These firms are being recognized for thriving and being leaders in the institutional investing market.

Project Level (Ariel Investments) Winner

The fund Project Level was launched on January 30, 2025, by Ariel Investments.

To distinguish itself within women’s sports investing, Project Level plans to make investments across:

• Youth and collegiate sports;
• Emerging teams and leagues that are beginning to get traction as competitive professional sports; and
• Ancillary businesses servicing women’s teams and leagues (i.e., stadiums, data analytics businesses, accounting firms, etc.).

An Ariel Investments spokesperson says it believes “this investment strategy will result in a diversified portfolio that reduces overall risk and produces more commercial results on what is still an emerging, and therefore riskier, asset class.”

Ariel uses a shared service model, in which its business development, technology, communications and investor relations teams operate across the “three-legged stool” of Ariel Investments, Ariel Alternatives and Project Level.

“This approach lends to more collaboration, nimbleness and risk-adverse practices that ultimately lead to better outcomes for our clients,” the spokesperson says. “Shared services allow us to diligently and continuously assesses changing conditions, identify undervalued opportunities and make connections to glean new insights.”

Project Level’s investments in its first year include a stake in National Women’s Soccer League expansion club Denver Summit, with Ariel’s co-CEO and president, Mellody Hobson, the organization’s alternate governor, second in its chain of command. Hobson has personal investment experience with the Denver Broncos, the Chicago White Sox and the Women’s National Basketball Association, as well as board experience at both Starbucks and JPMorgan Chase.

Project Level, which plans to focus on active investment, also took a minority stake in League One Volleyball, a league that completed its first season in April. The fund’s managing partner and head of investments, Jason Wright, serves as a board adviser for the volleyball league. Wright brings operational expertise as the former president of the Washington Commanders and a former partner in McKinsey & Co. Wright has engaged and shared key learnings with Ariel’s clients through speaking engagements.

Finalists

• L&G – Asset Management, America
• Wilkinson