Chris Paul recently published a LinkedIn article titled “The Rise of the Executive Athlete,” introducing a term that captures a shift we’ve been watching for years.

The idea is not that every athlete needs to become a CEO. It is that athletes are starting to understand the full value of what they bring to a business: access, credibility, network, lived experience, and the ability to move culture.

Paul: “We don’t have to run the business to help build it. That’s the distinction. And once you understand it, everything changes.”

For years, the endorsement model was straightforward. A company paid an athlete, the athlete appeared in the campaign, and their name, image, and likeness helped sell the product. That model still works, but it often leaves athletes outside the upside they help create.

Today, the “Executive Athlete” realizes they do not need to operate the company day to day, but they can help build it through product feedback, strategic introductions, audience trust, market credibility, and long-term alignment.

Paul has been building this way for years. Over a 21-season NBA career, he earned roughly $400 million in salary and another $100 million in endorsements. Alongside that, Crunchbase lists 19 portfolio companies for Paul as an individual investor, including Hyperice, Beyond Meat, and Angel City FC. He has also built around food, wellness, and media through Good Eat’n and Ohh Dip!!! Entertainment.

Beyond a celebrity name endorsing the brand, CP3 shows how athletes can use influence as business infrastructure. The value comes from showing up, understanding the company, lending credibility, and helping open doors that traditional capital cannot always open.

The shift is spreading across the industry through athletes. Stephen Curry is pushing for the NBA’s CBA to allow active players to participate in team equity. Serena Williams has built Serena Ventures into a real investment platform, with 14 portfolio companies reaching unicorn status. Jeremiyah Love recently said he does not plan to touch his $53.9 million rookie contract because his NIL portfolio already covers his life.

All in different sports at different stages of their careers, but all of their minds are moving in the same direction. The playing career is becoming the launchpad, not the destination.

This week, Inter Miami took its first-ever equity stake in a brand partner: Prenetics, the parent company of health and longevity brand IM8.

IM8 was co-founded by David Beckham, who also co-owns Inter Miami. Through ownership, Beckham is connecting two businesses where his influence has real commercial value and setting each of them up for mutual growth.

IM8 launched in 2024 and has already eclipsed $100 million in annual recurring revenue. The company is projecting between $180 million and $200 million for 2026, with 24 million servings delivered to more than 800,000 customers across 40+ countries.

Beckham’s name, Inter Miami’s global following, and the Messi-era attention around the club all provide a platform most health brands could never buy through traditional advertising.

Prenetics CEO Danny Yeung: “Inter Miami is the most followed soccer club in the world right now. They have Messi. They have a cultural footprint that goes well beyond sport.”

IM8 has also built its cap table around athlete and sport influence across the industry. Alongside Beckham, equity holders include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Aryna Sabalenka, and Ollie Bearman.

Beckham’s influence connected the brand and the club, helped create global distribution, and structured the relationship so both sides participate in what comes next.

Wow, it's been a heck of a run in Midtown. We've outgrown our office space and it's time to find a new home base for Athletes & Assets™ in NYC.

While our team continues to grow, we are open to co-working with other companies in our space who are building incredible stuff.

However, I'd like to share some things you must know:

I believe in Y Combinator's "have your own space, own culture" memo, but I know success begets success, and we want to be around others that push us to think bigger, and vice-versa.

If you've read this far and think you could see yourself with a bunch of guys in their 20s who don't follow the status quo and are building cool software to help athletes and startup founders make a lot of money, would love to chat.

- Noah

Oshi is focused on creating seafood alternatives that cook, flake, and taste like fish while avoiding overfishing and ocean pollutants. Watch Noah’s interview with “CEOshi” of the brand Ofek Ron here:

Why should athletes care?

Oshi sits at the intersection of performance nutrition, sustainability, and food innovation. For athletes looking at functional CPG, plant-based seafood is an interesting category, offering protein, omega-3s, and convenience without traditional fish.