$100M Venture Fund: From NFL to Venture Capital

"RAISE CAPITAL LIKE A LEGEND: https://offer.fundraisecapital.co/free-ebook/"

Hey, welcome to another episode of Making Billions,  I'm your host, Ryan Miller and today I have my dear friend Marques Colston.

Marques is an NFL champion termed venture investor, as the founding partner of a $100 million venture firm called Champion Venture Partners. Marques brings his experience from making it into the NFL to Angel investing and now in the pro leagues of a venture fund.

So what does this mean? Well, this means that Marques understands how to take on projects and deals and pull out a win, especially when the odds are not on your side, and he's about to teach you and I how to go from the locker room to the boardroom.

Subscribe on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTOe79EXLDsROQ0z3YLnu1QQ

Connect with Ryan Miller:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rcmiller1/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingbillionspodcast/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_MakingBillons
Website: https://making-billions.com/

[THE GUEST]: Marques is an NFL champion termed venture investor, as the founding partner of a $100 million venture firm called Champion Venture Partners.

[THE HOST]: Ryan is an Angel investor in technology and energy. 

Transcript

Ryan Miller  

My name is Ryan Miller, and for the past 15 years, I've helped hundreds of people to raise millions of dollars for their funds and for their startups. If you're serious about raising money, launching your business or taking your life to the next level, this show will give you the answers so that you too can enjoy your pursuit of Making Billions. Let's get into it.

Ryan Miller  

Is it just me or does it seem like being a fund manager requires you to constantly defy the odds? Well, my next guest has done just that for his entire career, from getting into the NFL to launching a $100 million venture fund. My next guest is about to teach you a master class on defying the odds and finding another gear in everything you do. All this and more coming right now. Let's get into it. 

Ryan Miller  

Hey, welcome to another episode of Making Billions,  I'm your host, Ryan Miller and today I have my dear friend Marques Colston. Marques is an NFL champion termed venture investor, as the founding partner of a $100 million venture firm called Champion Venture Partners. Marques brings his experience from making it into the NFL to Angel investing and now in the pro leagues of a venture fund. So what does this mean? Well, this means that Marques understands how to take on projects and deals and pull out a win, especially when the odds are not on your side, and he's about to teach you and I how to go from the locker room to the boardroom. So Marques, welcome to the show.

Marques Colston  

Man, I appreciate you having me. Man, just a huge fan of the community you're building, and, uh, just glad to be a part of it.

Ryan Miller  

Yeah, and we're glad to have you here. We've been very fortunate to be in the top 2%. We're, uh, number five in the world for venture capital, number three for private equity, and it's all because of amazing guests, just like you, man, so let's, let's jump right into it. I'm just curious, like, how did you even get into this sector, I got to hear this story man.

Marques Colston  

Yeah, so, so for me, growing up this, this really wasn't in the deck of cards I was, I was handed, right? You know, come from humble beginnings. Really didn't know what venture capital was, didn't know anything about private equity. My first real lesson in financial services, kind of, in the world that I'm in now, was, you know, getting drafted as a 22 year old and having to choose a financial advisor, not even really understanding, fully understanding, fully grasping the job that I was hiring for. So for me, this is, this has been, you know, kind of the second half of, you know, my life to this point, my professional life, was able to, kind of get into it as a as an early NFL player, and was just a space that for not knowing and not being exposed to it, it felt really germane to kind of come in on the angel investment side and really start to kind of interact with entrepreneurs at a time where, you know, I was kind of my own little entrepreneurial journey myself, you know, trying to create an NFL career. So just being able to kind of pull those parallels, and pull on those parallels between the entrepreneurs and what they were building with early stage companies and the career that I was trying to build for myself as an athlete. I was able to find enough of those through lines to really be able to kind of fall in love with the space. And, you know, 15-16 years later, I'm still in it and still enjoying my time, still learning, but it's been, it's been a fun ride so far. Hopefully she's getting started.

Ryan Miller  

Yeah, now I you know you and I've we got to know each other for a bit, now, you have an interesting story that when you first went to college and you first stepped onto campus, you knew what you were going to do. Now, not everybody has that luxury some people figure it out as they go along, but you knew exactly where you're going to go. You maybe walk me through that process of day one on campus, walking in there, you had a certain you just, you just knew what you were going to do. And then how did that lead you into the NFL? And what was that like?

