New York, March 4, 2024 – Lakewood Advisors, LLC, a boutique investment banking firm specializing in media and media technology companies, announced today that it has closed a minority investment in Draft Nation LLC, a sports focused content and entertainment platform that brings subscribers and followers the latest news, articles, podcasts, stories, and events related to all the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL drafts. Draft Nation launched in Pittsburgh, PA in 2023 as Draft 412 and is now in the process of expanding to other major US cities with national sports franchises.
Providing in-depth coverage of draft-related topics for professional teams and stand out athletes from America’s colleges and universities, Draft Nation maintains a national presence with strong local affiliates and regional partners.
In February 2024 Draft Nation launched it national website www.draftnation.com. This site is an aggregation of its affiliated local sites and includes national content.
Ed Grebow, Managing Director of Lakewood Advisors, said, “Sports content is an important part of the media landscape, and we were thrilled when Draft Nation asked us to serve as their financial advisor. After extensive diligence on Draft Nation, its founders, and its prospects, we decided to invest firm capital into this venture. We believe strongly in Draft Nation’s growth opportunities.”
Draft Nation Co-Founder Jay Resio, added, “Our coverage doesn’t stop when the drafts end. It begins again, always looking to the future and the next class of draftees. We believe that drafts deserve year-round coverage, featuring in-depth scrutiny on upcoming free agency, potential trades, salary cap impacts on teams, positional needs analysis, and the all-important talent availability for teams. We are very pleased to have Lakewood Advisors provide seed capital and, through their broad range of media and financial relationships, strategic advice as we grow Draft Nation.”
Ed Grebow, Managing Director and David Stringer, Associate and Legal Counsel led the LWA team on this engagement. The specific financial terms of the investment were not announced.
About Lakewood Advisors, LLC:
Lakewood Advisors was founded in 2018 by experienced banker and media industry leader Ed Grebow to serve the specialized merger and acquisition and capital raising needs of media technology companies. A former Operations Head at CBS and President of Sony Electronics Broadcast Division, Grebow and the LWA team quickly attracted the attention of Japanese media technology companies that needed expert help in accessing the American market and in evaluating acquisition opportunities in the United States. The scope of LWA’s activities has broadened to include US companies interested in business opportunities in Japan, TV sports companies, and financial technology companies. In recent years, LWA has expanded its expertise to include Japanese pharmaceutical and global space technology companies. Beyond traditional investment banking activities, LWA also assists clients in business development, marketing, and labor relations.
Contacts:
Edward Grebow [email protected]
Jay Resio [email protected]
February 27, 2024