The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) has confirmed a US$10 million investment into it by investment management firm Cordillera Investment Partners.
Cordillera Investment Partners invests in ‘niche, non-correlated assets’ [groups of assets where one asset may change due to market forces, other assets are unlikely to change].
Within sports, Cordillera sees opportunities in emerging leagues and formats, women’s sports, sports-related professional services businesses, and professional teams in lower tiers of competition. Since 2014, its has made investments into sports media rights, whiskey, boat marinas, carbon credits, and other niche sectors.
A founding investor in the PTO was Sir Michael Moritz in 2020. Other investors who joined a funding round in 2022 included: private equity fund Divergent Investments and Warner Bros Discovery, as well as health-focused venture fund, Eckuity.
“For over 10 years, it has been our mission to find the ‘nooks and crannies’ within overlooked sectors of the global economy,” said Agustin ‘Gus’ Araya, Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner at Cordillera.
“Sports is an industry we have had a thesis on for some time, and the Professional Triathletes Organisation is a prime example of an emerging league in a corner of the sports universe that is growing in popularity and fandom. We are thrilled to support Sam [Renouf] and the professional triathletes on their next phase of growth.”
PTO CEO Sam Renouf said “We are thrilled to have Cordillera’s support as we continue to elevate triathlon.
“Professional triathletes have seen the rise of our sport but the growth at the pro end hasn’t necessarily tracked the participation growth. Football, the NFL and tennis have been multibillion-dollar sports for a long time. Triathlon has really been in the dark ages from a commercial and broadcast perspective, and that’s why the PTO was formed.”
Renouf continued, “Triathlon appeals to the executive and the professional class – which is a very attractive group to market to. The whole point of the PTO is that although you have this incredibly valuable market that is global, it is completely fragmented by the lack of a media product and season-long narrative to showcase our amazing athletes.”
In 2024, the seven-leg T100 Triathlon World Tour established the new 100km distance (2km swim, 80km bike & 18km run) and created a season-long narrative. At an amateur level, T100 multisport weekends hosted more than 20,000 participants in Singapore, London, Ibiza, Lake Las Vegas and Dubai.
The 2025 T100 Triathlon World Tour will take place across nine races, including a return to Singapore to start the new series next month (April 5-6). It will then go to San Francisco (31 May-1 June), Vancouver (June 13-15), France (June 27-29 ), London (August 9-10), Valencia (September 20 ), Lake Las Vegas and Dubai (November 15-16). The series will climax in Qatar for the new Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final (December 12-13 ) with the PTO confirming a five-year partnership with Visit Qatar.
www.t100triathlon.com
www.protriathletes.org
www.cordillera-ip.com