Marques Colston  

Yeah, I mean, it was, it was an interesting time for me. Man, I was, I was 18 year old kid, and just got a scholarship offer to go play college football and, you know, I walked on campus day one with the goal. It wasn't even a dream at that point. It was, it was, it was a hard, fast goal that I was going to play in the NFL. And I was, I was kind of able to walk on on campus with that level of confidence or delusion, depending on who you ask. But the only challenge I had was I wasn't at Alabama or LSU. I was, I was at Hofs University up in, up in New York, but nevertheless, I stepped on campus with, kind of, with this singular focus, a singular mission. And you know, was, you know, smaller school, but it was a pretty, pretty rocky start for me, you know, didn't get a chance to play too much as a freshman. Some injuries happened, and I was able to get on the field maybe the last third of the season, you know, make some plays, but nothing, nothing earth shattering. Same thing my sophomore year, my junior year, getting nothing earth shattering. But that, like that singular focus and that goal that I have for myself, like that North Star never changed, never shifted, the thing that did shift a little bit was the pathway to get there. But you know, like you said, man, I walked on that campus day one, and I knew I had a destination in mind and you know, most people would have called me delusional. I like to call it irrational confidence, but that was it for me. That was why I was there, you know and that was, that was a thing, that that was a spot that I wasn't going to allow any person, any circumstance, to kind of push me off of that spot. That's, that's what I was there to do, and put everything I had in to make that happen.

Ryan Miller 

That's right and you did. I remember you telling me the story you you made it to the draft. And, and folks, this is we're building on something. This is going to relate to finance in a minute, but I really want, I don't want to skip past this, because this is important, because we all have felt what Marques went through. You're right on the cusp of greatness, and everybody wants to be the guy. And then sometimes you have this irrational confidence that you mentioned, maybe we'll get into that in a minute. And so you show up, draft is happening, and it's not first round, it's is not second round. How did that go?

Marques Colston  

Very slowly. It was a at that point, the draft was three days, two days long. The first three rounds were on Saturday. Rounds four through seven were on Sunday. So, you know, I kind of came into the draft, I knew, I kind of knew how the rest of the world saw me at that point. And I think that's really important, just from a people think about self awareness, and it's all internal. I think the other part of self awareness is understanding how you're perceived as well. So, you know, I was able to go into day one, rounds one through three, and I didn't really have expectations of getting picked on day one. So there wasn't like this feeling of disappointment, you know, at first, but, you know, rounds one, round one goes, no problem. Round two comes and goes, no problem. Round three comes and goes, again kind of, kind of low bar, no expectations. I kind of knew that I was going to be a day two guy, right? That's kind of what all my agent told me that I had a couple people that kind of worked in the industry, they all told me I would be a day two guys. So day one came and went. No harm, no foul. I get a call right before day two starts, right before Sunday starts, draft starts about noon. So one of my guys that I knew worked at Yahoo Sports at the time, kind of an insider, called me pretty early in the morning and said, look, you know, round four is going to start up. You know, kind of, kind of be, be ready, there's some teams checking for you. So at that point, expectations start to hit. So the round four starts up, no calls, no phone, phone doesn't ring at all. Round four comes and goes, sweating a little bit. Round five comes and goes, still. Phone doesn't ring at all, starting to sweat a little bit more round six. You know, everybody's over at the house, everybody's kind of expecting something to happen on this day. You just kind of, you're getting a little antsy right? Round six comes and goes, still no phone calls, and my phone doesn't ring for the first time until about the middle of round seven, which is the last round in the draft. And at that time, I got a couple calls from teams that had no picks left. So that's when it started to hit me, like, okay, I might not get drafted. I gotta, I gotta kind of turn the page from this ceremonial thing and start to think strategically about all right, if I don't get drafted, that means I'll be a free agent. That means I get to pick my situation. So I'm starting to go through the scenarios and see all right, where's the best situation where I can actually go somewhere, have a chance to compete, get on the field. So we get to the tail end of round seven, and with the fourth to the last pick in the draft, pick number 252, my phone rang and I saw a 504 area code. And at that point, I'm not gonna lie to you, I was like, man, I kind of would rather be a free agent at this point, because I'm getting picked at the very end of the draft. I don't really have a say in this. The team was coming off of of a really, really, really hard year to year before with Hurricane Katrina. So I saw the 504 area code, and it's kind of this feeling of, I'm grateful, I'm happy that the phone is ringing, but at the same time, I'm like man, I thought the Texans or the Cardinals might have been a better fit for me. So, so I take the call. It's Sean Payton on the other line. Get a chance to talk to talk to him, get a chance to talk to the general manager for a minute. And you know, it was, it was kind of this feeling of extreme joy, because it's the thing that you the singular focus has kind of paid off. And you're, you're you're here now you're kind of at the precipice. But then at the same time, it's this feeling of all right, now the work really starts, right? I didn't get drafted where I wanted to. I got drafted in a place that tells me I've got a less than 1% chance of being a starter day one. You know, once the joy of the situation and the ceremony wears off, and your family's all around, your friends are celebrating, the reality kicks in, like, all right, for most people, this is the end point. This is a destination. If I really want to do this, this has got to be the launch pad. And that was kind of the mentality that I took into my rookie year. I took into kind of getting ready for my rookie year. It was, it was all about the draft is an opportunity. And I didn't get the opportunity that I wanted. I didn't get the opportunity, I didn't get the phone call when I wanted it, but it's here, and what are you gonna do with it?

