When movie stars invest in the “Formula 1 of sailing” with Italian team SailGP

No, no “catch-all” headlines, it’s all true. There are also famous actresses Anne Hathaway and Miriam Leone in the consortium of investors and entrepreneurs in the sports industry, led by Muse Sport, which acquired SailGP Italia (and this is not the first time celebrities have invested in SailGP: soccer player Kyrian Mbappè did so in the French team).

Red Bull Italy SailGP female-led

The team that, under the name Red Bull Italy SailGP, represents Italy in the SailGP international circuit (title partner Rolex), which increasingly resembles the Formula 1 of the sea with its format of gripping and spectacular races with national teams aboard F50 flying catamarans, capable of exceeding 100 km/h, in some of the world’s most iconic locations, including Sydney, Saint-Tropez, San Francisco and Dubai.

And which will be-first case in the circuit’s history-with female-led ownership: key figure is in fact Assia Grazioli-Venier, founder of Muse Capital and Muse Sport, venture capitalists in the tech, health and sports sectors, in the role of Board Director and co-owner.

Joining her on the team are Jimmy Spithill, SailGP champion and two-time America’s Cup winner, as CEO, founder and co-owner, and Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, founder of Festina Lente Capital, an entrepreneur with experience in luxury, fashion and entertainment, appointed Chairman of the Board and co-owner.

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But back to Anne Hathaway (“The Devil Wears Prada” the cult film that launched her): “The new Red Bull Italy SailGP team represents an extraordinary combination of innovation, sporting excellence, and a strong commitment to authentically inclusive leadership, with a special focus on the role of women in high performance sport. My deep connection with Italy makes this opportunity even more special, and I am really excited to be able to contribute to a project that combines tradition and transformative vision.”

Actors, entrepreneurs, TV stars. Famous names in the consortium

The Consortium is composed of a group of leading international investors, including the investment funds MFO Certuity, Yeh Capital, the aforementioned Anne Hathaway and her husband (also an actor) Adam Shulman, Alexander Gilkes (venture capitalist and founder of the prestigious auction house Paddle8), Evan Yurman (well-known New York jewelry brand), Italian actress Miriam Leone along with prominent business and sports figures such as Julie Eddleman (CCO of Double Verify, a leading data protection and digital security company), Heather Karatz, Peter Delgrosso (Founding Partner and Managing Director of Bryant Stibel focused on venture capital and private equity investments), and Dr. Jennifer Ashton (renowned American physician, author, and TV correspondent).

On board the champions

The Italian team for 2025 is distinguished by an extraordinarily talented team, including:

• Ruggero Tita, two-time Olympic gold medalist, as Driver
• Maelle Frascari, two-time world champion, as Strategist
• Kyle Langford, three-time SailGP champion and America’s Cup winner

With Red Bull as Title Partner, the goal is to establish itself as one of the most innovative and recognizable realities in the entire league. The “Made in Italy” consortium combines elite sports excellence, cutting-edge technologies and distinctive cultural storytelling, creating a new model of sports enterprise that is both ambitious and global.

Hesse Grazioli-Venier, sailing in the DNA

These are the words of Assia Grazioli-Venier, founder of Muse Capital and Muse Sport: “SailGP has enormous potential for commercial growth and global impact, which we intend to develop through sport leadership and strategic entrepreneurial capital. For me, deeply connected to Italian culture and sailing, it is an honor and a responsibility to lead a team that embodies excellence, innovation, and genuine inclusiveness.”

Hesse’s father took part in the Whitbread, the round-the-world crewed race in stages, in 1973, as did Gianluca Passi de Preposulo’s father. But, Grazioli-Venier tells Adnkronos,“this is not my father’s sailing,” adding, ” We have 8.6 million sailing fans in the country, but nearly 2 million are already aware of SailGP-it‘s an opportunity worth exploring. But the most impressive figure is this: once they discover the product, the conversion rate is 79 percent. It means that 8 out of 10 people become active fans. This is an outstanding figure in the sports landscape “.

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The docuseries and upcoming dates

SailGP ‘s centralized business model has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years. Through the story of Jimmy Spithill, the Italian team’s journey will be told in Uncharted, the first docuseries about SailGP to be released next month on major international channels.

The Rolex SailGP championship continues with the sixth leg of the 2025 season: The next stop is the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix, scheduled for June 7-8. Next, the European summer tour will kick off from Portsmouth, UK, on July 19-20.