This is the Portland Trail Blazers star’s first investment in a tech startup
Kicks Crew, a Hong Kong and Los Angeles-based e-commerce platform for sneakers and apparel, has announced its partnership with NBA star Damian Lillard. The point guard of the Portland Trail Blazers is now an equity investor of the platform and its first Crew Athlete.
This is the first tech startup that Lillard has ever invested in and is a result of his shared vision with Kicks Crew to introduce sneaker culture to a wider audience.
“I invested in Kicks Crew because of the platform’s unique point of view on sneaker culture. Putting accessibility and community first, they’re building a space that allows everyone to experience sneaker culture,” said Lillard in a release to the press.
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According to Kicks Crew COO Ross Yip, a 2018 Gen.T honouree, the partnership was forged over six months. “When we first met, it was clear that Damian genuinely wanted to get to know us more and the chemistry between us was good,” he tells Gen.T. “As our conversation continued, we understood Damian’s wish to get more financially involved in the tech space, but in a way that was personal and passion-driven for him.”
Yip saw instant synergy between Damian and Kicks Crew’s brand ethos—that being having a sense of community is the cornerstone of success.
“The more we interacted with Damian, the more we understood each other’s shared desire to make sneaker culture less alienating and more accessible,” shares Yip.
“Damian also talked about the ability to shop for his wife and women in his family as much as he is able to find everyday and hype shoes all on Kicks Crew. This was what he felt was the difference. We believe this was also a key reason we were so in sync.”
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