Ryan Miller  

Yeah, I love that. Remember something interesting you said when that happens, you know, you kind of look around and in your mind, maybe in your hometown, you were the guy. And by the way, this ties into high finance, as you well know, there's tons of parallels between football and high finance, and you might have been the guy in kind of your local circles, right? You might have been the friend that was always talking economics, or that weird guy, like I was voted most likely to be a millionaire, whatever it is. But then you enter this next level, and something you said, I really would love to share, is to say, but when you get to the pros and you look around at your colleagues and co-workers or and teammates, and then other people on other teams, and it really sets in that you might have been the guy back home, but so was every one of these people in this room, they were all the guy. And so you're like, okay, like, there's nothing special about everyone special. You didn't quite put it that way, but what we're saying is, like, it's helpful to remember that there are really no finish lines, there's just newer starting lines. There's only starting lines. And so, like you said, when I got drafted into the NFL, some people might think across the finish line it was like, nope, that's just the next starting line. And so there's always starting lines, never any finish lines. Would you agree with that?

Marques Colston  

1,000% and that, I can tell you, it's a jarring feeling at first, right? When you step into a locker room and like, I got drafted with guys that I'm a fan of football before anything, right? So I got drafted with Reggie Bush, right? I watched Reggie. We're the same age, but I watched him, you know, as he became one of the best college football players to ever live, right? So he was the number two pick in the draft. He was the first draft pick for the Saints. So you walk in the locker room for the first time, and it is jarring to where it's like, yeah, I might have been the guy, but everybody in here is the guy. And it's really the first time in your life that what I can speak for myself, it was really the first time where I knew that talent meant nothing, because when everyone's equally talented, it's no longer an advantage. So it was really the first time where I had to figure out that my talent, my athletic ability, that's a great base, that's a great foundation. But what else are you what else do you bring to the table to separate yourself and that for me, was a tone setter. Not just set the tone for my athletic career, set the tone for the rest of my business career, just because when you see that talent is not enough, then you got to go figure out what else is enough. And that was really my journey as a rookie. That was my journey for every single year that I played, simply because things change. Right? I started at 22 years old. I was an athletic freak, and I could do anything that I wanted athletically, but I didn't have the I didn't have the game knowledge. I didn't have the reps or the or the time on task. So I lean heavily on athletic ability at 22 by the time I retired at 32, I probably lost three or four steps. Couldn't do half of the things that I once could do athletically, but the time on task, the reps, the pattern recognition, I was still able to play and perform at it at a very similar level using a different skill set, more of a cerebral or the mental skill set. So it's it really set the tone for understanding that talent is a starting point. It's a foundation, but your ability to perform at a high level. Your ability to not just succeed, but sustain success, is kind of this to your point. It's a bunch of different starting points, and you've always got to be able to recalibrate yourself to where you're at in that moment, and then use what's God given, combine it with, you know, the skill sets that you can intentionally go out and build to kind of remake yourself as a product in every different chapter.

Ryan Miller  

Well said, man, and so that begs the question, I'm sure everybody listening to this wants to know myself included, is so you had that you said I was the guy, but then I get into the big leagues. And I often say, what got us here, won't get us there. And so you're saying, great, you hit that point now you got to, you got to play different right? You played enough to get to get to this point, but from this point to the next starting line, it's different rules, different skills that maybe I may or may not have, but I better get them quick if I'm going to sustain this right? And it's the same in finance, right? So you might have been a great accountant and graduated top of your class, or maybe you're dating cheerleaders. I don't know. You did some cool, all right, in college. Great, what got you to the end of that one is not going to get you to the end of the next phase and so you're going to have to evolve and so you did that. And so speaking of evolution, how did you go from the NFL to say, doing your first investment deal? Maybe walk us through that, because I know a lot of people around the world, they're going to be able to relate to this is to say doing your first deal is taking something from another area, another sector, and applying it in a different way, whether it's skills, assets, partnerships, access. So how did you take your experience from the NFL and apply that into your first deal? Walk me through that.

