Thanks to Pat Coyle over at Sports Marketing 2.0 we have learned that Accrue Sports and Entertainment Ventures has opened up. Their catch phrase is “We identify next-generation sports-related companies involved in the media, entertainment and technology sectors.” The firm is led by:

Bryant Mcbride: He advised Sports Technologies, Inc. (STI) from its initial capital raise to the sale of its flagship property, FanNation, to Sports Illustrated/Time Warner. In addition to purchasing 100% of FanNation, Time Warner purchased a minority stake in STI. In 2005, he sponsored an investment in Football Scouts, Inc. and spearheaded the sale of that company to ESPN 14 months later, which generated a significant return to investors.

Steve Solomon: Since 2001, Steve has developed a leading advisory and consulting business, SJS Sports. Steve is recognized as a leader in the sports and broadcast industries with a deep understanding of the convergence of the digital/broadcast worlds and its effect on sports content and sports properties. Clients of SJS have included Major League Soccer, National Hockey League, Sports Illustrated, Octagon Worldwide, Tickets.com, Stats, Inc., Buffalo Sabres, NY Road Runners, Southeastern Conference, New York Red Bulls and Little League International, among others.

Paul Levy: Prior to Accrue, Paul was a Vice President with Main Street Resources, a private equity firm with $100 million under management focusing on both growth capital investments and buyouts in the lower middle market. Prior to Main Street, Paul was co-founder and CEO of Live Audience Business Solutions (LABS), a ticketing technology company focused on the Live Entertainment and Sports vertical that he sold to SmartDM, a Nashville-based CRM company in 2004.

Its great to see a venture firm started just to focus on the sports industry. We are sure any of our readers would love to work with an organization like this to develop a great sports company. If you have a good business plan, they are accepting them here: http://www.accruesev.com/contact.html