Our Team
Sean Foley
Sean Foley is a global sports executive with more than 20 years of experience with some of the industry’s most impactful athletes, investors, and sports institutions as an operator, entrepreneur, and investor.
After a four-year swimming career at The University of Texas, where he was a member of three National Championship teams, Sean began his career at Octagon, a leading global sports agency. There, he worked closely with Michael Phelps and current IOC President Kirsty Coventry, among other athletes and launched Disney’s Swim With The Stars, swimming’s first traveling showcase event.
Sean then returned to The University of Texas at Austin to pursue his MBA at the McCombs School of Business, including a semester abroad at HEC Paris. While earning his MBA, Sean worked with Lance Armstrong and Capital Sports & Entertainment, supporting Livestrong and the spinout of the firm’s music division to Live Nation, which later became C3 Presents.
After receiving his MBA, Sean joined Raptor Group, the family office of Jim Pallotta. Shortly after joining, Raptor acquired A.S. Roma, becoming the first foreign owner in Serie A. Sean served as Head of Global Media for the club, launching Roma Studio, one of the most innovative football media businesses at the time. He also launched partnerships with Google, Twitter, NBC and supported the club’s U.S. growth, including friendlies at Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. Sean worked with additional Raptor investments including Spartan Race where he secured obstacle racing’s first national television partnership with NBC.
After returning to Austin from New York City, Sean co-founded Nine Banded Whiskey. During his time as CEO of the company, Nine Banded earned Double Gold honors at the World Spirits Competition and enjoyed partnerships spanning sports and music, including with the Los Angeles Rams and Willie Nelson's Arlyn Studios. Nine Banded was ultimately acquired by New York-based No Sleep Beverage Ventures in 2025.
Sean co-founded Austin Sports Ventures (ASV) in 2023 to advise and invest across the global sports industry. ASV served as operating partner to Presidio Investors in its acquisition of Hellas Verona where Sean served as the club’s Chief Revenue Officer. ASV also advises organizations including London-based BLAST Esports and Serie A's Cagliari FC. Sean is also an ambassador for Discovery Land Company's Austin Surf Club, where he works closely with surfing legend Kelly Slater.
Sean is a Milwaukee native and two-time graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, earning both his B.A. and M.B.A.
Gennaro Leo
Gennaro Leo is an experienced operator and investor with a strong track record across venture capital, private equity, professional sports, venue development, technology commercialization, and M&A.
He is the co-founder of Austin Sports Ventures (ASV), launched in 2023 in partnership with Next Coast Ventures. ASV collaborates with venture firms like Next Coast and private equity groups such as Presidio Investors and Cagliari 1920, LLC to invest in and manage assets across professional sports teams, leagues, and high-growth companies. On behalf of Presidio Investors and Cagliari 1920, LLC, ASV led the advisory efforts in the acquisitions of Hellas Verona FC and Cagliari Calcio, and continues to support the ownership groups by leading commercial strategy and venue development initiatives for the clubs.
Previously, Gennaro held senior leadership roles at Creative Artists Agency (CAA ICON) and A.S. Roma/Raptor Group. At CAA ICON, he worked directly with founder and CEO Tim Romani and was involved across the firm’s portfolio of venue development projects. During his tenure at A.S. Roma, Gennaro served as Chief of Staff, overseeing operations, financial planning, and government & media relations for the club’s €2 billion stadium and mixed-use development. He reported directly to Raptor Group ownership and StadCo CEO David Ginsberg, Vice Chairman of Fenway Sports Group.
Gennaro began his career at Accrue Sports & Entertainment Ventures, one of the pioneering venture funds focused on sports-tech, founded by the former COO of the NHL and President of ABC Sports, Steve Solomon. He later joined the Innovation Accelerator & National Innovation Fund, a joint effort between the National Science Foundation and a VC fund in Omaha, where he helped commercialize over 100 SBIR-funded startups - including investments in BitSight and acquisitions like TouchCo (acquired by Amazon).
He also held leadership roles at Umbel, a sports and media data platform, and founded L8 Advisory Group. At L8, Gennaro advises and invests in companies such as UPROXX (acquired by Warner Music Group), RayV (acquired by Yahoo!), Robust Links (founded by MIT AI researchers), Outside Interactive, Inc., and RoRos Global Enterprises, a minority, female-founded media company.
Gennaro holds a dual degree in Economics and Italian Studies from Trinity College and is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy.