JDS Sports

JDS Sports is a private equity firm investing across sports and entertainment. The firm backs both startups and growth companies in the sector, spanning sports, entertainment and media. It is based in Rye, New York, and describes itself as purpose-driven, with a mandate that pairs commercial investment with support for sports-related nonprofits.

The firm's stated ambition is to fund what comes next in sports and entertainment while strengthening the game and the communities around it. Beyond its investment activity, JDS Sports runs Play With Purpose, a donor-advised fund through which it directs grants to nonprofits using sport as a vehicle for social impact.

Play With Purpose has distributed $4.8 million to more than 50 sports nonprofits. Associated community programmes include the refurbishment of 52 courts across 15 US states and 10 countries. The combination of growth-stage investing and a structured philanthropic vehicle is the defining feature of the firm's operating model; details on fund size, typical check size and investment stage are not publicly disclosed.