Our Team

We will seek to capitalize on the industry experiences, network of relationships, domain expertise and deal-making abilities of our management team. The experiences of our management team members include running major league teams, a multi-platform media company, a successful sports tech business and a large innovation hub that includes sports tech ventures. The group also possesses public company, M&A and financial management experience, and a strong track record of private equity investments, including in sports tech. We believe our management team positions our company to efficiently find, screen and consummate an attractive transaction.

David Gow

Chairman & CEO

In August 2007, Mr. Gow founded Gow Media, a multi-platform media company with a portfolio of platforms, including ESPN Radio Houston, the SportsMap Radio Network and digital content sites CultureMap, SportsMap, InnovationMap and AutomotiveMap. Prior to Gow Media, between April 2002 to August 2007, Mr. Gow worked as a management consultant, providing advisory services involving strategic planning, fundraising, financial reviews and identification of new business opportunities for a portfolio of clients with a focus on ecommerce. From January 1999 through April 2002, Mr. Gow worked at Ashford.com, first as the CFO, leading a successful IPO, and ultimately as the CEO. From January 1996 to December 1998, Mr. Gow was the Director of Corporate Strategy at Compaq Computers, and from August 1993 to January 1996, Mr. Gow was a consultant at McKinsey & Co. Mr. Gow is the father of Lawson Gow, who will serve as Chief Strategy Officer.

Reid Ryan

Director

In 2000, Mr. Ryan became the Founder & CEO of Ryan-Sanders Baseball, Inc., an entity that owns the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. Ryan-Sanders Baseball, Inc. is an ownership group that includes his father, Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, his brother, Reese, and former Houston Astros part-owner Don Sanders. Mr. Ryan also serves on the board for Major League Baseball player development license group. In 2013, Mr. Ryan left Ryan-Sanders to become the president of the Houston Astros, which included two trips to the World Series and a World Championship in 2017, and later became Executive Advisor of Business Relations. Currently, he is the executive producer for a feature length “30-for-30 style” documentary on Nolan Ryan which will debut in 2022. Mr. Ryan’s also runs a family office that invests in sports tech properties and other sports-related companies. Mr. Ryan is also a former college and professional baseball player.

David Graff

Director

Mr. Graff is the CEO of Hudl, a large sports technology company headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, that he co-founded in 2006. Hudl is a software platform that helps coaches and athletes prepare for and stay ahead of the competition with video. Hudl offers a suite of products that over 180,000 global sports teams use at every level—from youth to professional organizations—to combine video and data to improve performance and showcase talent. Mr. Graff also serves on the board of directors for Nelnet (NYSE: NNI) and Assurity, both headquartered in Lincoln, Neb., and on the University of Nebraska Foundation and the Raikes School Advisory Board. In 2010, Mr. Graff was named on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.

Oliver Luck

Director

From June 2018 to April 2020, Mr. Luck served as the CEO and Commissioner of the XFL until it suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From June 2010 through 2017, Mr. Luck served as the Athletic Director at West Virginia University, his alma mater. In October 2013, Mr. Luck was one of 13 members unanimously chosen by the College Football Playoff Management Committee to select the four teams to compete in the first College Football Playoff which was to be held in 2015. In December 2014, Mr. Luck became the EVP for Regulatory Affairs for the NCAA. From 2005 to 2010, Mr. Luck was the first president and general manager of the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. From 2001 to 2005, he was the CEO of the Houston Sports Authority, the governmental entity created in 1997 to provide the financing, construction, and management oversight of the three large sports and entertainment venues in Houston–Minute Maid Park (home of the Houston Astros), NRG Stadium, (home of the Houston Texans), and the Toyota Center (home of the Houston Rockets). Prior to joining the Sports Authority, Mr. Luck was a top-ranking executive with the National Football League for more than ten years, where he served as Vice President of Business Development and President and CEO of NFL Europe. Mr. Luck spent five seasons in the National Football League as a quarterback for the Houston Oilers (1982–1986).

Steve Webster

Director

In 2005, Mr. Webster co-founded Avista Capital Partners, a large private equity firm, where he continues to serve as a Managing Director. In 2017, Mr. Webster co-founded Avista Energy Capital, a private equity firm making direct equity investments in energy companies. During his career, Mr. Webster has served on numerous public boards, including currently on Callon Petroleum (NYSE) since 2020, Oceaneering International (NYSE) since 2015 and Camden Property Trust (NYSE) since 1993. He is also active on numerous boards of private companies in which he holds investments. Mr. Webster is Managing Partner of AEC Partners (investing in energy) which he co-founded as well as Kestrel Capital, a family-owned partnership which has invested in a variety of businesses, including Gow Media. Since 2010, Mr. Webster has been an active investor in multi-family housing, land and other real estate with several different partners.

Jacob Swain

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Swain is the CEO of Incrementum, LLC, a company he founded in 2019 specializing in financial and information systems consulting. Before founding Incrementum, Mr. Swain served as the CEO of BBB Tank Services from 2016 through 2019 and the CFO from 2009 through 2016. BBB Tank Services provides construction and repair services for the aboveground storage tank industry. Mr. Swain served as the CTO and CFO of Bellatorum Resources, a company specializing in mineral rights investments, from March through November of 2019. Mr. Swain served in the United States Air Force from 2000 through 2004 with duty assignments in Texas, Germany, Qatar, and Hawaii.

Lawson Gow

Chief Strategy Officer

Mr. Gow is the Founder and President of The Cannon, an organization that provides startup businesses, investment groups, governments, corporations, and other strategic organizations with a variety of innovation solutions and incubator workspace, which he launched in 2017. Prior to The Cannon, Mr. Gow worked as an investment analyst for the global corporate venture capital firm, KPMG Capital, where he led the investment decisions of the $100M fund into technology startups, a role he held from 2013 to 2017. Mr. Gow is a board member of Central Houston Organization, an entity responsible for managing much of the funding and strategy associated with the growth and development of Downtown Houston, and a member of the Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee, an entity formed to develop a formal bid to the FIFA World Cup international site selection team on behalf of The City of Houston. Mr. Gow received the Houston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award in 2019.

Our Advisors

Ashley Dewalt

Advisor

Mr. DeWalt is a Managing Director with DivInc, an early-stage nonprofit accelerator where he is responsible for creating a network of investors, corporate partners, and industry vertical accelerators in Houston, TX. He also serves as a Principal with DivInc Ventures, an early-stage for-profit micro-venture fund where he's responsible for sourcing and executing investments. Before joining DivInc, Mr. DeWalt served as a management consultant for 15 plus years in the sports and entertainment industry. Mr. DeWalt brings deep domain expertise from his involvement with leading sports startups, talent, brands, and properties. Additionally, he serves as an advisor, mentor, and judge at Stadia Ventures, a leading accelerator and venture capital firm that invests in the sports sector. He is also a member of the advisory board at SXSW Pitch and on the Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee.