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The Seahawks’ new ownership group includes three private equity firms, the family behind beer brand Modelo, a former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and billionaire venture capitalist Mark Stevens.
The $9.612 billion sale of the Seahawks by the Paul G. Allen estate to Vinod Khosla has been completed, the team announced Thursday. Front Office Sports reported earlier this week the deal was expected to close imminently, after NFL owners last week unanimously voted to ratify the agreement. Sources told FOS there were discussions involving members of the runner-up group, which was led by Aditya Mittal and Wyc Grousbeck, about joining the Khosla group. But those two names were not featured in Thursday’s announcement, and it’s not clear if any of the listed minority owners were originally in the runner-up group.
As part of Thursday’s announcement, the franchise disclosed the identities of the minority investors who are joining Khosla. Including the Khosla family, there are 14 members of the group. Their identities reflect a new class of private equity, venture capital, and AI-focused investors joining the world of sports.
Three Private Equity Firms
The Seahawks are now the seventh team to feature private equity in their cap table, with three firms as part of the deal: Carlyle, Dynasty, and Sixth Street—the latter of which also owns a 3% stake in the Patriots, meaning that if next season sees a rematch of Super Bowl LX, Sixth Street would have a financial interest on both sides.
In addition to the Seahawks and Patriots, the Falcons, Chargers, Bills, Browns, and Dolphins have all taken on private equity investment since NFL owners voted 31-1 in August 2024 to approve a policy allowing limited PE ownership. (The Bengals were the lone vote against.) Under NFL rules, PE firms can own up to 10% of a team, and if more than one firm buys a stake in the same franchise, their collective stake cannot exceed 10%.
Carlyle partner Ben Fund said in a statement the Seahawks are a “special franchise with a deeply engaged fan base and strong roots in the Pacific Northwest.”
K. Don Cornwell, cofounder and CEO of Dynasty, said, “It’s a privilege to partner with this iconic franchise and group of world-class investors as the Seattle Seahawks continue to build on its legacy under the ownership of the Khosla family.”
The rest of the names are a mix of people who have done business in the world of tech, artificial intelligence, and more.
Mark Stevens
Stevens, a former Sequoia Capital partner who is on the board of semiconductor giant Nvidia, has a net worth of $12.4 billion, according to Forbes. He’s also a minority investor in the Warriors and was famously banned for one year by the NBA from participating in all team activities, including attending games, after an incident during the 2019 NBA Finals in which he shoved and shouted at then-Raptors guard Kyle Lowry.
Penny Pritzker
Pritzker served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Obama from 2013 to 2017. She is also the founder of investment firm PSP Partners, whose investments include the parent company of Albertsons grocery stores and Hyatt Hotels. She’s the sister of Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker.
The Aramburuzabala Family
The Aramburuzabalas are the family behind Grupo Modelo, which in 2013 was sold to Anheuser-Busch in a roughly $20 billion transaction. María Asunción Aramburuzabala, who inherited her father’s stake in Grupo Modelo before that sale, is now CEO of investment firm Tresalia Capital, a family office based in Mexico.
Samir Kaul
Kaul works with Vinod Khosla at Khosla Ventures. He’s a founding partner and managing director at the firm and has led investments in companies like Impossible Foods and Rightway Health.
Val Blavatnik
Val Blavatnik is the son of billionaire Leonard Blavatnik, majority owner of sports streaming service DAZN and founder of VC Access Technology Ventures.
Val Blavatnik is a special advisor to Access Technology Ventures; the firm says he has played an instrumental role in the firm’s investment in SpaceX. He is also a special advisor to the CEO of Warner Music Group, and previously worked as a senior director of business development at WMG’s global music publishing division.
Sheryl Sokoloff
Sheryl Sokoloff is married to Jonathan Sokoloff, a managing partner at private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners. The Sokoloff family has done plenty of philanthropic work; Sheryl is listed as having provided between $5,000 and $9,999 to the Los Angeles Ballet for the 2025-26 season. The Sokoloffs have also given to cancer foundations and the Violence Intervention Program, a Los Angeles nonprofit serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Gonzalo Hevia Baillères
Gonzalo Hevia Baillères is the grandson of the late Mexican billionaire Alberto Baillères, who built Mexico-based conglomerate Grupo BAL. The new Seahawks investor founded AI logistics company LOK, which merged with Latin American peer Chazki in 2024; he’s now the CEO of investment company HBeyond.
Jesse van der Werf
The president and CEO of Canada’s Heavy Metal Equipment and Rentals, van der Werf is also listed on LinkedIn as the CEO and owner of SIPP Voda.
Sunny Gupta
Gupta co-founded AI startup Thira and is the executive chairman of work management platform Smartsheet. He’s also a general partner for tech-focused private equity firm Generative Capital.
Nader Naini
Naini is a managing partner at Frazier Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm that exclusively invests in the healthcare industry. It has invested in over 200 companies over the last three-plus decades.
