Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant is an American retired professional basketball player and businessman. Mr. Bryant is co-founder and a General Partner of Bryant Stibel, a $100 million venture-capital fund partnership with Jeff Stibel, a longtime entrepreneur and investor. 

The firm has participated in 15 transactions since its inception in 2013. The team has collectively participated in over 50 transactions across diverse industries and sectors.

Current investments include sports media website The Players Tribune, videogame designer Scopely, legal-services company LegalZoom, a telemarketing-software firm called RingDNA, Alibaba a Chinese e-commerce company and a home-juicing company called Juicero.

Mr. Bryant is a five-time National Basketball Association champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and CEO of Kobe Inc. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a NBA Most Valuable Player, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, a 15-time All-NBA player, an 18-time NBA All-Star and the NBA’s No. 3 all-time scoring leader.

Since 2003, Bryant has partnered with Nike, playing a leadership role designing his footwear and leading storytelling related to Kobe Bryant product lines. In 2006, he launched the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation to give young people access to sports, mentorship and economic empowerment.

In 2009, he partnered with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation to create the Kobe China Fund, dedicated to the welfare and education of youth in China.

Historically Mr. Bryant has invested in entrepreneurial companies that share in his vision to build athletic excellence. In 2013, Mr. Bryant formed Kobe Inc., a multimedia content creation company focused on helping athletes learn the process of excellence and maximizing potential. Its first project through its Kobe Studios division, Bryant created and executive produced the documentary, Kobe Bryant’s Muse, which debuted in February 2015.

Mr. Bryant, 13 year old daughter Gianna Maria Onore and three others were killed in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. He is survived by his wife Vanessa, and their three daughters, Natalia, Bianca and their newborn Capri.