Beckett Layne Ventures

ActiveVenture Capital

Updated: Mar 19, 2026 ·

About

Beckett Layne Ventures operates as a venture capital firm, providing capital and strategic advisory services to companies within the sports, media, and entertainment sectors. The firm focuses on entities powered by strong consumer brands, leveraging an integrated approach to growth. It combines investment with active partnership, aiming to foster development for its portfolio companies through direct engagement and strategic guidance, rather than passive capital deployment.

The firm was founded in 2018 by Brandon Berger. Berger, who previously served as Chief Digital Officer Worldwide for Ogilvy & Mather, brought an extensive background in digital strategy and brand building to his new venture. This experience informed the firm’s founding insight: to actively transform and scale businesses within the rapidly evolving entertainment landscape, recognizing the critical interplay between capital and strategic acumen.

Beckett Layne Ventures targets startups and growth-stage companies within its core sectors, functioning as a committed partner for their development. The firm’s overarching vision centers on building an entertainment platform designed to adapt and scale at the pace of cultural shifts. It aims to empower the next generation of sports, media, and entertainment ventures, positioning them for enduring influence and market leadership.

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Investments Made

Date	Company	Round	Lead Investor(s)	Co-Investor(s)
Oct 1, 2024	Best Day Brewing	$10.0M Series B	—	Arrive, BITKRAFT Ventures, E1 Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners, Insight Partners, Koch Fund, Lakeside Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Partners Resolute, Predictive VC, Henry Fertik, Kevin Colas, Rashaun Williams
May 1, 2022	Hugging Face	$100.0M Series C	—	A Capital, Accel, Act One Ventures, Addition, Adjacent, Anthemis Group, Arrive, Battery Ventures, Benchmark, Betaworks Ventures, BITKRAFT Ventures, Bonfire Ventures, Boost VC, BoxGroup, Browder Capital, Buckley Ventures, CapitalX, Coelius Capital, Composite Ventures, Contrary Capital, Crosscut Ventures, Cyberstarts VC, Kevin Ding, Dreamers VC, Drive Capital, E1 Ventures, Eight Roads Ventures, Factorial, Felicis Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Founders Fund, Future Shape, Gaingels, General Atlantic, GoAhead Ventures, Graph Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Griffin Gaming Partners, Highbury Group, Hustle Fund, Insight Partners, IVP, Koch Fund, KRM Interests LLC, Lakeside Capital, Lead Edge Capital, Leadout Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Liquid 2 Ventures, Long Ventures Partners, Lytical Ventures, Matchstick Ventures, Merus Capital, Metaplanet, Scott Sandell, NFX, Offline Ventures, Paradigm, Pareto Holdings, Partners Resolute, Predictive VC, Revolution Growth, Round One Capital, SCOR Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Shrug Capital, SignalFire, Splash Capital, Springdale Ventures, Henry Fertik, SV Angel, Marco DeMeireles, The Hit Forge, Thirty Five Ventures, Torch Capital, Ulu Ventures, Alex Rodriguez, Abrahami Avishai, Charlie Cheever, Clark Landry, Daren Cotter, Derrick Li, Eric Ries, Frederic Kerrest, Immad Akhund, Jaan Tallinn, Jennifer Lopez, Jiake Liu, Joe Greenstein, Karen King, Kevin Colas, Lev Ekster, Mark Cuban, Mark Pincus, Matthew Dellavedova, Michael Ma, Rashaun Williams, Ronny Conway, Ron Pragides, Ryan Carlson, Ryan Wyatt, Sahil Lavingia, Scott Belsky, Sheila Vashee, Tim Kendall, Todd Corenson
