Brandon Marshall to headline Seattle’s first Sports Venture Week

Seattle will host its inaugural Sports Venture Week from Nov. 30 to Dec. 5, bringing athletes, founders, investors and nonprofit leaders together for summits, pitches and a charity league. The week’s centerpiece is a keynote by Super Bowl champion and B.Marsh Acquisitions CEO Brandon Marshall.

Why it matters: - Sports Venture Week is designed to connect Seattle’s sports, tech, founder and funder communities in one place. - The event aims to turn those connections into deals, partnerships and nonprofit support across sports tech, women’s sports and underrepresented founders. - The week also adds a charitable competition model, with proceeds flowing to local nonprofits.

What happened: - Venture Black, a Seattle-based nonprofit, is leading Seattle’s first Sports Venture Week from Nov. 30 to Dec. 5. - The Washington Technology Industry Association, Founders Live and Gametime Hero are co-organizing the week. - Super Bowl champion and B.Marsh Acquisitions CEO Brandon Marshall will open the week with the keynote. - Court Lorenzini, founding CEO of DocuSign and founder and CEO of Venture Executive Network, is among the featured speakers. - Five signature events anchor the week, and a badge covering all five starts at $150. - Free events from sports, tech and venture groups will run throughout the week.

The details: - The Venture Club League runs as part of the conference and includes 16 clubs competing in 2-on-2 pickleball, 3-on-3 basketball and one-on-one esports. - Group play starts Nov. 30, and the championship is set for Dec. 5. - Each club plays for a local nonprofit of its choice. - Sixty percent of league proceeds go to those nonprofits. - Clubs and individual players can register at sportsventureweek.com, which is powered by Gametime Hero. - Monday, Nov. 30, features the Opening Day Summit & Expo at Hilton Motif Seattle, along with Marshall’s keynote, Lorenzini and other featured speakers, an expo and the league’s opening round. - Tuesday, Dec. 1, is GivingTuesday and includes the panel “Beyond the Game: Who Owns the Future of Women’s Sports?” before the Founders Live Athletes Big Bash at the Showbox. - Wednesday, Dec. 2, includes the “Rising Sports in Film Screening: Stories of Possibility,” after an afternoon session called “Start Like You Want to Finish.” - The screening lineup includes films from local and independent filmmakers focused on unconventional paths into business and the bonds sports create, including for athletes with disabilities. - Thursday, Dec. 3, brings “The Business of Women’s Sports” to Rough & Tumble in Ballard for a full-day track on the business of women’s sports. - Saturday, Dec. 5, includes the Venture Black Q4 Venture Conference at Hilton Motif Seattle, followed by the league championships and awards ceremony. - The full calendar, including free community events, is available at sportsventureweek.com. - Event badges, individual tickets and Venture Club League registration are available at the same site. - Applications are open to sponsor, speak, volunteer or host a free community event. - Media credentials can be requested from Evan Poncelet at admin@sportsventureweek.com. - Interviews with organizers and select speakers, plus logos, headshots and photos, are available on request. - Sports Venture Week is also on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Between the lines: - The lineup shows an effort to blend a startup conference with a live sports property, not just a traditional networking event. - The focus on women’s sports and underrepresented founders suggests a deliberate push toward categories drawing growing investor and audience attention. - The charity league format gives the event a public-facing community angle that could broaden participation beyond founders and investors.

What's next: - Organizers are still accepting sponsors, speakers, volunteers and hosts for free community events. - Registration remains open for badges, single events and the Venture Club League. - The week will culminate on Dec. 5 with the Q4 Venture Conference and league finals.

The bottom line: - Seattle’s first Sports Venture Week is built to convert sports enthusiasm into startup capital, nonprofit dollars and long-term business relationships.