Iris to Host Latest Edition of Program Helping Athletes Break Into Business

STRENGTH TRAINING: Iris Ventures plans to launch the second edition of Beyond the Finish Line, its educational giveback program that helps athletes with financial, brand-building and entrepreneurship tools to help build their post-competitive careers.

Iris’ belief is that athletes — like entrepreneurs — have the discipline, resilience and leadership to create enduring impact off the field.

“As athletes emerge as the next generation of genuine culture-makers, we are unlocking their untapped potential,” said Montse Suarez, founder of Iris Ventures. She said the positive response to the first edition “reinforced how critical this kind of support and mentorship” are.

Beyond the Finish Line offers a select, annual cohort of professional, semi-professional and former athletes, as well as managers, coaches, and agents, access to expert-led sessions and practical resources across core pillars of brand building, financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

Marc Calzada, investor at Iris Ventures and a former athlete, said that with participation from Alexia Putellas, Sergi Roberto, Paula Josemaría “and a strong roster of Olympic athletes, the program is positioning itself as the go-to for the next generation of athlete creatives.”

Putellas is one of the highest-paid female footballers worldwide, and plays for FC Barcelona Femení and Spain’s national soccer team. Roberto plays for the top-tier Italian soccer team Como 1907, while Josemaría is a champion professional padel player.

The second edition will offer workshops, mentoring and interactive discussions led by founders, investors and operators who have partnered closely with elite athletes or navigated similar transitions themselves. The three-day, online program is free of charge, and will take place over the space of three weeks in late February and early March.

Iris Ventures has invested in a number of athlete-led, performance-driven brands, including Maurten, the sports nutrition company, and Saysh, the performance footwear brand founded by Olympic champion Allyson Felix. Iris is also an investor in Healf, the wellness retail platform that creates in-depth content and tailor-made health plans for customers.

By expanding the program into its second edition, Iris Ventures said it wants to reaffirm its conviction “that the end of a sporting career is not a finish line,” but the beginning of a new chapter for leadership, creativity and influence.