The VC, the Hollywood star and the women's sport 'arbitrage opportunity'
Rachael Neumann invested in an LA women's soccer team created by her best friend, Natalie Portman. Now she's looking at doing something similar in Australia.
“If you had asked 12 year old me what would 40 year old Natalie be capable of? I would say literally anything. But would I ever expect her to start a soccer team? Like, absolutely not!”
That’s Australian VC Rachael Neumann talking about her childhood best friend Natalie Portman who in 2020 launched a women’s football team, LA-based Angel City FC, that Neumann invested in.
“There are a few rare moments in life, where you get to back something that you absolutely love and care about, which is a better opportunity for women athletes, you get to do it in your power lane, which is investing in a very startup way and you get to do it with your best friend in the world,”’ says Neumann.
Neumann is well-known in Australian VC as the co-founder of Flying Fox Ventures, and an active mentor and adviser in the startup ecosystem after moving here from the US with her Australian partner in November 2014. She's also a lifelong athlete who went to university on a sports scholarship.
