, aligning with established leagues, teams and athletes helps fast-track credibility with mainstream audiences. But the more interesting shift is happening beyond visibility. These partnerships are starting to move from brand exposure → product + ecosystem integration: • NFTs creating new forms of digital ownership for fans • Fan tokens enabling participation and community-driven experiences • Web3 infrastructure unlocking new revenue models for rights holders • Smart contracts improving transparency across deals and operations It’s less about “branding on a shirt” and more about building utility into the fan experience. 📲 And that’s why, despite market volatility, the category keeps coming back stronger. Because, at its core, the fit is more structural than just commercial. 📝 Sport offers attention, emotion and community. Crypto offers ownership, access and participation. Put together, it creates a very different kind of sponsorship model. We’ve been seeing this play out quite clearly in the data at Luscid. 💡 The strongest partnerships aren’t just high visibility, they’re the ones where audience, product and platform genuinely align. Curious to see how this evolves over the next few seasons, especially as more inventory opens up and new players enter the space. #sportsmarketing #sportssponsorship #crypto #brandpartnerships

Sharing some key insights I gained through conversations with Danish foundations, think tanks, and funds. 1. Ownership and Long-Term Stewardship In Denmark, several large companies — including Carlsberg, Novo, and LEGO — are owned by foundations. This structure allows them to act for the public good, take bold, long-term approaches, without pressure for short-term profits. 2. Ecosystem Architecture and Field-Building Foundations are moving beyond traditional grantmaking to act as field-builders — strategically seeding, connecting, and scaling networks, think tanks, and knowledge infrastructures. The KR Foundation is one example: they fund new networks in areas like climate policy, nurturing them until they can stand on their own. It’s a reminder that funding ideas, relationships, and shared narratives is just as important as funding projects. 3. Government-Backed Outcome-Focused Funds The Danish government created and endowed the Danish Social Investment Fund to work with municipalities in identifying and supporting outcome-based social contracts. Foundations contribute early capital and first-loss guarantees, reducing risk and unlocking private investment. It’s a powerful model for how philanthropy and government can align to achieve measurable social outcomes. 4. Long-Term, Adaptive, Mission-Driven Approaches Foundations and their partners think in decades, not grant cycles. Adaptive, participatory approaches — like Bikuben’s “mission-based innovation” or Danish Social Innovation Academy's relational experimentation — allow learning and iteration across complex challenges. 5. Cross-Sector Collaboration for Systemic Change True systems change depends on alignment across government, business, and civil society. Danish actors make this happen through joint funding, shared metrics, and regular convening — reducing fragmentation and amplifying impact. 6. Well-Being Economy as an Overarching Framework There’s growing momentum to move from growth-driven to well-being economies — centred on human and planetary health, equity, and ecological balance. Think tanks like the Wellbeing Economy Lab, alongside foundations and public partners, are exploring how economies can serve people and the planet for generations to come. A sincerest gratitude to Brian Valbjørn S. Søren Kaare-Andersen Mads Falkenfleth Jensen Anders Højlund Anders Folmer Buhelt Camilla Bjerre Damgaard Elisabeth Andreew, CFA  who took the time to speak with me. This high-level reflection can’t capture the full depth of what I heard, but I’ve come away with much greater clarity — and inspiration — about what’s possible when we support future possibilities and long-term change. Definity Foundation Shauna Sylvester Stephen Huddart Aatif Baskanderi Sadia Zaman Narinder Dhami Nadia Duguay Jane Rabinowicz Colette Murphy Riz Ibrahim Andrew Chunilall, CPA, CA, ICD.D Devika Shah Vani Jain Hilary Pearson, CM Andrea Clarke MSc., MBA Cathy Taylor Please share with others, as relevant.