Marques Colston  

For sure. So a lot of it is, again, that mindset of reinvention and kind of remaking yourself for the moment and for the situation, and in that, if you're always comfortable, comfort invites complacency, right? So for me, stepping off and kind of doing something new in the business world, that was an opportunity to do something that one, you know, there were a lot of my colleagues that were getting into the sports the sports tech at that time was really like sports science. A lot of my colleagues were kind of getting into tech investing. And again, for me, it was, it was a foreign world. There wasn't, it wasn't a world that I had a lot of exposure to. So when I got my first opportunity, I tried to make sure that it was in a world that I understood really well, which is sports. So, so for me, that first deal was there was an indoor football team that was that was coming to my to my hometown. The league was popping up a franchise in my hometown in central Pennsylvania. And for me it was, it was an opportunity to learn the business side of the sport that I was playing. But at the same time, kind of takes what I knew to be true about the world of sports, about football as as a product, and be able to kind of use some of those insights and some of those experiences to to really support this business. So for me, year one, I there was a current owner in place, I invested alongside him, and just kind of shadow, shadowed him for years, just so I can learn, just kind of learn the ropes, learn the ins and outs of what was actually required in that role of running a franchise. And, you know, I kind of came into it understanding everything from the outside looking in in the NFL bubble. But what I started to realize was that everything that was happening in the in the NFL franchises, in the New Orleans Saints franchise that I was playing, and everything was happening just at a much smaller scale at the same indoor football organization. 

Marques Colston  

So again, being able to see the patterns and being able to map those experiences, it kind of gave me a one up on, you know, the things that I that I thought I should be looking forward to, things that that, you know, I was interested in learning, the things that I knew I didn't know, and had to get exposure to all of those things. So that first season, I just kind of sat in the shadow and I watched, and I built up enough, I took enough notes, and I built up enough of enough internal confidence to say, in year two, you know, I kind of want to try my hand at this, and I kind of want to build this in my likeness. So I year two, I bought my partner out, took full control of the team, assumed the role of president, General Manager, which at that level means everything. Everything from, you know, making sure that the off season was set up, that the players had housing, the players were well taken care of as they were training to get ready for the season, all the way through, making sure we had venue dates locked in, making sure that we had, you know, the logistics crew, because we were playing in a venue that we were renting. So there was turnover, field turnovers, the whole nine, managing those crews, everything from game operations. I had the little headset on, I was actually directing the game and, you know, the TV time us, the whole nine. I purposefully did everything outside of the world, the world that I knew, which was pick the players and, you know, actually help the only field product. That's the thing that I did not touch with a 10 foot pole. I went and hired a coach and said, listen, anything you need, let me know, but this is your show. Go run it. 

Marques Colston  

And, you know, I purposefully stepped into all of the places that were new, all of the places that were foreign and uncomfortable because, again, that's sports taught me that the best way to learn is to dive in and learn. You know, you can, you can read as many books as you want, you can ingest as much information as you can, but ultimately, you got to find a way to make that information yours, and you only do that through doing and you know, that was my approach. I told, I told myself, I'm going to get the information year one, I'm going to apply it year two, there's going to be some things that I win at, there's going to be some things that I lose at, but that I lose that. But ultimately, come year three, I'm not going to have information anymore, I'm having real insights. And once you have insights, now you can adjust on the fly. And that was kind of my experience, you know, with that, with that first investment was very hands on, I realized that I'm not a passive investor. I'm somebody that wants to invest, not just my capital resources, but I want to roll my sleeves up and, you know, learn the business, figure out how to help the business, how to build the business and scale it. It was a, it was a it was amazing learning experience in every way except how to make money.

Ryan Miller  

You told me about that, not the most profitable one we've all had a man, all kings have scars. So you rolled up your sleeves, you got involved. And by the way, welcome to venture capital, you're still doing it today, but in different ways, and you shared with me in other conversations that we have had. I remember this story vividly, because this is a very relatable one. So you go in, you're literally doing everything, you got a nice title, you're helping out the communities. You're making a positive impact with your investment. And so it really seemed in the beginning that this was working out well now financially, probably not the best one that you've ever done, but you learned a lot of lessons along the way from doing that, and some of them were maybe some, I don't want to use the word mistakes, but I because I wouldn't call it what you did a mistake, but they were maybe you talked about recalibrating. And so you came in with what you knew, but you realize looking back that maybe there was a different approach that would have helped better. I'm wondering if you can walk back and just talk about the lesson you learned coming out of that, from acting like an all star versus something else. 

Marques Colston  

Yeah, I mean, it's it was, it was very germane to me to be in a foreign situation and feel like you have to be the all star and be you feel like you have to be the gap filler, the kind of the ultimate playmaker, right? Because that's, that's what my that's what my athletic career taught me, right?

Ryan Miller  

All new investors feel this. All new investors feel this. 

