The German SailGP racing team has gained new national and international partners. The Viessmann Generations Group (3.5 per cent) and the international group Bolt Ventures (27 per cent) have joined the existing four shareholders. Bolt Ventures is backed by international professional sports investor David Blitzer, among others. Team co-founder Thomas Riedel remains the majority shareholder of the racing team with around 56 per cent. Sebastian Vettel holds 7.1 per cent.
Team Germany's pool of investors is growing
Other shareholders have long included Wacken Festival initiator Holger Hübner and Ralf Reichert, founder of the e-sports league ESL. The investment company Blue Pool Capital from Hong Kong, financial investor Lester Fernandez (Segovia Capital/McGill University/Montreal) and professional footballer Maximilian Arnold are now also among the newcomers.
The captain of Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg explained: "Through the close dialogue with Thomas Riedel, I quickly realised how much innovative power and sporting excellence there is in this project. His vision and passion for the project immediately won me over." Riedel is also well-known in the Bundesliga because his RefCam referee camera system will be used at matches after the 2024 premiere. Riedel technology is also in demand at the SailGP.
The German SailGP team licence, originally acquired in 2023 for 20 million euros, is currently valued at around 50 to 70 million euros according to team information and league estimates. Yacht online also reported on this here. According to a recent press release from the Germany SailGP team on the topic of investors, the expansion of the group of shareholders "strengthens the economic basis of the team and is intended in particular to drive forward sporting performance, technological development and the expansion of international brand and marketing activities".
Sebastian Vettel: "SailGP reminds me of Formula 1 in many ways"
The founders and owners of the German racing team see the commitment of the new investors and partners as a vote of confidence in the German team's course. They also see the growth as a welcome boost in the search for further sponsors for their involvement in the SailGP World League. Deutsche Bank is currently the largest partner here.
Sebastian Vettel, one of the first members of the Germany SailGP team, said: "In many ways, the SailGP reminds me of Formula 1: high-tech, data-driven, with extremely small margins. This sporting ambition was one of the main reasons for setting up the German team and developing it step by step. I am therefore all the more pleased that committed partners are now following this path."
Co-founder, conductor and driver Thomas Riedel had already said at the start of his involvement that further strong partners were needed for the German racing team's rise in the fast-paced world league of sailing. The telecommunications entrepreneur said with regard to the now grown family of investors: "From the very beginning, our goal was not to build the team alone, but together with strong partners. Now that the model has proven itself in sporting and operational terms, we have been able to attract investors who want to play an active role."
This creates a solid basis for the next development phase." Thomas Riedel
The CEO of the Germany SailGP team is looking positively to the future with the increased group of investors and newfound strength. Tim Krieglstein commented on the latest developments: "SailGP has developed into a league system with a clear economic structure. The fact that investors are specifically choosing our German team shows that our work and our growth within the league are perceived as relevant and resilient."
The next endurance test for Team Germany and the other twelve racing teams comes with event two of the new sixth season on 14th and 15th February in Auckland, where a new spectator record is expected with more than 30,000 fans.
