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

Mario Götze volition spell down successful shot past arsenic the subordinate who scored the winning extremity that made Germany the 2014 FIFA World Cup champion. But helium is besides an progressively seasoned angel investor.

Companion M, Götze’s idiosyncratic concern vehicle, present has a portfolio of much than 70 companies, 2 of which became unicorns successful 2025 — Danish fintech Flatpay and German AI startup Parloa. But the jock besides learned immoderate lessons on the mode astir vetting opportunities. “I lone hold to put if the startup and its founders cheque each the boxes,” helium told TechCrunch.

The boxes tin beryllium rather subjective astatine the signifier astatine which Götze invests — typically pre-seed and effect rounds, with summons sizes betwixt €25k and €50k ($29k-$58k). To code this, Götze says Companion M “focuses connected circumstantial areas wherever we person built profound web and expertise.” Surprisingly, sports isn’t 1 of those areas — astatine slightest not directly.

According to Götze, Companion M chiefly focuses connected B2B SaaS, bundle infrastructure and cybersecurity, arsenic good arsenic wellness and biotech. While that’s not sports tech per se, wellness and biotech are a earthy niche for an jock funny successful quality show and wellness — and who has the state to prosecute unconventional opportunities successful those fields.

In 2020, Götze made headlines for investing successful German cannabis startup Sanity Group erstwhile astir European organization investors wouldn’t interaction cannabis with a ten-foot pole. Since then, Germany has liberalized immoderate aspects of its cannabis laws, creating tailwinds for the startup that claimed a 10% share of the German aesculapian cannabis marketplace successful 2024.

With cannabis inactive forbidden for athletes successful competition, Götze volition person to hold to effort the worldly himself: the 33-year-old is inactive playing professionally astatine the apical league level with German nine Eintracht Frankfurt. But alternatively than waiting for retirement, helium is taking cues from American athlete-investors specified arsenic NBA champion Kevin Durant.

Götze is not the lone progressive European shot subordinate who besides invests successful startups — for instance, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé also do. But arsenic the begetter of 2 young daughters, helium has to equilibrium his assorted commitments. “I person to docket calls earlier oregon aft practices and align meetings with weeks erstwhile I don’t person distant games oregon play Champions League,” Götze wrote.

Götze isn’t doing it each himself, but helium is not simply entrusting others with his wealth either. Instead, helium created Companion M arsenic a tiny squad that supports him with angel investing, partnerships and different tasks. “These are important for myself arsenic a brand, peculiarly successful the agelong term, aft [my] progressive career,” helium explained.

There is an undeniable branding facet to these efforts. When Götze became Revolut’s first-ever marque ambassador for Germany, the fintech institution cited his way grounds arsenic an angel capitalist arsenic an incentive. But portion preparing for his post-soccer career, Götze has recovered what helium describes arsenic “another passionateness isolated from sport.”

This passionateness whitethorn beryllium little unexpected than it seems. While Götze and his brothers each became shot players, their begetter Jürgen is simply a prof astatine the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of TU Dortmund University, and the household spent clip successful Houston, Texas, erstwhile Jürgen was visiting Rice University arsenic a postdoctoral researcher.

Not coincidentally, Götze mostly invests successful Europe and successful the U.S., with past investments including Miami-based Arcee AI and Frankfurt-based Qualifyze. Several portfolio companies went connected to rise important amounts of follow-on funding, and it helium has already exited some, specified arsenic Berlin-based KoRo.

Exits springiness Götze superior to reinvest, but he’s besides focused connected semipermanent wealthiness consolidation. As a constricted partner, Companion backed much than 20 task superior firms connected some sides of the Atlantic, including 20VC, Cherry Ventures, EQT Ventures, Planet A, Merantix, Visionaries Club, and World Fund.

Götze is inactive nether declaration with his nine and is reportedly discussing an extension. But whenever helium yet retires, these task firms could number him arsenic a peer. “After my vocation ends, I program to absorption connected my concern activities,” helium told Bloomberg. But adjacent then, don’t expect him to people his anti-portfolio of startups helium passed connected and that aboriginal became immense successes.

“There are plentifulness of caller startups each year, and determination volition beryllium immoderate that you miss retired on. But regretting past decisions leads to making uneducated oregon impulsive decisions successful the future,” helium told TechCrunch. Spoken similar a existent sportsman: dwelling connected what you missed won’t assistance you people the adjacent goal.