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The Playbook for Fall
From athletes to investors: Insights, opportunities, and inspiration, featuring athlete-founders, athlete-backed funds, and your path to the next big role.
🎤 Isabella’s TEDx Talk Is Live!
Our founder, Isabella Mandis, just gave a TEDx Talk: “How I Built a Global Community from a Dorm Room.”
She shares the story of how Girls Into VC began as a small idea and has grown into a community of 10,000+ young women across 60+ countries, creating pathways into venture capital and entrepreneurship.
Football season is here, college game days, NFL Sundays, and the energy of fall kickoff are all around us. Just like athletes gearing up for the season, it’s the perfect time to bring discipline, strategy, and resilience into our careers. This week we’re spotlighting athlete-founded startups, athlete-led venture funds, and (of course) plenty of fellowships, opportunities, and jobs to help you power through this season.
📚 Fellowship & Job Opportunities
Full Time Roles:
Internships:
Fellowships:
🚀 Founder Spotlight
Allyson Felix — Co-Founder, Saysh
Olympic champion Allyson Felix turned her personal experience into a movement with Saysh, a footwear and lifestyle brand “by women, for women.” Saysh has raised millions in funding and is redefining what athletic brands can look like when women lead the design and the mission.
Why it matters: Felix shows how athletes can transform lived experience into category-shaping startups, proving that leadership, resilience, and vision extend well beyond the track.
💸 Fund Highlight
The Players Fund — Athlete Investors at the Table
The Players Fund is a UK-based athlete-led venture capital firm that’s bringing both male and female pro athletes into investing. Recent additions include trailblazers like Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Allyson Felix, Eni Aluko, Nikita Parris, and Danielle Carter, expanding the fund’s reach and perspective. Their focus: supporting startups with long-term potential while empowering athletes to shape the future of business off the field.
Why it matters: The Players Fund proves that athletes aren’t just brand ambassadors, they’re owners, investors, and leaders building generational wealth and influence in venture capital.
🏆 2 More You Should Know
Togethxr — Co-founded by Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird. A media & commerce company built to elevate women’s sports and female athletes.
Sequel — Co-founded by athletes Amanda Calabrese and Greta Meyer. Innovating in women’s health with next-gen menstrual products, inspired by their experience as elite athletes.
🔥 Hottest VC Deals This Week
Figure raised $1B+ Series C at a $39B valuation, backed by NVIDIA, Intel, LG, Salesforce, T-Mobile, and Qualcomm. The humanoid robotics company is racing to commercialize general-purpose robots.
Vega emerged from stealth with $65M at a $400M valuation, backed by Accel, Cyberstarts, Redpoint, and CRV. The cybersecurity startup is building AI-native threat detection tools.
FinBox secured $40M led by WestBridge Capital to scale its digital credit infrastructure. The fintech firm powers embedded lending and credit solutions for banks and startups.
🏆 Closing Thoughts
Football season is about showing up with focus, discipline, and grit — the same qualities it takes to succeed in venture and startups. Athletes remind us that behind every highlight reel is years of preparation and relentless effort. Let’s take that mindset into this fall: execute the plays, put in the reps, and build momentum for a strong finish.
Until next time,
💗 The Girls Into VC Content Team