Marques Colston  

And it's the thing that that that company and that opportunity taught me, that was my first real leadership lesson in that sometimes in order to lead, you've got to be able to zoom out and take a step back from that all star role, and really be able to lean on the team that you built and really be able to empower that team. And you know, one of the things that I can see in hindsight is in trying to step in and do everything. Yes, I learned a lot, I personally learned a ton, but what I also did was a team that I hired that were really talented, capable people and trying to go out and do everything to be the superhero. I was not empowering that group, and I was not letting that group kind of go out and do and operate at the best of their abilities. And you know, in hindsight, you know that that's leadership. That's one of the biggest challenges in leadership is, is when you feel like you're a talented individual that can do everything you can do, doesn't mean it's something that you should do. And the ability to again, lean into the team that you built, you brought them in because you're confident in them. You brought them in because they're capable, and they're more than capable. At some point you got to be able to give them the opportunity to show their capabilities. And, you know, coming out of that lesson, coming out of that one opportunity, that first opportunity, that was a lesson that that really, really set said heavy with me, just because, you know, I know I knew what it looked like to be on a team. I knew what it felt like to be on a really good team. But in building one myself for the first time, you know, I kind of took the ball and ran with it a little too much. So that that was, that was one that really, really stuck with me going forward, and really sticks with me, kind of the foundation of, I guess you can call my leadership style today, which is, you know, again, you got talented folks, let them, let them go, be, be who they are.

Ryan Miller  

That's right, and that's, that's leadership. This is something I drill when I, when I walk my son to school, and I always say, what's leadership about? And I've trained him on this. So this is simple enough for any year old to understand. I hope what my definition is is Leadership isn't about getting people to do what you want them to do. Leadership is about getting them to do something they never thought they could. And so really helping people to understand what they're capable of, what their value is, the fact that you trust them. That's what leaders do, and so and by the way, my first deal I, I rolled on my sleeves and I just wanted to help. And you don't know what you're doing, because you're used to being the guy, I was used to being the guy in finance and in school and in my peer group. And then you jump into this deal like some hot shot, and then you look back and say, hey, I just wanted to help. I mean, no harm, no foul. But there are some lessons to take away from that. So I absolutely love everything you said. So then, how do you go from doing a couple of or maybe your first deal, to actually doing a couple more? Maybe walk us through the evolution of the investor.

Marques Colston  

Yeah. So, so interestingly enough, that indoor football organization I ran that for three years from there, I actually got an opportunity to invest in a higher a league that was higher up the Arena Football League. So I bought into the Philadelphia Soul and that was very similar operation, but a very different role for me, because I was walking into an established organization. I was joining as a minority partner, they kind of already had their they were already a successful organization, right? So that role was, was one that was, was really kind of that helicopter ownership role I supported on the sponsorship side and some strategic partnerships, you know, that kind of high level stuff. But for me, it was really an opportunity to be around some other high performers, some other folks that were on, you know, the cat table at the Soul, you know, these are polished. These are polished businessmen. We had a real estate fund manager. We've got a former, you know, former NFL quarterback who's turned into a business mobile himself. We've got two or three other guys just on the cap table that were really, really established businessmen just within my organization. Not to mention that, you know, the other teams got a chance to work pretty closely with a group out of Washington, the Leonsis family and Monumental Sports Group. And for me, at that point in my life, after the three years of just kind of the true entrepreneurial roll your sleeves up, make chicken salad, type of opportunity to step into something with really established business folks, be able to serve on a couple committees, and really served on a business development committee for a couple years, really high level partnerships. It was just a really unique experience for somebody like me, who was 27 at the time, to just be surrounded by some really, really high level business folks, and again, start to see how they think, how they process, you know how they communicate all of those things. I just I remember vividly I was, I was in one of the one of the board meetings, and I'm typically a quiet reserve person, but in this room, I'm super quiet, just because I know who's around the table, and I know what they've done and I know what I haven't done. So I'm just going to be quiet and listen and taking all the all the information insights I can. And I remember vividly that some, someone from the monumental team, you know, kind of asked what I thought about something. And to me that was like, man, you guys, you guys do this on a day to day basis, why the hell you care what I think? But just to be in that room and be in that room for I was there for like five, five years, I think it was. Similar business but totally different experience, totally different opportunity to kind of take a, not necessarily a back seat, but take a more passive seat and watch and learn to see how these successful businessmen became who they were. Because you don't just start as an Arena Football League owner you got to go build something incredible first to create the opportunity to invest in something like this, so that that experience came at a really interesting time, coming off the heels of, you know, my first entrepreneurial ownership experience. So that mix, that seven or eight year run of doing those two things, probably I did some things in between, but those two really set the foundation for, I think, my lens in business. And, you know, from there, I've just kind of, I've always had that entrepreneurial issue, I've always had that, that love for trying something new and trying something that's uncomfortable. But those two experiences really kind of gave me the foundation to, like, operationalize it. And those, those are experiences that, you know, I say, I say it all the time, like, what I paid into to be a part of those organizations, you know, became my MBA, you know, two and three fold, just because you don't get those experiences from reading a textbook and doing case studies just having the opportunity to do that boots on the ground for seven years. You know, was, was a really incredible learning experience that, again, is the foundation of everything that I do in business today.

