We work with professional sports franchises to raise capital from sports-focused retail, sophisticated and institutional investors globally. Through our unique tech platform, we simplify the process of capital raising by allowing the issuer to make offers of securities directly to a global investor base. Our investment platform is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) and adheres to the highest compliance standards.
Capital raises are tailored to issuer requirements and type of investors:
(Un)secured loans
High-yield bonds
Structured products
Convertible bonds
Ordinary / preferred shares
We provide owners, management and investors in sports with industry-specific and best-in-class M&A and capital raising advisory services. Dedicated to sports, we have a deep understanding of the key issues affecting this industry and sports clubs’ ability to raise capital or find investors. Through our vast international network of institutional investors, private equity funds, hedge funds, alternative capital providers, family offices and HNWIs, we are ideally positioned to add significant value to our clients.
Services include:
Strategic advisory
Buy and sell-side M&A
Debt advisory
Private capital raising (private placements, secondary minority stakes)
Structured credit / equity
Valuation and consulting services
Investment Platform
We work with professional sports franchises to raise capital from sports-focused retail, sophisticated and institutional investors globally. Through our unique tech platform, we simplify the process of capital raising by allowing the issuer to make offers of securities directly to a global investor base. Our investment platform is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) and adheres to the highest compliance standards.
Capital raises are tailored to issuer requirements and type of investors:
(Un)secured loans
High-yield bonds
Structured products
Convertible bonds
Ordinary / preferred shares
Advisory
We provide owners, management and investors in sports with industry-specific and best-in-class M&A and capital raising advisory services. Dedicated to sports, we have a deep understanding of the key issues affecting this industry and sports clubs’ ability to raise capital or find investors. Through our vast international network of institutional investors, private equity funds, hedge funds, alternative capital providers, family offices and HNWIs, we are ideally positioned to add significant value to our clients.
Services include:
Strategic advisory
Buy and sell-side M&A
Debt advisory
Private capital raising (private placements, secondary minority stakes)
Structured credit / equity
Valuation and consulting services
Investment Platform
Tifosy’s online platform provides a direct to consumer funding model, revolutionizing the sports industry and transforming how clubs finance themselves. As the first authorized sports investment platform, regulated by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, Tifosy operates according to the highest legal & regulatory standards
Example capital raise solutions
Every investment opportunity hosted on Tifosy is unique and tailored to the clubs specific financial needs. Our team prides itself on providing clubs with the highest level of expertise and flawless execution at every step of the transaction.
Retail Bond
A retail bond is a debt instrument which has a fixed initial term of typically 3-7 years. It pays a fixed rate of interest, normally on an annual basis.
Terms designed to deliver the right balance of attractiveness and risk
Returns can be made up of cash and/or credit interest
Bonds can be held within a tax-free IFISA or SIPP
Security and financial covenants are case-specific
Equity Offering
Through an equity offering, a club sells a percentage of its share capital to outside investors.
Offering can be through “nominee” company to minimise admin
Voting rights, board representation and governance are case-specific
Option to create investor return through performance-based dividends
Valuation needs to be fair and validated
Convertible Bond
A convertible bond is like a retail bond but can be “converted” into another form. Typically conversion is into club shares, but it can also be into other non-cash items.
Bonds can be made convertible into equity (shares), or credit to be redeemed on season tickets, club merchandise etc.
Coupon, conversion premium and terms are case-specific
Conversion can be at the discretion of the club and/or the investor
Can provide clubs with more financial flexibility (e.g. stadium financing)
Tifosy leads all aspects of the capital raise process
Advice on appropriate choice of instrument, structure & terms to deliver fundraising objectives in context of market conditions and likely level of investor demand
Review Club financial model / assumptions; conduct detailed financial and legal due diligence and ensure conformity of promotional materials with documentation
Drafting of prospectus or other offering document which forms the basis of investment decision (includes description of structure, terms, financials, risk factors etc.)
