How World Cup champion Mario Götze built a parallel career as an angel investor

Mario Götze will go down in football history as the player who scored the winning goal that made Germany champions of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. But he’s also an increasingly seasoned angel investor.

Comrade MGötze’s personal investment vehicle, now has a portfolio of more than 70 companies, two of which will become startups in 2025 — Danish fintech Flatpay and German AI startup Parloa. But the athlete also learned some lessons along the way about scrutiny opportunities. “I would only agree to invest if the startup and its founders tick all the boxes,” he told TechCrunch.

Funds can be completely self-funded at the stage in which Götze invests – typically pre-seed and seed rounds, with ticket sizes between €25k and €50k ($29k-$58k). To address this problem, Götze says Companion M “focuses on specific areas in which we have built a deep network and expertise.” Surprisingly, sports is not one of these areas, at least not directly.

According to Götze, Companion M mainly focuses on B2B SaaS, software infrastructure and cybersecurity, as well as health and biotechnology. Although this is not sports technology per se, health and biotechnology is a natural home for the athlete interested in human performance and wellness – and who is free to pursue non-traditional opportunities in these fields.

In 2020, Götze made headlines Investing in German cannabis startup Sanity Group For most European institutional investors I wouldn’t touch the grass with a ten-foot pole. From then on, it became Germany Liberalized some aspects of its cannabis lawscreating a tailwind for the startup that claimed it 10% share German medical cannabis market in 2024.

As cannabis is still banned for athletes in competitions, Götze will have to wait to try the substance himself: the 33-year-old still plays professionally at top league level with German club Eintracht Frankfurt. But instead of waiting for retirement, he’s taking cues from American sports investors like the NBA champion Kevin Durant.

Götze is not the only active European footballer who also invests in startups – for example, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé. Do too. But as a father of two young daughters, he has to balance his various commitments. “I have to schedule calls before or after training and align meetings with the weeks when I’m not playing away or playing in the Champions League,” Götze said. books.

Götze doesn’t do it all himself, but he doesn’t trust others with his money either. Instead, he created Companion M as a small team that he supported with angel investing, partnerships, and other tasks. “These things are important to me as a brand, especially in the long term, after my active career.” He explained.

There is an undeniable branding aspect to these efforts. When Götze became the first brand ambassador for Revolut in Germany, the fintech company quote His track record as an angel investor as an incentive. But while preparing for his post-football career, Götze found what he wanted describes As “another passion outside of sports.”

This passion may be less unexpected than it seems. While Götze and his brothers all became football players, their father Jürgen was a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at TU Dortmund, and the family spent some time in Houston, Texas, when Jürgen was visiting Rice University as a postdoctoral researcher.

It is no coincidence that Götze invests mostly in Europe and the United States, including his previous investments in Miami RC It is based in Frankfurt Qualify. Many portfolio companies have continued to raise significant amounts of follow-on funding, some of which have already exited, such as the Berlin-based firm. Kuro.

The exit gives Gotze capital to reinvest, but it also focuses on enhancing long-term wealth. As a limited partner, companion Supporting more than 20 venture capital companies On both sides of the Atlantic, including 20VC, Cherry Ventures, EQT Ventures, Planet A, Merantix, Visionaries Club, and World Fund.

Götze is still reportedly under contract with his club Extension discussion. But when he finally retires, these investment firms could consider him a peer. “After my career ends, I plan to focus on my investment activities,” he said. Bloomberg. But even then, don’t expect him to post his anti-roll collection of startups he came across that went on to become hugely successful.

“There are a lot of new startups every year, and there will be some that you will miss out on,” he told TechCrunch. “But regretting past decisions leads to making uneducated or rash decisions in the future.” Talk like a real athlete: Thinking about what you missed won’t help you score the next goal.