Kevin Love joins Athletic Ventures as firm targets US expansion

Athletic Ventures has added NBA champion Kevin Love to its athlete venture partner roster, with the Australian Financial Review reporting that his appointment is intended to help the athlete-led venture capital firm build its US presence.

The firm’s own team directory lists Love among its athlete venture partners and links to a biography detailing his basketball career. Those primary materials confirm his inclusion in the team, but do not describe his responsibilities or provide an appointment date.

In a report published on 11 November 2026, the Financial Review said Love would recruit athletes and connect Athletic Ventures with Australian founders living in the US. The publication date does not establish when he joined the firm.

The report describes Athletic Ventures as co-founded by an AFL player and a leading Australian basketballer, and identifies the firm with Matthew Dellavedova in its headline. It calls Love a new venture partner and an 18-season NBA veteran.

Startup Daily also frames the appointment as part of a US expansion, with its headline saying Love will lead the Sydney venture capital firm’s move. However, the supplied extract contains no substantive article text setting out that role. The more specific account of his responsibilities comes from the Financial Review, rather than an announcement from Athletic Ventures.

Love’s profile on the firm’s website describes him as a five-time NBA All-Star, a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 championship team and an Olympic gold medallist with Team USA at London 2012. It also notes his mental health advocacy through the Kevin Love Fund.

He joins an athlete venture partner group that includes Australian cricketers Mitch Starc and Alyssa Healy, cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, Olympian and investor Tyler Martin, former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper, rugby league player Cam Murray and swimmer Bronte Campbell.

The reported US remit centres on athlete recruitment and connections with Australian founders, rather than a disclosed investment transaction. The supplied material does not specify a US office, an expansion budget, a new fund or any investments associated with Love’s appointment. Nor does it set out an ownership stake or investment commitment by Love.