Design bespoke investment pages for public and private phases incorporating key terms, hosting of offer documentation, ISA for UK taxpayers and investor FAQs
Investor support including Q&A events, helpline, dedicated email and live chat functionality; Tifosy handles all communications with investors through the term
Hold funds on behalf of club; record applications and maintain allocation list as part of the offer; facilitate cash interest payments to investors on behalf of the club
Advice on appropriate choice of instrument, structure & terms to deliver fundraising objectives in context of market conditions and likely level of investor demand
Legal and Regulatory
Provide guidance on legal aspects of the offering (offer documents, regulatory compliance, financial promotion restrictions, AML/KYC)
Financial and legal due diligence
Review Club financial model / assumptions; conduct detailed financial and legal due diligence and ensure conformity of promotional materials with documentation
Documentation Drafting
Drafting of prospectus or other offering document which forms the basis of investment decision (includes description of structure, terms, financials, risk factors etc.)
Platform design & testing
Design bespoke investment pages for public and private phases incorporating key terms, hosting of offer documentation, ISA for UK taxpayers and investor FAQs
Capital raise strategy
Market sounding & capital raise strategy design (private/public phases); ensure maximum conversion and manage a detailed tracker to monitor investment
Multi-channel investor support
Investor support including Q&A events, helpline, dedicated email and live chat functionality; Tifosy handles all communications with investors through the term
Marketing & PR strategy and execution
Develop bespoke marketing strategy and detailed plans including analysis of investor appetite and potential investor benefits
Live analytics and optimisation
Regular analytics reports covering traffic analysis and conversion funnel, marketing effectiveness, investor demographics and location analysis
Escrow and registrar activities
Hold funds on behalf of club; record applications and maintain allocation list as part of the offer; facilitate cash interest payments to investors on behalf of the club
A passionate team obsessed with sports
Tifosy are based in London, United Kingdom. We are a team of experts from the fields of finance, law, sport, technology and marketing.
Fausto Zanetton
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
An Italian raised in Belgium, has spent his career in the finance Industry, where he worked with many media, sports & internet companies globally, most recently at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. Seeing sports clubs struggle to get traditional funding, and the growing tech, social and alternative finance revolution, sparked the idea of Tifosy in his mind. Fausto has an MBA from London Business School and is a qualified accountant (CPA). He is fluent in several European languages and is a huge fan of Inter Milan.
Fausto Zanetton
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Gianluca Vialli
Co-founder & Non-Executive Director
Has been with Tifosy since the beginning and at his kitchen table we had the initial inspiration to start the company. He is loved the world over as a former striker for Sampdoria, Juventus, Chelsea and the Italian national team. During his glittering career he won all 3 European Club cups, and numerous domestic trophies. After hanging up his boots, Luca managed at Chelsea and then at Watford, and now divides his time between his role as sports commentator/analyst at Sky Sports in Italy and supporting his Foundation which raises funding for research on Cancer and ALS.
Gianluca Vialli
Co-founder & Non-Executive Director
Tommy Aylmer
Chief Legal Officer
A double major in business and law at UCD, Tommy joined Tifosy from Arthur Cox, a top European law firm, where he specialised in M&A and Corporate Finance. Tommy has an exemplary track record of providing advice on a wide range of commercial and compliance issues (including mergers; acquisitions; IPOs; spin-offs; finance structures and corporate governance) and advised many top tier banks. He also has experience in the sports industry having advised Ireland’s largest telecommunications company on the acquisition of the Irish broadcasting rights to the EPL and UEFA Champions League.
Tommy Aylmer
Chief Legal Officer
James Pollock
Managing Director
Is a veteran of major blue-chip marketing companies, having begun his career at Procter & Gamble in London, then heading up European businesses in Geneva, before returning home to bring his strategic expertise to other FMCG companies at Kantar Retail, a WPP company. Prior to joining Tifosy, James headed up strategy for one of the four business units at Unilever (Ice Cream and Tea). A fan of Arsenal FC since his early years, James also follows rugby and tennis.
James Pollock
Managing Director
Nicola Verdun
Managing Director
Came to Tifosy from Juventus FC, where he was Head of Global Partnerships and International Development. He secured sponsorship contracts with major international brands for the club. Previously, he has also worked as Business Director at Nielsen Sport (formerly Repucom) and Sports Marketing Director at media company MEC Access. He brings to Tifosy a deep understanding of sports marketing and fan engagement. Born in Turin, Nicola is a Juventus FC fan.