Oct 1, 2021	MoonPay	$560.0M Series A	—	7percent Ventures, Anorak Ventures, Highbury Group, 01 Ventures, 305 Ventures, 9Yards Capital, Aaron VanDevender, Activant Capital, Album VC, Alumni Ventures, Ambridge Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Andrus Purde, Angel investor, Anthony Pompliano, Arrive, Ballistic Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Bill Ackman, BITKRAFT Ventures, Bombas, Builders VC, Casa Verde Capital, Coelius Capital, CP Ventures, Craft Ventures, CRV, E1 Ventures, E-Merge, Evan Lee, Formic Ventures, Foundation Capital, Founders Fund, Foundry Group, General Atlantic, General Catalyst, Greenfield One, Griffin Gaming Partners, Haun Ventures, Henry Fertik, Indrek Kasela, Insight Partners, IVP, K2 Global, Kevin Colas, Khaled Helioui, Koch Fund, Lakeside Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Liza Landsman, Long Ventures Partners, Martin Villig, Märt Kelder, Mechanism Capital, Oak HC/FT, One Way Ventures, Othman Laraki, Paradigm, Pario Ventures, Partners Resolute, Pioneer Fund, Predictive VC, Preetha Parthasarathy, Rashaun Williams, Ribbit Capital, Russell Cook, Ryan Duranso, Sebastien Borget, Sequoia Capital, Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Soma Capital, Sound Ventures, Streamlined Ventures, Sung ho Choi, Team Ignite Ventures, The General Partnership, The Hit Forge, Trevor McFedries, Tribe Capital, TTV Capital, UpHonest Capital, Vera Equity, Wave Financial, WestCap, Winklevoss Capital
Sep 1, 2021	NOVOS	$3.0M Seed	—	Arkitekt Ventures, Arrive, BITKRAFT Ventures, Curie.Bio, E1 Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners, Insight Partners, Khosla Ventures, Koch Fund, Lakeside Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Operator Partners, Partners Resolute, Predictive VC, Henry Fertik, Assaf Wand, Kevin Colas, Oded Hermoni, Rashaun Williams
Jul 1, 2021	BlueOcean	$15.0M Series A	—	—
Apr 1, 2021	Outlier	$30.0M Series B	—	Addition, Arrive, BITKRAFT Ventures, Curie.Bio, E1 Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners, GV, Insight Partners, Koch Fund, Lakeside Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Operator Partners, Partners Resolute, Predictive VC, Henry Fertik, Tusk Venture Partners, Kevin Colas, Rashaun Williams
Dec 1, 2020	Catch Co.	$6.0M Series A	—	Craft Ventures, Ligature, Listen, Yes VC
Nov 1, 2020	Relativity Space	$500.0M Series D	—	01 Advisors, 2.12 Angels, 75 & Sunny, Kevin Hartz, Addition, AME Cloud Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Angelic Ventures, Arrive, BITKRAFT Ventures, Bond, Bono, Coinbase Ventures, Comcast Ventures, Cometa, Craft Ventures, Crosscut Ventures, Matt Ocko, DFJ, Digital Currency Group, Dispersion Capital, Dreamers VC, Drive Capital, DST Global, E1 Ventures, Entrée Capital Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Founders Fund, FTX Ventures, Gaingels, General Catalyst, Goodwater Capital, Greylock, Griffin Gaming Partners, Hardware Club, Index Ventures, Insight Partners, Shawn Modarresi, Kaszek Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Koch Fund, Lakeside Capital, Lakestar, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Locus Ventures, Marathon Venture Capital, Marcy Venture Partners, Mayfield, Menlo Ventures, Mouro Capital, MS&AD Ventures, Off the Grid Ventures, Outlander Labs, Pantera Capital, Partners Resolute, Playground Global, Portal Ventures, Predictive VC, PS Investments, QED Investors, Redpoint Ventures, RSE Ventures, Seven Seven