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Amath M'Baye, Efes: 'Two worlds kind of came together'

Amath M'Baye, Efes: 'Two worlds kind of came together'

Interviews

10 April 20237 Mins read

Amath M'Baye, Efes: 'Two worlds kind of came together'

When he's not making and blocking shots on the basketball court, Anadolu Efes Istanbul forward Amath M'Baye can most likely be found networking in a completely different orbit, that of start-up founders and investors trying to get in on the ground floor of the next big thing in business.

M'Baye last year started Off Court Ventures with a former teammate, Tony Taylor of 7DAYS EuroCup team Turk Telekom Ankara, and another friend, Nick Hendra, to offer an investment avenue to pro athletes looking to prepare themselves for when their careers end.

Since graduating from the University of Oklahoma a decade ago and starting his pro career, M'Baye has always had interests on the side, mainly in website design and development, which drew him into the world of startups. His curiosity about stocks and entrepreneurship came along next, and as he says, "these two worlds kind of came together when we created Off-Court Ventures, and it's been super fun."

"We started small, doing deal-by-deal things, investing in diverse founders and founders who we really like their stories, we like what they're building," M'Baye explains. "We wanted to be a part of that... It's moving along and it's something that's super fun and exciting to do on the side."

If you want to get in, great, but if you don't, on to the next deal."

Amath M'BayeCo-Founder, Off Court Ventures

In so doing, M'Baye has joined a trend among pro athletes who are not waiting until they retire to make business decisions about their post-career futures. Among them are M'Baye's own cousin, Axel Toupane of EuroCup team Paris Basketball, who spent summers between seasons learning business and has founded his own capital investment company.

A primary aim of M'Baye's is to open opportunities to other pro athletes who may not have thought yet about diversifying their financial and intellectual pursuits beyond sports. Once he and the team at Off Court Ventures perform due diligence on potential investments, they offer the same opportunity without pressure to others.

"We get pitched by companies and as a group we sit down and vet all those deals to see which ones are interesting for us in our network," M'Baye explains. "From there, we contact the people who we believe will be interested in the product. We have calls with them, we set up a meeting with the founders, so they hear from the founders what the company is all about and where they plan on taking it. Then, after that, it's their decision if they want to invest or not. We're not really pushy.

"The way I've always liked to do it is: I'm personally going to invest in it, I think it's a great opportunity, and I bring it to you to see if it's something you believe in, as well. And if you want to get in, great, but if you don't, on to the next deal. Hopefully, we'll find something else that you like."

The conversations I'm having in the locker room now, they are completely different."

Amath M'BayeCo-Founder, Off Court Ventures

Part of what M'Baye loves about his side-line, and why he wants to bring it to other athletes, is that he couldn't have imagined that he'd be passionate about investing back in 2013 when he turned pro.

"Just to think about the conversations I used to have in the locker room 10 years ago and the conversations I'm having in the locker room now, they are completely different," he says. "Now, we're talking so much more about everything that is investing and entrepreneurship than before. Like, a lot more, 100% more. That's not even a conversation that I had in my rookie year or my first few years."

Although he came into investing from an interest in high tech, Off Court Ventures also invests in startups with tangible products that are trying to reinvent things like coffee, soda, supplements and gym equipment.

"It's super-dope for me to go from just a customer, or maybe an ambassador where I'm repping the brand and I just get free product, to really investing in something because I believe in it," he says. "So now, I'm investing because I tried the product, I love the product, and that's something I would love to talk about to my friends and colleagues and teammates. And because that's why I am investing in it, now I'm really a part of the company. Just to get in early in a company that I think has a lot of potential is very exciting."