Revolutionizing Sport: NXTPLAY Capital&#8217;s Vision for Fan Engagement and Athlete Investment at Web Summit Lisbon 2026
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<aside>(This article was generated with AI and it&#8217;s based on a AI-generated transcription of a real talk on stage. While we strive for accuracy, we encourage readers to verify important information.)</aside>
<img decoding="async" src="https://web-summit-engine.imgix.net/tnaldqij7zq7ayljfs4bm5j13pi9?auto=format&amp;fit=fill&amp;fill=solid&amp;fill-color=white&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fm=jpg&amp;dl=Gonzalo Vila.jpg" alt="Gonzalo Vila, Thibaut Courtois, Adam Leventhal" align="left" hspace="10" width="200" style="float:left;margin-right: 15px">
At Web Summit Lisbon 2026, Real Madrid footballer and investor Mr. Thibaut Courtois, alongside NXTPLAY Capital Co-Founder &amp; CEO Mr. Gonzalo Vila, discussed their venture to build an &#8220;operating system for modern sport.&#8221; Moderated by Mr. Adam Leventhal, the session explored NXTPLAY&#8217;s mission to revolutionize the sports industry through strategic investment and enhanced fan engagement, moving beyond traditional models.

Mr. Courtois explained his shift from short-term endorsement deals to seeking long-term equity and active involvement in companies. He desires to help businesses grow and contribute beyond being just an image, reflecting a trend among athletes to build lasting legacies and financial security. He highlighted the critical need for sport to evolve, with modern fans demanding closer connections with players and teams.

Mr. Courtois stressed leveraging technology to foster these connections, noting how NXTPLAY&#8217;s expertise can significantly benefit clubs, especially those in lower leagues, by improving data utilization and overall operations. Mr. Vila detailed NXTPLAY Capital&#8217;s strategy, centering on understanding and mobilizing audiences across various transversal segments, including football assets, media, and technology.

NXTPLAY&#8217;s portfolio also strategically engages with consumer brands to optimize customer acquisition by leveraging their existing sports audience, creating a holistic ecosystem. They address a key challenge: many clubs struggle to expand their business beyond traditional revenue streams and effectively &#8220;own&#8221; their global fan base, which NXTPLAY aims to bridge through direct distribution and monetization.

The co-founders stressed the unique value of athlete involvement. Mr. Vila noted that the expertise of players like Mr. Courtois offers &#8220;priceless&#8221; insights into sports operations, a perspective often lacking among institutional investors. This direct knowledge, combined with access and deal flow, is crucial for identifying and successfully monetizing long-term investments in the sports sector.

Mr. Courtois shared his personal journey of learning through investments, emphasizing spreading risk and pursuing ventures driven by genuine passion. His experience, including an ACL injury, reinforced the need for post-career planning. He observed growing interest from other athletes in NXTPLAY&#8217;s model, seeing it as a new, reliable path for sportsmen to secure their future and diversify income.

NXTPLAY envisions itself as a multi-decade project, aiming to raise its first fund to scale operations. Mr. Vila believes European sports assets are significantly undervalued, offering immense potential. The company aspires to become a leading reference for sports investment in Europe, driving growth by integrating athletes as owners, attracting private equity, and educating institutional capital on sports valuations.

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