Mario Götze will go down in football history as the player who scored the winning goal that lifted Germany to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. But he is also an increasingly experienced angel investor.
Friend MGötze’s private investment vehicle, currently has a portfolio of more than 70 companies, two of which will be unicorns in 2025 — Fintech Denmark Flatpay and German AI startup parloa. But the athlete also learned a few lessons about vetting opportunities. “I only agree to invest if the startup and founders check all the boxes,” he told TechCrunch.
The box may be subjective at Götze’s stage of investment – mostly seed and seed rounds, with ticket sizes between €25k and €50k ($29k-$58k). To solve this problem, Götze says Companion M “focuses on specific areas where we have built deep networks and expertise.” Surprisingly, sports is not one of those areas – at least not directly.
According to Götze, Companion M mainly focuses on B2B SaaS, software infrastructure and cyber security, as well as healthcare and biotechnology. While it’s not sports tech, health and biotech is a natural niche for athletes interested in performance and human well-being – and who have the freedom to pursue unconventional opportunities in the field.
In 2020, Götze made headlines invested in German cannabis startup Sanity Group while most European institutional investors won’t touch weed with a 10 foot pole. Since then, Germany has been liberalized some aspects of its cannabis lawscreating tailwinds for startups that claim 10% share. of the German medical cannabis market in 2024.
With cannabis still banned for athletes in competition, Götze will have to wait to try the stuff: the 33-year-old is still playing professionally at the top league level with German club Eintracht Frankfurt. But instead of waiting for retirement, he took a cue from investors-American athletes such as NBA champions Kevin Durant.
Götze is not the only active European soccer player who also invests in startups – for example, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé also do. But as a father of two girls, he has to balance multiple commitments. “I have to schedule a call before or after training and coordinate the meeting with the week when I don’t have away games or play in the Champions League,” Götze write.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
|
13-15 October 2026
Götze doesn’t do everything himself, but he also doesn’t just rely on other people for money. Instead, he created Companion M as a small team that supports him with angel investments, partnerships and other tasks. “This is important to me as a brand, especially in the long term, after an active career,” he said explained.
There is an undeniable branding aspect to these efforts. While Götze is Revolut’s first brand ambassador for Germany, the fintech company quoted track record as an angel investor is an incentive. But as he prepares for his post-football career, Götze has found what he is doing state as “a passion other than sports.”
This spirit may be less unexpected than it seems. While Götze and his siblings were all soccer players, Jürgen’s father was a professor at TU Dortmund University’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, and the family stayed in Houston, Texas, while Jürgen visited Rice University as a postdoctoral researcher.
Incidentally, Götze mostly invests in Europe and in the US, with past investments including in Miami. Arcee and Frankfurt-based Qualifications. Some portfolio companies continue to raise funds continuously, and they have already exited some, such as the Berlin-based one. KoRo.
Exits give Götze capital to reinvest, but he also focuses on long-term wealth consolidation. As a limited partner, Companion backing more than 20 venture capital firms on both sides of the Atlantic, including 20VC, Cherry Ventures, EQT Ventures, Planet A, Merantix, Visionaries Club, and World Fund.
Götze is still under contract with the club discuss the extension. But when he finally retires, the venture firm can count him as a friend. “After my career is over, I plan to focus on investment activities,” he said Bloomberg. But even then, don’t expect them to publish an anti-portfolio of startups that go on to become huge successes.
“There are many new startups every year, and there will be some that you miss out on. But regretting past decisions leads to making uneducated or impulsive decisions in the future,” said TechCrunch. Said like a true sportsman: remembering what you missed won’t help you make the next goal.