Oakley Capital Investments has invested in Athena Racing, the British America’s Cup team led by Olympic sailing legend Sir Ben Ainslie, through its Origin II fund.
The investment follows the establishment of the America’s Cup Partnership, a new governance structure positioning the 174-year-old competition as a more commercially viable global sports property. Oakley played a key role in shaping this framework, which grants the five founding teams, including Athena, equal partnership status with board representation and introduces professional management to drive revenue growth.
The deal reflects Oakley’s conviction in premium sports properties with strong heritage and commercial potential. The America’s Cup combines advanced technology, elite competition and significant brand appeal. Only four nations have claimed the trophy since its inception in 1851.
Oakley will support commercial partnership development, brand expansion and operational scaling. Athena Racing will also collaborate with sister company Emirates GBR, Britain’s SailGP representative, to create enhanced sponsor and talent propositions across elite sailing competitions.
“The America’s Cup is the pinnacle of sailing and an icon of sport, won by only four nations since 1851,” said Peter Dubens, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Oakley Capital.
“We’re partnering with Sir Ben and the Athena team precisely as the Cup enters a new era. With strong governance and a neutral management team focused on audience and media growth, the competition is set to broaden its appeal, improve accessibility and ensure long-term sustainability.”
Today’s announcement follows recent investments in Time Out Group, which is advancing the expansion of its markets business, and in a Spanish hotel management tech company, Paraty Tech.
Oakley Capital Investments’ NAV is up 5% over the past 52 weeks.