Six, SNR, Sound Ventures, South Park Commons, Henry Fertik, The Finger Group, The Hit Forge, Thirty Five Ventures, Tiger Global Management, Tribe Capital, Trustbridge Partners, Uncork Capital, Verified Capital, Adam Gross, Anthony Pompliano, Asher Leids, Balaji Srinivasan, Chris Kelly, Christian Oestlien, Emil Michael, Fredrik Björk, Greg Kidd, James Hong, Jay Z, Jeff Seibert, John Hennessy, Kelvin Beachum Jr., Kevin Colas, Logan Paul, Mark Cuban, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Mazzeo, Nick Caldwell, Sahin Boydas, Shervin Pishevar, Shlomo Kramer, Varsha Rao, Wyc Grousbeck
Jan 1, 2020	Outlier	$12.0M Series A	—	Arrive, BITKRAFT Ventures, E1 Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners, Insight Partners, Koch Fund, Lakeside Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Partners Resolute, Predictive VC, Henry Fertik, Kevin Colas, Rashaun Williams
Dec 1, 2019	Jow	$7.0M Seed	—	Andreessen Horowitz, Angel investor, Archetype, Blisce, Bond, Bow Capital, Caffeinated Capital, Chapter One Ventures, Coatue, CoinFund, Compound, Craft Ventures, Dispersion Capital, Dreamers VC, Electric Capital, Graph Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners, Helium-3 Ventures, Ligature, Listen, North Island Ventures, Paradigm, Reform Ventures, Roosh Ventures, Sound Ventures, The Hit Forge, Thirty Five Ventures, Union Square Ventures, Yes VC, Andre Iguodala, Balaji Srinivasan, Bill Tai, Jeff Morris, Mark Pincus, Matt Bellamy, Rashaun Williams, William Mougayar
Sep 1, 2019	GitLab	$270.0M Series E	—	Arrive, BITKRAFT Ventures, Cedar Capital Group, Contrary Capital, E1 Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners, Insight Partners, Koch Fund, Lakeside Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Partners Resolute, Predictive VC, Henry Fertik, Kevin Colas, Rashaun Williams
Oct 1, 2018	Coinbase	$300.0M Series E	—	305 Ventures, Amino Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Arrive, BITKRAFT Ventures, Bora&Sons, E1 Ventures, Founders Fund, Gaingels, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Griffin Gaming Partners, Hitachi Ventures, Infinite Niches, Insight Partners, Koch Fund, Lakeside Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Oyster Ventures, Paradigm, Partners Resolute, Predictive VC, Rebel Fund, Softbank Group, Strategic Beta, Streamlined Ventures, SV Angel, The House Fund, Trajectory Ventures, UpHonest Capital, Walden Catalyst Ventures, Wing Venture Capital, Y Combinator, Jeff Bezos, Kevin Colas, Paul Graham, Rashaun Williams, Richard Branson, Sam Altman, Sue Xu
Oct 1, 2017	Catch Co.	$4.0M Series A	—	Craft Ventures, Foundry Group, Ligature, Listen, Race Capital, Red Swan Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures, Yes VC
Jul 1, 2013	Lettuce	$1.0M Seed	—	Bonfire Ventures, Crosscut Ventures, Summit Partners, Clark Landry, Gary Lauder, James Hong, Kim Perell, Mark Cuban
Nov 1, 2012	Nuzzel	$2.0M Seed	—	10100, 2xN, 8-Bit Capital, A Capital, Kevin Hartz, ACME Capital, Adapt Ventures, Alsop Louie Partners, Alumni Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Ankona Capital, Atomic, Authentic Ventures, Balderton Capital, Benchmark, Binary Capital, BoxGroup, Browder Capital, Caffeinated Capital, Capital Factory, CapitalX, Cota Capital, Craft Ventures, CRV, Matt Ocko, Zachary Bogue, DCVC (Data Collective), Draper Associates, DST Global, ENIAC Ventures, Expa, Fifth Wall, First Round Capital, Foundation Capital, Founder Collective, General Atlantic, Global Innovation Fund, Goat Capital, Graph Ventures, David