Ryan Miller  

Brilliant. When you were starting to put in the reps in investing, this is really where you solidified something that you now call irrational confidence. Maybe just what does that mean to you? 

Marques Colston  

For me, it's understanding the odds that you're playing against, right? So for me, trying to get drafted and trying to go on and have a successful NFL career for the entrepreneurs that I was invested in is very, very similar odds, right? It's a very, very, very small percentage of the people that make it, and the other 98% don't make it. And you know, irrational confidence for me is understanding the odds, how they how they sit today, but also understanding that through working intentionally, I can shift the odds in my favor and to where that 98% becomes about you guys. I don't know which one of you 98% are not going to make it, but I'm gonna be in this top two because I'm not just putting in mindless work, I'm putting in intentional, strategic work that's getting me from the state that I'm at today to help me become who I need to be, to take advantage of the opportunity that I'm pursuing. And for me that feeling of irrational confidence was one that, again, is born out of stepping on Hofstra campus like I was at Alabama. It was born out of being drafted as the fourth to the last pick with a less than 1% chance to start. And, you know, it just kind of carried into the world of entrepreneurship with very similar odds. And when you're used to kind of dealing with that framing and that circumstance, entrepreneurship feels right at home for you.

Ryan Miller  

Brilliant so knowing the odds, but having the confidence, because the odds are really around things you don't control often, but the irrational confidence is saying it's not confidence or lack of confidence in the odds. It's confidence in your strategy and your ability to put in more time than anyone else. Would you say that's a fair summary?

Marques Colston  

100% and it's back to, it's back to the talent conversation, right? Because what, what the odds are measured against, are talent, tangible talent, what they can't account for intangibles. And you know, just like I know about any successful business person, just like I know about any successful athlete, it's the intangibles that get you to that point of success and allow you to sustain it. So the intangibles aren't the thing that you can that you can't really be measured from the outside. That's where the confidence comes in, you put in you put in the work you you're confident in your preparation more than anything else, if you can walk into a situation not completely knowing what to expect, but knowing that you are prepared in a way that you can take on the unexpected. That's where the confidence piece comes from.

Ryan Miller  

You remind me of an expression I used to say very often in school, is not everything that can be measured counts and not everything that counts can be measured. So I think that really ties right into the intangible stuff you're like, odds are really just based off things that can be measured, but not necessarily things that count. And so you're like, things that count are, I know what I'm able to do, I know what my strategy is that I know is not factored into the odds. This is why I love interviewing professional athletes, because it absolutely applies to investing. It's literally a game of odds and so often you have to look beyond the measurable parts, not that you ignore that. Of course, you pay attention to that, but you don't rely just on that. And so you're able to look beyond a lot of those things and find the unmeasurables that count. And that's where the irrational confidence comes in. I love it. So now you've gone from college kid with that irrational confidence to NFL right? Always you were up against the wall. You had the odds always against you, and you still pulled it out because you knew that there were things about you that were not put in the odds. I love that. So now you go doing your first deal, learning lessons about leadership and that fine line between active and passive and leadership and all star doing Angel deals, and now you're jumping into venture capital, or you have so you've got 100 mil ready to go, maybe walk us through, of going through, what was that catalyst that that really got you to go all in on venture capital?

Marques Colston  

So I had been in the space for a while, you know, just through, through my experience in the space, I started to see a couple trends, right? You know, my colleagues were still getting involved in the space, but ultimately, more, more often than not, the roles were like, brand ambassador, mascot, type of, type of roles, like, we're going to go and raise the smart money, and then we're going to bring you guys in to kind of be the shiny money and those opportunities financially, they work out. But you see, you see, far too many times where, when the things don't work out, you know, the athlete that got the advisory shares have nothing to show for it. Maybe something happens with the company like FTX. You know, when that whole, when that whole thing hit the fan, if you, if you watch closely, the first people to really be scrutinized with athletes that were the paid ambassadors, right? And then finally, the guys, and then the people that actually did the defrauding, got taken care of, right? So you kind of saw a trend of athletes being put in situations where they're not influential capital. They don't really have say so in the business, but they're the visible face of the business. And seeing that time and time again, on top of the fact that, you know, there just weren't, there just wasn't a lot of diversity across the types of people that were getting access to these investments, right? And so, so if the plan is to make your brand ambassador, you know, mascot, they're always going to find the most marketable players, right? So there's a contingent of players that never really got access to quality deals because they weren't marketable, right? 

