The Future of Sports & Wellness

Big News: Our Official Website Launching Soon! 🌍🚀

Exciting things are happening at Other Health Ventures! Our official website is set to launch by the end of March, providing a central hub for our latest insights on companies, trends, and investment opportunities in the health & wellness space. This platform will also serve as an investor portal, allowing you to track real-time investments and new opportunities in the industry.

What to Expect:

✅ Expert insights into health, wellness, and human performance startups.
✅ A dedicated blog covering trends shaping the industry.
✅ Exclusive access to our investor dashboard with live updates.

Be on the lookout for the official launch, and if you’re not already following us, check out our Instagram @otherhealthventures for the latest updates!

The Rise of New Leagues 🏂🏄

The world of action sports is entering a transformative era, with legacy competitions like X-Games, Dew Tour, and Street League now facing fresh challengers eager to reshape the industry. Among the most notable newcomers is Shaun White’s Snow League, which recently secured a $15 million investment to build a cutting-edge, athlete-first winter sports competition. Simultaneously, the launch of a new professional skateboarding league is setting the stage for a more structured and financially viable ecosystem for elite skateboarders. These leagues are not just creating alternative platforms for competition but are expanding the audience base, increasing sponsorship opportunities, and amplifying engagement among younger demographics.

As traditional extreme sports events have plateaued in viewership—X Games averaging 1.3 million viewers in 2023 and Dew Tour drawing 500K+ livestream spectators—new formats are injecting fresh excitement into the scene. With action sports projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2024 to 2030, these emerging leagues have the potential to attract new media rights deals, innovative brand partnerships, and investment capital from companies looking to align with an edgier, more engaged audience. As Gen Z and Millennials continue to favor individualistic and lifestyle-driven sports over conventional team sports, these leagues stand poised to redefine the business of action sports and bring about a new era of commercial viability for athletes.

The Running Boom: More Than a Trend, It’s a Movement 👟🏃

In 2024, running evolved from a personal fitness pursuit into a cultural movement, fueled by the rapid expansion of community-based run clubs, influencer-driven fitness trends, and strategic investments from performance brands. Unlike traditional endurance sports that rely on elite athletes to drive engagement, this surge in running participation has been fueled by grassroots movements, where everyday athletes have built strong communities around shared training, social connection, and lifestyle.

The numbers tell a compelling story—race event participation surged by 32% in 2024, run club memberships grew by 45% year-over-year, and performance footwear brands saw significant revenue increases, with Hoka reporting a 20% jump in sales. Brands like Bandit, Hoka, and On Cloud were quick to recognize this shift, embedding themselves within the culture by collaborating with running collectives, launching specialized gear, and fostering authentic community engagement. On the other hand, industry giant Nike was slower to react, only recently pivoting towards this movement with new product lines and activations tailored to this grassroots surge.

Looking ahead to 2025, the evolution of running is expected to continue at a rapid pace, with technology, apparel innovation, and experiential fitness activations playing a key role in shaping the industry. As more people seek socially connected fitness experiences, running brands will likely expand their efforts beyond product sales, embracing tech-driven training platforms, immersive events, and hybrid fitness-lifestyle offerings to sustain and amplify this growing movement.

📰 Other News:

• 🏈 Sony is bringing next-gen tech to Super Bowl LIX for the most immersive viewing yet.

• 🏋️ Tom Brady’s Autograph joins fitness app Future via merger.

• ⚽ Juventus becomes the first Italian club in the Infinity League, blending sport & tech.

• ⚾️ MLB’s Robo-Umps debut in Spring Training—will they revolutionize the game?

• 🕶️ Meta is developing Oakley smart glasses for elite athletes.

• 🏀 NBA eyes European expansion—a new league on the horizon?

• 🏉 Premiership Rugby is investing heavily in digital content to engage global fans.

• 💰 Future star Arch Manning secures a $6.6M NIL deal with Red Bull.

• 🍿 KUDO Protein Popcorn revamps its lineup—now packing 16-32g protein per bag!

💸Money Moves:

Wellness:

• 🥥 ZICO locks in $9.1M Series B to expand premium coconut water.

• 🧬 Manas AI secures $24.6M to revolutionize AI-driven cancer treatment.

• 👶 Gaia raises $14M for fertility insurance innovation.

• 🏥 Neko Health secures $260M Series B to expand preventative healthcare.

Human Performance:

• 📺 DAZN founder Leonard Blavatnik pumps $827M more into sports streaming dominance.

• ⚽ Presidio Investors takes full control of Serie A’s Hellas Verona.

• 🏓 MLP’s AZ Drive sells a majority stake—$10M+ valuation signals rising interest in Pickleball.

• 🏆 Autograph & Future merge, blending AI-driven coaching, pro athletes, and next-gen human performance tech.

• Fitlab acquires popular Y7 yoga studio chain