Key Takeaways
- Issa Rae invested in Unrivaled through the women’s basketball league’s oversubscribed Series C funding round, which pushed its valuation to $650 million.
- Unrivaled is Rae’s first investment in an entire sports league, and its announcement came less than two weeks after she backed Los Angeles Orbit.
- Rae joins an Unrivaled investor group that includes Stephen Curry, Coco Gauff, Carmelo Anthony, Dawn Staley and JuJu Watkins.
Issa Rae is putting more money behind women’s sports.
On Monday (Oct. 5), Unrivaled announced the actress, producer and entrepreneur as one of its newest investors. The move comes through the women’s basketball league’s oversubscribed Series C funding round, which was announced in August and pushed its valuation to $650 million.
For Rae, the investment goes beyond watching the league grow from the sidelines. She got an up-close look at Unrivaled last season before deciding to put her own money behind its future.
“Unrivaled speaks to me and everyone who wants to set new standards, and what the league has done and continues to do for the best women’s basketball players in the world is something I’m proud to invest in,” the Los Angeles native said in a press release. “After experiencing Unrivaled firsthand last season, it was clear that they’re building something special. I look forward to being part of the league’s growth and success to come.”
Unrivaled marks Rae’s first investment in an entire sports league, but it’s not her first recent bet on women athletes. In fact, the announcement arrives weeks after she invested in a professional women’s volleyball team.
Issa Rae is also investing in the Los Angeles Orbit women's volleyball team
On Sept. 25, the Los Angeles Orbit revealed its team name and identity at the Intuit Dome ahead of its inaugural League One Volleyball season. The “Insecure” star is part of the team’s ownership group alongside Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Savannah James.
The Los Angeles-based franchise will make its debut during LOVB’s third professional season, giving Rae stakes in women’s basketball and volleyball at a time when both leagues are building their audiences.
Her latest investment also puts her alongside some major names backing Unrivaled. The league’s investor group includes Stephen Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Coco Gauff, Wanda and Alex Sykes, Trae Young, Dawn Staley and JuJu Watkins, among others.
Outside of sports, Rae has built her business portfolio through HOORAE Media, which spans film, television, marketing and the Raedio record label. Now, she’s extending that entrepreneurial reach into women’s sports — and doing it across multiple courts. Unrivaled is set to tip off its third season this winter, with its full schedule and ticket information still to come.