Aser Ventures Enters Strategic Partnership With Corrum Capital

Agreement will also see Aser become a shareholder and strategic partner of OTRO

Global investment company Aser Ventures and US based investment fund Corrum Capital Management have entered into a strategic partnership, to share management expertise and investment opportunities across their respective portfolios.

The strategic partnership will see Corrum help Aser expand its financing opportunities for its portfolio of sports, media and entertainment properties. The agreement will also see Aser Ventures become a shareholder and strategic partner of OTRO.

OTRO, which launched as a subscription service creating and delivering content with some of the biggest names in football including Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane, has successfully transitioned to a new business model as a premium content studio.

In close partnership with Aser Ventures, OTRO will now focus on creating original premium long-form and short-form content with its portfolio of star names, for third party streaming platforms, broadcasters, operators and telcos. OTRO will also collaborate with leading figures from a range of sports and lifestyle verticals, in addition to their current football-focused partnerships.

OTRO’s creative team led by Managing Director, Claire McArdle, will work in partnership with Aser Ventures on OTRO’s future plans. Anouk Mertens, who is COO of Aser’s ELEVEN SPORTS Group, will support the OTRO team operationally in this transition period while Aser Chairman and Founder Andrea Radrizzani will join the OTRO Board.

The close working relationship between OTRO and Aser has already resulted in an agreement between OTRO and Asers’ global sports platform ELEVEN SPORTS, with ELEVEN set to broadcast OTRO programmes to fans in Belgium, Portugal and Italy.

Andrea Radrizzani, Founder and Chairman, Aser Ventures, said:

“We are living in a moment of unprecedented challenges. At Aser we want to use our network to support the vital work of the World Health Organisation and others in any way we can. We also want to be positive in our approach to business and press on and forge new opportunities.

“This new partnership has lots of potential for all parties. Aser Ventures will use our management expertise and global network of media partners to drive value for OTRO and its key stakeholders including Corrum Capital. In return, Aser will have an excellent new strategic partner in Corrum Capital and the opportunity to support the growth of an exciting and ambitious company in OTRO. We can also work with OTRO to share great sports and entertainment content with fans around the world at a time when people need some distraction and fun more than ever.”

Jonathan Mandle, Co-Founder & Partner, Corrum Capital Management, said:

“We are pleased to be working with Andrea and the Aser Ventures team to build OTRO’s premium content studio and more broadly across Aser’s portfolio of other investments.  We feel strongly that OTRO‘s renewed focus and structure, combined with Aser’s industry skills and adjacent businesses, will help OTRO accelerate its success.”

Claire McArdle, Managing Director, OTRO, added: 

“OTRO has worked closely with its strong and supportive investment partners since its foundation, and bringing Aser Ventures into that mix with its sports industry expertise and portfolio of sports and sports media properties provides us with the strategic depth we need to leverage our strong content and talent partnerships as we execute our business model.”

Aser Ventures is an investment platform specializing in sports, media and entertainment properties. Aser is focused on opportunities where its management expertise and network can drive value for the companies it invests in and their end users. Aser’s portfolio includes Championship club Leeds United, the multi-national sports network ELEVEN SPORTS, the innovative technology start-up Sport Data Labs and the media and entertainment brand Whistle. Whistle already has a strategic partnership in place with OTRO that goes back to September 2019.