NFL teams generated $2.5B in sponsorship revenue from over 2,000 brands—here are some of the things I unpacked that helped lead to this historic growth: 1️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨-𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐍𝐨𝐧-𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 🏈 The Construction & Industrial sector has historically been a highly active internationally (especially the EPL) but relatively quiet in U.S. sports—until now. This year, we saw a significant jump within this sector. 🏈 Ready-to-drink (RTD) alcohol brands have surged, with 1/3rd of teams with deals working with more than one brand. 🏈 The NFL’s vast fan base means some brands can’t always afford to reach everyone—so the league has been smart in designing segmented audience strategies that allow brands to optimally engage specific audiences. 2️⃣ 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 NFL Players have more endorsements than any other sport, acting as a gateway for brands entering the league. This lowers the barrier to entry, allowing brands to A/B test content, iterate quickly, and refine messaging before committing to larger team deals. The result is a thriving ecosystem where athlete partnerships fuel more sponsorship opportunities. 3️⃣ 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 With international expansion, teams now offer a broader marketing platform for brands, opening the door to entirely new deals. This year alone, we saw 68 brands activate internationally, proving the model out. 4️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 Sponsorships are no longer just about logos on a stadium wall—they’re about embedding brands into the fan experience. Teams and brands are working together to create meaningful, culturally relevant activations, including: ✔ Player arrivals as branded moments ✔ Sustainability and causes ✔ Second-chance sweepstakes and games ✔ Social content and product integrations 5️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 The entire sponsorship industry is expanding, and the NFL benefited from the influx of new marketing dollars. In 4 years, the volume of teams, events and athlete deals has more than doubled. This means more sellers in the market, more conversations with brands, and more dollars reallocated into sponsorship as a critical marketing channel—benefiting not just the NFL, but the entire industry. I’ve spoken with multiple brand partners who feel that teams are treating them as true collaborators, rather than just sponsors—taking a first-principles approach to partnership design that is redefining the space. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐅𝐋 𝐈𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐚 365-𝐃𝐚𝐲, 360-𝐃𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 Over time, the NFL has evolved into a year-round, multi-dimensional commercial powerhouse, where brands engage fans across multiple platforms, markets, and moments—both in and out of the stadium.

The old model of foreign aid is dying. And that might be the best news the climate transition has had all year. For decades, the approach was straightforward: governments provided aid to fund specific projects. But the scale of the climate crisis demands a bigger, smarter and more collaborative playbook. That new playbook is emerging right now across the Indo-Pacific. It starts with catalytic public funds. Australia's aid budget, for example, now includes a A$126 million 'Climate Catalyst Window' designed to de-risk projects. This initial spark of public funding is designed to unlock scale-up finance from development banks, creating the blended finance model needed to attract private capital. This incredible photograph from the Kyeema Foundation is the story in microcosm. It shows a coral gardener in Fiji from the Community-led Coral Reef Restoration project, a groundbreaking initiative that propagates heat-tolerant 'super corals' to build local resilience. The story behind this project is a fitting example of the new financial ecosystem at work. It's a community-led initiative, implemented by Marijke Frantzen's brilliant team at Kyeema, and supported by the Climate Resilient by Nature (CRxN) initiative. CRxN itself is a partnership between the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and WWF-Australia. Making this new financial architecture actually work on the ground requires a whole new kind of collaboration. It’s a complete ecosystem. You need the strategic practitioners like Lee Stewart (ESG Strategy), who design the frameworks for these community-led projects. You need the on-the-ground leaders like Eunice Wotene (Oxfam in the Pacific), who ensure this work creates real, equitable impact. And you need the brilliant communicators who can translate these complex partnerships into compelling public narratives – the vital work being led by people like Tui Marseu (WWF-Pacific), Veronica Joseph (WWF-Australia), Sheldon Chanel (UNCDF), Denali H. (CFAN), Hamish Wyatt and Mue Bentley Fisher (The World Bank) and Epeli Nakautoga (IUCN). It’s an exciting new era of financial innovation. Our job as storytellers is to craft the human narratives that will help direct this capital to where it’s needed most. #ClimateFinance #InternationalDevelopment #ClimateStorytelling #IndoPacific #BlendedFinance