Marques Colston  

So you just kind of saw this pattern over and over again, and you know, when I compared it to my upbringing and the fact that I didn't know this world existed until I got into the NFL, like you started to see these pockets of people that are just kind of left behind and left completely out of the conversation. And over the years, I tried to take that on, you know, from an educational standpoint at that, you know, with athletes, I launched a couple education programs, um, trying to help to connect athletes with education around venture capital and entrepreneurship. You know, I ended up partnering with Columbia Business School, and we launched a program, executive program, and ran it for about two years around that, and it just didn't gain the traction that I had hoped for. And, you know, the patterns never went anywhere, the same roles kind of never went anywhere, you know, I kind of got to a point. I co-founder of mine with the fund. We've been friends for about five or six years now. For a couple years, we just kind of would ideate around this topic. And finally, about 18 months ago, we just kind of got to a place where I think, you know, I was just in a place, you know, in my life, and ready to kind of turn the page on what I was doing at the time. I think he was in a similar space and we just started to spit ball around if we wanted to do something in the venture world, like, what could it look like, and how can we make it different? And, you know, we started to kind of put some ideas on paper. And the first thing that we led with was, it's got to be built around access. Access is the biggest bottleneck in venture capital, private equity, you see the same, you know, top 1-5% of folks get access to all of the quality deals, and then the rest of the world is dealing with all the shitty deals. 

Ryan Miller  

That's it.

Marques Colston  

You know, and having to pick from the trash pile. And, yeah, you know, what we saw was, if there was an opportunity, if there was a vehicle that we could create that gave the retail investor, the athlete, the same access as the institutional investor. That's something that we can get excited about. And then we started to think about, you know, where do we have influence? Where do we have the opportunity to kind of pull, pull together a team, and pull together people that can actually pull this vision off? And again, you know, he's a former MMA fighter. I obviously had my background in sports. We looked at the sports asset class and what's happening there, and we saw, you know, sports, sports is the thing that unites us all. Um, we're all kind of paying into the sports ecosystem in some form or fashion. Some of us plant paying it with blood sweat and tears. I've paid my blood sweat and tears, and now I'm paying into youth sports and travel sports with my kids, right? So people are investing in sports through their fandom, through their kids and their youth sports, through their own sports careers, but there's no meaningful way, and there's no meaningful ownership to get, to get anything back out of it, right? So it's a one way investment. 

Marques Colston  

So we kind of started to look at these different pieces, and we started to kind of put this puzzle together. We knew we had to have an accessible vehicle. We knew we wanted to be in sports. We also knew that we aren't, you know, cut from a cloth that can go right $600 million check to get a spot in, into MLB team or NFL team. So we knew we had to figure out, you know, where are the picks and shovels, you know, within the sports business. So we just kind of strategically started to put this, put this map together and put this puzzle together. And what we landed on is this concept that we're currently building out, called Champion Venture Partners. And it's, ultimately, it's a fund that's accessible to everyone, it's built around access. We're investing in what we call a sports value chain, which is, you know, the picks and shovels of the sports industry, everything from sports tech, whether it's enhancing player performance or enhancing business intelligence, fan engagement, media and content, which, if you look at all these crazy sports team valuations, the biggest catalyst are the TV rights deals. And you know that streaming is coming, you see Amazon, you see Netflix, right? So, so media and content is a big one, sports medicine, whether it's through health technology, health and wellness, holistic health, real estate, hospitality, a bunch of experiences. You know, the top golfs of the world. You see what's happening with this. I think it's called Cosm, the immersive game viewing experience. So you see all of these different these different pieces and these different verticals that make sports what it is. And you know, that's where our focus is, launching a fund that allows everyone from retail investor with 1000 bucks to institutional investor with a ten million minimum to invest in this fund, this evergreen fund that we are kind of building in the likeness of a Berkshire Hathaway type of model. 