Krane, M.G. Siegler, Hanabi Capital, High Alpha, IDG Ventures, Infinite Niches, Innovation Endeavors, Shawn Modarresi, K2 Global, Kapor Capital, Kepler Operator’s Fund, Kleiner Perkins, LAUNCH, Lead Edge Capital, Lifeline Ventures, LombardStreet Ventures, Long Journey Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Menlo Ventures, Mucker Capital, National Grid Partners, NextGen Venture Partners, NextView Ventures, Glenn Solomon, Not Boring Capital, Offline Ventures, Paradox Capital, Pareto Holdings, Pelion Venture Partners, Practical Venture Capital, Predictive VC, Pro Founders Capital, Propeller VC, QueensBridge Venture Partners, Raine Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Alexander Rosen, Ridge Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Seven Seven Six, Sherpalo Ventures, Sound Ventures, SRB Ventures, Structure Capital, Summit Partners, Techstars, The Hit Forge, Thirty Five Ventures, Uncork Capital, Vayner RSE, Y Combinator, Yes VC, Aaron Patzer, Adam Guild, Anthony Saleh, Babak Nivi, Bill Ackman, Brad Garlinghouse, Cory Levy, Dwipal Desai, Emmett Shear, Erik Moore, Gary Lauder, Jay Z, Jeff Bezos, Jeremy Stoppelman, JOHN FANNING, John Kobs, Josh Spear, Joshua Schachter, Khaled Helioui, Kyle Vogt, Mark Cuban, Matt Brezina, Megan Quinn, MG Siegler, Michael Levit, Michael Rapino, Priyank Chandra, Quinn Slack, Rich Miner, Rob Theis, Ronny Conway, Sam Altman, Scott Banister, Scott Belsky, Scot Wingo, Shane Battier, Shervin Pishevar, Tikhon Bernstam, Tom McInerney, Troy Carter, 1Flourish Capital, Aaron Harris, Aaron Levie, Addition, Advisors Fund LLC, Alison Pincus, Andy Bechtolsheim, AngelPad, Audrey Capital, Bankless Ventures, Betaworks Ventures, Coatue, Eric Hahn, Foundry Group, Fyrefly VC, Gigafund, Greylock, Harrison Metal, Insight Partners, Invariantes Fund, James Hong, Jean Pigozzi, Jim McLean, Josh Elman, Karl Jacob, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lightbank, Mark Pincus, Mary Jane Elmore, Matt Mazzeo, Nickyl Raithatha, O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, Pear VC, Peter Chernin, Pioneer Square Labs, Plug & Play Ventures, Prefix Capital, Radical Ventures, Rashaun Williams, Relay Ventures, Resolute Ventures, Richard Chen, Rick Johanson, Russell Fradin, Russ Fradin, Shelby Bonnie, Spark Capital, Streamlined Ventures, SV Angel, Tensility Venture Partners, ThirdLove, Transmedia Capital, Tribe Capital, Union Square Ventures, Webb Investment Network
Oct 1, 2012	SoundThinking	$12.0M Venture Round	—	City Light Capital, Dolby Family Ventures, Founders Fund, Team8, James Hong, Mark Cuban, Tom McInerney, Yuval Shahar
Jun 1, 2012	SoundThinking	$7.0M Venture Round	—	City Light Capital, Dolby Family Ventures, Founders Fund, Team8, James Hong, Mark Cuban, Tom McInerney, Yuval Shahar
May 1, 2012	Samba TV	$1.0M Series A	—	ACME Capital, Bam Ventures, B Capital Group, Benchmark, Bling Capital, Foundation Capital, Highland Capital Partners, IVP, OMERS Ventures, Science, The Hit Forge, Wasabi Ventures, Chris Yeh, Don Hutchison, Eric Ries, Jay Gould, Jim Young, Mike Tsao, Shervin Pishevar, Ulrich Gall
Jun 1, 2011	SoundThinking	$11.0M Venture Round	—	Catapult Capital, City Light Capital, Dolby Family Ventures, Founders Fund, Norwest Venture Partners, Team8, James Hong, Mark Cuban, Tom McInerney, Yuval Shahar
Jun 1, 2007	SoundThinking	$12.0M Series C	—	Dolby Family Ventures, Founders Fund, Team8, James Hong, Mark Cuban, Tom McInerney, Yuval Shahar
Apr 1, 2006	SoundThinking	$9.0M Series B	—	City Light Capital, James Hong, Mark Cuban, Tom McInerney

