Mario Götze builds a parallel career as an angel investor

Mario Götze, the 33-year-old soccer player who scored the winning goal for Germany in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, is building a parallel career off the pitch. While still playing professionally at the top league level with Eintracht Frankfurt, Götze has established himself as an active angel investor—an individual who provides capital for a business start-up. Through his personal investment vehicle, Companion M, Götze now manages a portfolio of more than 70 companies. His portfolio already includes two startups that became unicorns in 2025: the Danish fintech Flatpay and the German AI startup Parloa.

Götze typically invests in pre-seed and seed rounds, with ticket sizes between €25,000 and €50,000 ($29,000-$58,000). Götze notes that Companion M targets specific sectors where the team has established deep networks and expertise. Rather than focusing directly on sports, the vehicle targets several distinct areas:

• B2B SaaS (business-to-business software as a service)
• Software infrastructure
• Cybersecurity
• Health
• Biotech

Götze explains that these investments are key to building his personal brand, especially for his long-term career after he stops playing. To support this long-term wealth consolidation, Companion M has also acted as a limited partner—an investor in a venture capital fund—backing more than 20 venture capital firms across Europe and the U.S., including 20VC, Cherry Ventures, EQT Ventures, Planet A, Merantix, Visionaries Club, and World Fund. He plans to focus on his investment activities once his athletic career ends.

Geographically, Götze’s investments are concentrated in Europe and the U.S. His family previously spent time in Houston, Texas, while his father was a visiting researcher at Rice University. Götze’s portfolio includes Miami-based Arcee AI, Frankfurt-based Qualifyze, and an exit in Berlin-based KoRo. One of his most notable bets was a 2020 investment in the German cannabis startup Sanity Group, which claimed a 10% share of the German medical cannabis market in 2024. However, with cannabis still forbidden for athletes in competition, Götze must wait to try the products. Other athlete-investors, including Kevin Durant, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kylian Mbappé, have made similar moves. Götze remains focused on the future. “There are plenty of new startups every year, and there will be some that you miss out on. But regretting past decisions leads to making uneducated or impulsive decisions in the future,” Götze, an angel investor, said.

Why it matters

Götze’s transition from athlete to active investor highlights a broader trend of professional sports figures diversifying into venture capital, using their personal brands to secure access to early-stage deals.