Nicola Verdun
Managing Director
Maxime Budin
Executive Director
Hailing from Paris, Maxime joined Tifosy from Goldman Sachs where he acted as advisor to financial institutions. Having gained prior experience at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank, Maxime has very strong experience in detailed valuation and sector analysis on M&A transactions, IPOs and debt financings. With a master’s in management from ESCP Europe, Maxime is fluent in several European languages, plays rugby and football, and is a lifelong fan of Paris Saint Germain
Maxime Budin
Executive Director
Simone Bonfiglio
Executive Director
Simone came to Tifosy following eight years working in the finance industry, with roles in investment banking at Credit Suisse and in analytics and sales at Bloomberg. He has advised corporations in the media, sport and telecom sectors on growth strategies, optimising capital structure and financing requirements. Italian born, he also lived in Russia, Spain and the United States where he became an American football addict (and a Seahawks fan), as well as playing semi-pro football before building a career in finance.
Simone Bonfiglio
Executive Director
Alex Kossmann
Finance Director
Half-Uruguayan, half-German, and with finance qualifications from both LSE and LBS plus an accounting background and fierce analytical skills, Alex leads both the finance and data analytics functions, on the latter working closely with the tech team. Before moving to London, he worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Julius Baer Group and in the reporting team of a large multinational in the oil drilling industry.
Alex Kossmann
Finance Director
Mrinal Sinh Smith
Chief Product Officer
Mrinal began his career in marketing, where at global agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi and McCann, he led brand, digital and membership strategies for brands including Visa, Costa Coffee and Philips. Moving into media, Mrinal joined the Guardian where he launched the Guardian's apps and digital subscription products, before moving into a senior management role as part of the team that drove the Guardian to become the most-read English language newspaper in the world. Mrinal is an avid fan of practically every sport on the planet, and particularly loves football, cricket, rugby and F1.
Mrinal Sinh Smith
Chief Product Officer
Geoff Tidey
Chief Technology Officer
The tech genius behind Tifosy’s platform, came with over two decades of development experience in multiple programming languages. He has worked with established companies and start-ups as developer, CTO and Co-founder, and notably worked at SIS (Satellite Information Services) and Kelkoo/Kelisto. Geoff is an ardent Tottenham Hotspur fan, and also finds time to follow his local club Billericay Town.
Geoff Tidey
Chief Technology Officer
Daryl Watson
Lead Developer
Following an education in music and maths with statistics, Daryl began his career in the luxury hospitality industry before retraining as a coder at the prestigious Makers Academy in London, where he went on to coach other students. Daryl is now a full-stack developer with experience using Ruby on Rails, Javascript with Backbone and ES6, and PostgreSQL, all of which he brings to the engine-room of Tifosy’s platform. Another Gooner, Daryl regularly completes endurance hiking events and is a keen weight-training enthusiast.
Daryl Watson
Lead Developer
Charlie Compitus
Senior Marketing Manager
A graduate in Contemporary Media Practice, Charlie joined Tifosy from Millwall Football Club, where as well as being a lifelong fan and season ticket holder for 17 years he worked in the media department producing content for the club and its Community Trust. As an experienced creative developer with skills in video production, photography, graphic design and animation, Charlie is proficient in a wide-ranging suite of design & video software, as well as having press experience from his time working on professional sports at Southwark News.
Charlie Compitus
Senior Marketing Manager
Tom Murray
Marketing Manager
Trained as a designer and visualiser at Central Saint Martins University of the Arts, Tom has advanced expertise in 2D and 3D design practices across traditional and digital media. Previously Graphic Designer at premium London food retailer Sourced Market, Tom has experience of a wide range of design applications, CAD software and video production techniques. Prior to Tifosy, Tom worked as a freelance designer for a number of clients including contemporary artist Lauren Baker and luxury homeware brand British Colour Standard. He is a passionate fan of Tottenham Hotspur and regularly plays 5-a-side and 7-a-side football.
Tom Murray
Marketing Manager
Giovanni Malacarne
Analyst
Giovanni joined Tifosy after obtaining his Master Degree in International Management from Eada Business School in Barcelona. Previous to his time in Spain, he gained valuable experience at Bank of America Merrill Lynch working with the Italian Corporate Banking team based in Milan focusing on origination and execution of corporate finance transactions. Italian born, Giovanni spent most of his life abroad between the UK, Spain and Hong Kong and speaks different languages fluently. A keen football player, he is a passionate Inter Milan fan.
Giovanni Malacarne
Analyst
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