Ryan Miller  

That's brilliant. And in this game that we call high finance. You hit it, you hit it, perfect. This is a game of access, and typically, however you get there, what I found is the key that unlocks the door for access often, and as a fund manager will say, is what I call R3 it's your reputation, your relationships and your results. And as you start to optimize those three assets, it starts to open doors for access. But what about those people who didn't? And that was the question that you and your partner, Nick as Champion Venture Partners, was born. You really said, but there are some people who still don't have access, who have excellent reputation, super honest, hard working, very talented, but maybe they just didn't have the exposure that we did. And what you did is, is you've opened this interval fund, and you're able to, you're able to really open up this, this can of worms, so to speak, but really open up access to people who may not have had the opportunity, that maybe they went, didn't go to the best school, or maybe doesn't, you know, they don't belong to the right country club or whatever. That's how it used to be. It really did. We all know it. It was just this very elite kind of people that get the best private deals and this whole show is on private alternative assets. And so opening up now you create an opportunity for all a fund for all accredited, non accredited, it's just opening up access to these deals, especially for those who can't. And I love that about you. That's one of the things that I've really come to admire about you, and you and I are very aligned on that. And I call it the rise of the rest, is to say there's just some people that got left behind that shouldn't, they're great. They just didn't have the opportunity or the right strategy or the right mentor to put their arm around and be like, All right, give me your kid. I'll show you how to get it done. So now I've had those moments where someone reached back and was like, let me help you out. And maybe you have to. And so that's back to that earlier point you made. That's leadership is going to these people and helping them to do things that they never thought they could. And it all starts with access to things that maybe they don't have access with. And so, you know, I would just summarize, just listening to you and getting to know your spirit and everything that you've done in your fund and and we certainly love you for it, man, but showing people that you don't have to sacrifice your perfect purpose to make profits. You don't have to sacrifice your purpose to make profits. And the other one is showcasing that show the world that not only will I provide access, but I will provide purpose, right? Like your very first deal, you loved it. Why? Wasn't because of the money, it was for the impact. And then you just kept putting in reps, and you kept that, that spirit about you, to say, I'm still going to produce an impact, but then we're also going to get partners, we're going to get teams, we're going to get everybody together. We're going to make profits from this. And now you've elevated it to say, Look, maybe the old way of doing it was this very closed community type of thing. I'm going to blow it wide open, and I'm going to make sure that investors have access to this, to some of the best deals that I can come by. So before we wrap anything, everything up. Is there anything else, any closing remarks, or anything at all?

Marques Colston  

No, I can. I can say this, man, I really enjoy getting to know you really enjoyed this show. And you know, I think the thing that connects us is, is this, this need and want to do what's right. And, you know, I think for me personally, I think part of that is understanding that, yes, I've been very, very fortunate and very blessed in the journey that I've been on. But it's also understanding that, if any, at any given point, any given one of those games, you know, I'm always an injury away from this whole thing that I've been building kind of falling apart. And I think you know when, when you are able to take not just the destination, but the process and the journey to that destination with you, and keep it with you. I think it gives you a lens that I know for myself. It's always kind of put me in a position where I'm always looking to figure out a way to make the path smoother for the younger version of me. And, you know, I think this fund is a, is a kind of a representation of that as somebody that without football, I don't have access to this world. I don't have access to any of the deals that we are looking to invest in and open up access for others to invest in. So I think you know that understanding, and you know bringing the process and the journey along with you kind of keeps you in a mode where the lens is always has a little bit of purity in it and a little bit of altruism in it, especially in this world that's way, way too cynical. But no, I appreciate, I appreciate this platform. I appreciate this conversation, because there aren't many that allow, you know, somebody with my background, to really go into the person, right? A lot of them stay surface level, and they dig into the persona and what it was like to play on Sundays. But the Sundays were where that's the icing on the cake. The real journey was, was, you know, Monday through Saturday. How do you get ready for Sunday? And I think that's the part of the journey that's transferable in every part. And I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to kind of walk through some of that, because I think the more that we can share those processes as individuals, the more we can help others along the way. 

Ryan Miller  

That's right. I appreciate you being open and vulnerable with us today, man. So just to summarize everything that Marques and I spoke about, just remember to be a leader before you're an all star. The other one is, find the platform to put in the reps at every level. There's no finish lines, there's only starting lines. So just make sure that you're always put in the reps no matter what starting line you're at. And number three, reach back and try to provide access. Not everybody has the opportunities you do. No matter where you are in life, there's someone praying to God right now to have your life, to have the opportunities, to even have another breath, so make sure that you're able to reach back like Marques is doing, is to say, I get the game. It's a game of access, and I'm going to provide that for people, and that's one of his biggest purposes. And then showcase your purpose alongside your profits. You do these things, and you too will be well on your way in your pursuit of Making Billions.

Ryan Miller  

Wow, what a show, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I did. Now, if you haven't done so already, be sure to leave a comment and review on new ideas and guests you want me to bring on for future episodes. Plus, why don't you head over to YouTube and see extra takes while you get to know our guests even better. And make sure to come back for our next episode, where we dive even deeper into the people, the process and the perspectives of both investors and founders. Until then, my friends, stay hungry, focus on your goals and keep grinding towards your dream of Making Billions.