John Legend is just one of multiple celebrities joining a $2 million funding round for sports-focused media site, Fantasy Life.
Fantasy Life Founder & NBC Sports analyst Matthew Berry says the funding will be used to expand the company’s list of products, its staff count, and invest in paid marketing campaigns. Investors for this funding round included John Legend, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, LeBron James’ investment firm LRMR and Maverick Carter.
YouTube Co-Founder Chard Hurley and Wasserman CEO Casey Wasserman also contributed to funding and will serve on the Fantasy Life board of directors alongside Carter and others.
Fantasy Life started began its nascent journey as a daily email newsletter about fantasy football. It has grown into a media site that offers rankings, waiver wire, start sit, traders, tools, and more for fans of fantasy football and more. It also includes a weekday show that airs on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio.
Legend himself is no stranger to investing in companies beyond his wheelhouse. He’s the Co-Founder of Bungalow Clothing and has participated as a seed investor in companies like Walker & Company, Trhive Market, and Gobbler. His latest investments this year include in Tally Health, a biotechnology company aimed at improving health and longevity and Bezel, a marketplace aimed at buying and selling watches.
John Legend also invested in JusticeText in September 2022. That company aims to help public defenders better analyze the evidence available to them and provide defense of those they’re helping. The service automatically transcribes criminal evidence data, making it searchable by keywords, weapons, drugs, crimes, and provides attorneys a way to create videos to use in hearings and trials. The company is working with 50 public defender offices around the country and it has around 60 clients who are private criminal defense attorneys.