Arctos Partners is an American sports Management Group/Private equity fund founded in 2019 by Ian Charles and David "Doc" O'Connor, and primarily invests minority stakes in sports franchises.[1]
In 2020, Theo Epstein, the former general manager for the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, joined the company and served as a strategic advisor for the company's ventures into baseball and partnership with Fenway Sports Group.[2][3] In January 2026, KKR & Co. acquired the company in a deal which valued Arctos at $1 Billion.[4][5]
Brands and properties
Arctos owns majority stakes in a number of professional sports teams, including the following: Arctos also has investments outside of sports franchises, including investments in SeatGeek; DraftKings; and 359 Capital.[28] In addition, Arctos has shares in the Professional Lacrosse League and college sports firm, Elevate.[5]
References
- Copied!. Arctos co-founder Charles and the state of play in sports investing Crain Currency, 2024-09-09, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Brendan Coffey. Theo Epstein Joins Sports Investment Fund Arctos Partners Sportico.com, 2021-02-01, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Brendan Coffey. Theo Epstein Returns to Fenway Sports as Part Owner, Advisor Sportico.com, 2024-02-02, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Chris Smith. Report: KKR acquiring sports private equity firm Arctos in $1B deal Sports Business Journal, 2026-01-13, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Ben Horney. How a Single Deal Could Turn KKR Into a Sports Powerhouse Front Office Sports, 2025-12-10, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Ben Horney. Asset Class: PE Minor League Push Front Office Sports, December 17, 2025, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Eben Novy-Williams. Arctos Sports Buys $36 Million Stake in Italian Soccer Club Atalanta Sportico.com, 2022-05-09, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Brendan Coffey. Arctos Sports Buys $36 Million Stake in Italian Soccer Club Atalanta Yahoo Sports, 2022-05-09, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Eric Jackson. NFL's First Private Equity Deals Approved for Bills, Dolphins Sportico.com, 2024-12-11, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Brendan Coffey. MLB Private Equity Ownership Rules: Can PE Have Stakes in Teams? Sportico.com, 2024-07-03, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Eben Novy-Williams. Arctos Owns 6 MLB Team Stakes, Including Dodgers, Cubs, Giants Yahoo Sports, 2022-03-15, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Randall Williams. Golden State Warriors' Parent Valued at $11 Billion in Stake Sale Yahoo FInance/Bloomberg, January 12, 2026^
- Scott Soshnick Soshnick. Arctos More Than Doubles Warriors Ownership Stake to 13% Sportico.com, 2021-12-23, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Owen Poindexter. Arctos Sports Partners Grows MLB Portfolio to Six Teams Front Office Sports, 2022-03-16, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Perplexity Perplexity AI, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Joe Gibbs Racing Receives Significant Investment from Harris Blitzer… Racing America, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Brendan Coffey. Harris Blitzer, Arctos Buying Into Joe Gibbs Racing Sportico.com, 2023-06-20, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Prospector Baseball Group Announces Strategic Investment from Arctos LancasterOnline, 2025-12-16, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Josh Sim. Arctos acquires second NFL team stake with LA Chargers SportsPro, 2025-05-21, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Daniel Popper. NFL approves Arctos' purchase of a minority stake in Los Angeles Chargers The New York Times, 2025-05-20, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Scott Soshnick. Arctos Buying 17% of Sacramento Kings at $1.8 Billion Valuation Sportico.com, 2021-09-10, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Sara Germano. Client Challenge www.ft.com, January 7, 2022, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Shaq sells stake in Kings, may be 'back someday' ESPN.com, 2022-01-13, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Rick Mayer. Vinik completes sale of Lightning's majority ownership to Wall Street billionaires WUSF, 2024-10-24, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Scott Soshnick. Arctos Buys Stake in NBA's Jazz, Priming Utah for More Sports Sportico.com, 2022-08-19, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Susan Lingeswaran. Arctos secures minority stake in Utah Jazz parent company SEG Sportcal, 2022-08-22, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Arctos takes stake in Monumental Sports as QIA ups investment Markets Group, 2025-12-19, retrieved 2026-01-13^
- Ed Dixon. KKR agrees deal to buy Arctos Partners at 'US$1bn' valuation SportsPro, 2026-01-07, retrieved 2026-01-13^