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Leadership Team

Key people at Beckett Layne Ventures.

Brandon Berger

Investor

Leadership Team

Key people at Beckett Layne Ventures.

Brandon Berger

Investor

Deep Dive

High-Level Overview

Beckett Layne Ventures (BLV) is a U.S.-based investment firm and strategic advisor specializing in sports, media, and entertainment companies powered by consumer brands. Their mission centers on partnering with and scaling companies at the intersection of brand, data, growth, and fandom, leveraging capital and strategic expertise to accelerate growth in culturally relevant sectors. Key sectors include professional sports teams, media platforms, and entertainment brands. BLV’s impact on the startup and broader ecosystem is marked by their ability to combine investment capital with operational and strategic support, enabling portfolio companies and assets to scale rapidly in dynamic consumer-driven markets[1].

A notable portfolio investment is their acquisition of an 80% stake in Italian soccer club AC Monza, marking their first foray into professional soccer. This investment aims to revitalize the club, which was relegated from Serie A, by leveraging BLV’s expertise in brand and growth strategy to enhance the club’s competitive and commercial prospects[2][4].

Origin Story

Beckett Layne Ventures was founded by a team of investors, operators, and executives with deep experience at the nexus of brand, data, growth, and fandom in sports and entertainment. Brandon Berger, a Managing Partner, brings significant digital and strategic expertise from his prior role as Chief Digital Officer Worldwide at Ogilvy & Mather, highlighting the firm’s emphasis on digital growth and brand strategy[1][6].

The firm’s acquisition of AC Monza in 2024 represents a pivotal moment, emerging from the opportunity created by the Berlusconi family’s exit from Italian soccer following Silvio Berlusconi’s death. The club had struggled financially and competitively, and BLV’s entry signals a strategic shift toward leveraging U.S.-based investment and operational expertise in European sports assets[2][3][4].

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: BLV combines capital investment with strategic advisory, focusing on scaling companies through brand, data analytics, and fan engagement rather than purely financial returns[1].
Network Strength: The firm is built by operators and executives with extensive networks across sports, media, and entertainment, enabling access to partnerships and growth opportunities.
Track Record: While relatively new in sports team ownership, BLV’s portfolio includes diverse consumer brand-driven companies, and their acquisition of AC Monza positions them uniquely in the sports investment landscape[1][2].
Operating Support: BLV provides hands-on strategic guidance, leveraging expertise in digital growth, brand building, and consumer engagement, exemplified by leadership such as Brandon Berger’s digital marketing background[6].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

BLV is riding the trend of increasing U.S. investment in European sports clubs, particularly soccer, where American investors bring new capital and data-driven growth strategies. The timing is critical as sports franchises seek to modernize operations, enhance fan engagement through digital platforms, and expand global brand presence. Market forces such as globalization of sports, rising media rights values, and consumer demand for immersive entertainment experiences favor BLV’s approach. Their influence extends beyond ownership to shaping how sports and entertainment companies integrate brand, data, and fandom to drive growth[1][2][4].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Beckett Layne Ventures is poised to deepen its footprint in sports and entertainment by leveraging its capital and strategic expertise to scale portfolio companies and assets like AC Monza. Trends such as AI-driven fan engagement, digital media expansion, and global brand partnerships will shape their journey. As they transition AC Monza back to Serie A competitiveness and commercial viability, BLV’s influence may grow as a model for combining investment with operational strategy in culturally driven sectors. Their success could catalyze further U.S. investment in European sports and entertainment, reinforcing their role as a capital and strategic partner at the speed of culture[1][2][6].

Sources

High-Level Overview

Origin Story

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: BLV combines capital investment with strategic advisory, focusing on scaling companies through brand, data analytics, and fan engagement rather than purely financial returns[1].
Network Strength: The firm is built by operators and executives with extensive networks across sports, media, and entertainment, enabling access to partnerships and growth opportunities.
Track Record: While relatively new in sports team ownership, BLV’s portfolio includes diverse consumer brand-driven companies, and their acquisition of AC Monza positions them uniquely in the sports investment landscape[1][2].
Operating Support: BLV provides hands-on strategic guidance, leveraging expertise in digital growth, brand building, and consumer engagement, exemplified by leadership such as Brandon Berger’s digital marketing background[6].