German football stars trade cleats for boardrooms with bold startup bets

German footballers have been expanding their interests beyond the pitch with a series of business investments. Manuel Neuer, Jonathan Tah and David Raum have each backed startups across various industries in recent years. Manuel Neuer has been particularly active. In 2021, he invested in VoteBase, a digital election startup. A year later, he became a shareholder in Deutsche Kosmetikwerke AG and joined its supervisory board. In 2023, he co-founded Health Yeah, a protein bar startup, and helped establish Deutsche Reinigungswerke AG, investing €120,000 through his company, MN Business GmbH.

His ventures continued into 2024. MN Business GmbH invested in Rad Race, a cycling startup, in April. Earlier that year, he opened a roastery and coffee shop for Alrighty Caretrade Coffee in Munich. Neuer is also a shareholder and strategic partner of Happybrush GmbH.

Other players have followed similar paths. Jonathan Tah participated in the Series A funding round of Sansirro, a smart clothing startup, in 2022. He had previously invested in Neoh, a protein chocolate bar startup, in 2020. At the end of 2023, David Raum backed Prematch, a platform for amateur sports. These investments show a growing trend of athletes diversifying into business. Each player has chosen different sectors, from food and fitness to technology and fashion. Their involvement ranges from financial backing to active roles in company leadership.