20-YEAR SPORTS INDUSTRY EXECUTIVE BRINGS EXPERIENCE FROM NBA, NFL, MLS, NWSL, MLB AND BAIN & COMPANY TO ELEVATE, GUMPERT TO DRIVE CORPORATE STRATEGY, GROWTH INITIATIVES AND OVERSEE ELEVATE’S INSIGHTS DIVISION
CHARLOTTE, NC – October 11, 2022: Elevate Sports Ventures, the best-in-class sports and entertainment consulting firm, has today named 20-year sports industry veteran Ben Gumpert to the role of Chief Strategy Officer. In this newly created leadership role, Gumpert will be responsible for Elevate’s corporate strategy, positioning, and product growth; as well as leading Elevate’s Insights division. Elevate Insights utilizes industry-leading data, analytics, and technology tools to drive major revenue solutions for teams, venues, events, brands and properties; including market feasibility studies, sponsorship and impact valuations for rightsholders and brands, fan profile analyses, product and pricing strategies, lead scoring modeling and more.
With a reputation for utilizing data-derived insights to drive business operations for professional sports organizations, and a passion for enriching and connecting communities through sport, the 2020 Sports Business Journal “Forty Under 40” winner brings a depth of experience to Elevate from over two decades spent working for and alongside NBA, NFL, MLS, NWSL, MLB, WNBA teams, along with a host of other leading industry properties and platforms. Gumpert began his career as a Consultant at Bain & Company, working with Fortune 500 management teams, and has continued to advise private equity firms pursuing investment in the sports and entertainment industry throughout his career. In Gumpert’s new role, he will support the agency’s active client roster of over 175 teams, brands and venues from among the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, NWSL, professional US and international football, international soccer, professional tennis, MMA, motorsports and horse racing, Division I athletics and more.
“Ben’s 20-year career spanning multiple professional sports teams and leagues, as well major management consulting firm Bain & Company, has equipped him with both an operational and analytical eye reflective of Elevate’s DNA,” said Al Guido, Elevate Sports Ventures Chairman and CEO. “Ben holds a special distinction of having worked alongside Elevate as a client, advisor and now senior leader, we are proud to have an executive of his caliber, experience, perspective and integrity on our leadership team.”
“I am thrilled to join this rocket ship of an agency which has rapidly cemented itself as an industry leader,” said Ben Gumpert, Chief Strategy Officer of Elevate Sports Ventures. “In this role, I have the opportunity to work with and on behalf of some of the most innovative brands and properties in the world, on the game-changing projects that will propel both their business, and our industry forward. Moreover, I feel fortunate and inspired to do this work alongside an executive leadership team, board, and extended family of partners that shares my entrepreneurial mindset, and places innovation, humility, and collaboration at the forefront of our endeavors.”
ABOUT BEN GUMPERT:
As the Chief Strategy Officer of Elevate Sports Ventures, a best-in-class sports and entertainment consulting firm, Ben Gumpert is responsible for Elevate’s corporate strategy, positioning and product growth; as well as leading Elevate Insights. Elevate Insights utilizes industry-leading data, analytics, and technology tools to drive major revenue solutions for teams, venues, events, brands and properties; including market feasibility studies, sponsorship and impact valuations for rightsholders and brands, fan profile analyses, product and pricing strategies, lead scoring modeling and more.
With a reputation for utilizing data-derived insights to drive business operations for professional sports organizations, and a passion for enriching and connecting communities through sport, the 2020 Sports Business Journal “Forty Under 40” winner brings a depth of experience to Elevate from over two decades spent working for and alongside NBA, NFL, MLS, NWSL, MLB, WNBA teams, along with a host of other leading industry properties and platforms. In Gumpert’s new role, he will support the agency’s active client roster of over 175 teams, brands and venues from among the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, NWSL, professional US and international football, international soccer, professional tennis, MMA, motorsports and horse racing, Division I athletics and more.
Most recently, Gumpert served as Advisor to Elevate Sports Ventures CEO and Chairman, and San Francisco 49ers President Al Guido; supporting strategic business operations and innovation for the agency and its founding partner; as well as with the Bay Area Host Committee, to secure its bid as a 2026 FIFA World Cup site. Gumpert concurrently has and continues to serve as an Advisor to Bain & Company in its sports and entertainment practice. He is an investor in several companies and properties in the sports ecosystem, including the record-breaking NWSL Franchise, Angel City Football Club; volleyball community, League One Volleyball (LOVB); sports and entertainment analytics platform, StellarAlgo; and Jackpot, a world leader in the online lottery sector.
Notably, Gumpert served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Sacramento Republic Football Club; during which time he oversaw all the Club’s business and soccer operations, breaking multiple league records in ticket sales, attendance, sponsorship, merchandise, and community engagement, while qualifying for the playoffs each season of his tenure.
Prior to his tenure with Sacramento Republic, Gumpert was the Chief Marketing Officer for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and Golden 1 Center, where he played a key role in the design and construction of the team’s downtown arena, marketing and branding, strategy and analytics and community impact. Gumpert joined the Kings following five years in the NBA’s Team Marketing and Business Operations group (TMBO), where he worked across all NBA teams to improve business operations, including ticket sales, sponsorships, marketing, digital, community relations, and finance. While at the NBA, Gumpert was responsible for leading the Team Strategy and Analytics group charged with improving business operations for NBA teams through data-driven projects. Prior to the NBA, Gumpert was Consultant with Bain & Company in the L.A., New York, and San Francisco offices, where he supported the Technology, Media, and Telecom and Private Equity practice areas, focusing on diligence efforts for private equity firms.
A native of Sacramento, Gumpert graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in Business Economics, and holds an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Gumpert and his wife, Marisa, the Founder of Birdies, live in Sacramento with their two daughters, Zoe and Amelia.
ABOUT ELEVATE SPORTS VENTURES:
Elevate Sports Ventures is a best-in-class sports and entertainment consulting firm, providing proven, innovative solutions to organizations across the international sports and entertainment landscape. With over 175 global clients, Elevate provides thoughtful insights that empower sports teams, leagues, brands, venues, events and properties with comprehensive, revenue-driving solutions. Elevate’s unparalleled combination of agency and operating experience, along with proprietary products and solutions, maximizes efficiencies in Partnership Sales and Consulting; Hospitality Sales and Strategy; Brand Representation; Experiential Design; Feasibility and Revenue Consultation for New and Renovated Venues; Consumer Insights, Research, Strategy and Analytics; and more. For more information, follow Elevate on Twitter (@ElevateSV) and LinkedIN.
