Alternative asset managers, which stayed out of the public eye for years, are now being spotted with some of the largest names in sports as managers see an opportunity to raise capital from a new investor base. 

With alternative asset managers creating more liquid investment vehicles that suit the needs of individual investors and the regulatory environment in the US encouraging the distribution of alternative investment products, individual investors could become a key source of inflows. Individual investors across the income spectrum collectively hold around 50% of global assets but represent just 16% of alternative assets under management, according to a 2025 Bain & Co report. 

Alternative managers are eager to boost that percentage, and sporting events present an attractive arena to introduce their names to this new investor base. 

“Alternative firms need to create some kind of relatability because they have been so opaque in the past,” Danny Harper, strategy director at investment marketing and branding firm MBC Strategic, said. Tying themselves to certain sports can create a bridge of relatability and more trust for investors that do not know them. 

Last week, Carlyle became the “exclusive investment management partner” of the Formula One racing team, Oracle Red Bull Racing. In the announcement, Carlyle claimed it is the first major global private markets firm to strike a partnership with a Formula One team and that the multi-year partnership will give the asset manager a platform to reach investors globally. 

Under the agreement, Carlyle’s branding will be featured on the Oracle Red Bull Racing team’s key assets such as the car and pit wall. Their drivers will also be wearing the Carlyle branding. 

Blue Owl struck a similar branding agreement in the world of tennis earlier this year. The alternative asset manager announced that it would be the “exclusive financial services partner” for the professional tennis’ Player Patch Program and that it has struck a sponsorship agreement to expand their presence at all Grand Slam tournaments in 2025. The Blue Owl logo would be seen on the shirts of select male and female players at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open tournaments. 

In addition to its name on the tennis courts, Blue Owl would be featured in transit hubs, social media and digital media during the Australian Open to raise brand awareness, a press release from that time shows. 

For Blue Owl, fundraising from the private wealth channel contributed USD 4.4bn in 2Q25, according to an earnings presentation. Drivers included products from the direct lending and alternative credit strategies in Credit, products from the net lease strategy in real assets and products from the GP minority stakes strategy in GP Strategic Capital. 

Private markets giant Apollo Management is also building its brand in the sporting world. Last year, the firm announced a brand partnership with PGA TOUR golfer Patrick Cantlay and the firm name appeared on the decorated golfer’s hat. Apollo recorded more than USD 9bn in inflows from the global wealth in the first half of the year, up 40% from the period a year ago, the firm said on its second quarter earnings call. 

“Specific sports events are a unique sponsorship avenue for large private capital managers,” said Daniil Shapiro, a director in Cerulli’s Product Development practice. They allow firms to target wealthy individual investors and improve brand visibility at a time when alternative managers are looking to win a greater portion of investor portfolios. Given individual investors’ general lack of familiarity with private market asset managers, well targeted spending can go a long way in cementing a brand as an industry leader, he added. 

Alternative asset managers understand that they need to change their tactics and strategy around branding when it comes to reaching individual investors, Harper said. With institutional investors, brand recognition and thus fundraising relied a lot on direct relationships with the institutions and word-of-mouth. 

“The people who knew, knew,” Harper said. “They were larger mandates as well, so [managers] didn’t need to market to as many people.” 

Brand awareness for the larger mass affluent channels must be approached differently. The strategy revolves less around direct relationships and more around developing the right brand perception and trust, Harper said. 

“It’s more of a consumer-style brand awareness where you just have to solidify your place in the public,” Harper said. “That’s how retail investors sometimes make their decisions, they see a brand a lot, they understand that it’s kind of entrenched in the marketplace and established.” 

This investor base needs to feel trust toward the brand to move forward with allocating capital, and managers can use the sports angle to create a better connection. People follow sports teams very closely and feel emotionally tied to them, creating a positive association for the firm, Harper said. Certain sports like F1, golf, tennis and lacrosse draw in a higher income crowd, which is the target audience for many alternative asset managers. 

Good brand recognition can help the end investor feel comfortable approving an investment recommendation made by a financial advisor, MBC Strategic founder Matt Brunini said. At the same time, the brand visibility might result in the investor proactively asking the advisor about the firm or product. Sponsoring sports teams and events are “a soft sell,” for managers. Time will tell whether the brand visibility at the event directly leads to inflows as an investor might be influenced consciously or unconsciously. 

“The branding leaders are jumping in quickly and we do think that the rest of the industry is going to follow suit,” he said.