Eli Manning

NFL quarterback turned broadcasting phenom Eli Manning is entering private equity, joining Brand Velocity Partners as a partner. Manning becomes the fourth partner at BVP, a consumer brands focused PE firm that in 2020 purchased BBQ Guys, an outdoor appliance venture in which Manning is an investor with his father, Archie. The connection through BBQ Guys led to discussions with Manning to pursue additional business opportunities. Last year BVP filed paperwork to launch a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) and included Manning on its slate of advisors, the people who help SPACs identify businesses to bring public. Though the BVP SPAC is on hold and the Mannings separately re-upped as brand ambassadors for BBQ Guys, Manning and the company saw a benefit to expanding ties. BVP was formed in 2019 by Drew Sheinman, Steve Lebowitz and Austin Ramos, a trio with experience in private equity at Endeavor, the sports and entertainment conglomerate. BVP’s current portfolio of companies is rounded out by two other outdoor appliance businesses, Blaze and Magma, as well as Original Footwear, the largest contracted provider of footwear, including combat boots, to the Defense Department. Part of the appeal of BVP for Manning, who holds a marketing degree from the University of Mississippi, is the firm’s unique policy of taking 10% of the general partners’ carried interest—the sometimes sizeable profit PE executives make as their acquired businesses improve—and returning it to the portfolio companies.