Tim Tebow is one of the most popular football players of his generation. From his collegiate career to his relatively short tenure in the NFL, Tebow became an institution unto himself and a bona fide household name across the country. In the years since his NFL days, Tebow has spent time furthering his legacy through various smart ventures. Now, in his latest business-savvy move, Tebow has joined GOVO Venture Partners as a Partner.
As a two-time collegiate national football champion quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner, first-round NFL draft pick, and former professional baseball player, Tim Tebow is bringing his own unique perspective and brand to the company. In addition to his history with professional sports, Tebow is also a five-time New York Times best-selling author. His largest business venture has been founding and expanding the Tim Tebow Foundation over the course of many years. Through this charitable organization, he has actively contributed to providing help to causes such as anti-human trafficking and child exploitation, orphan care and prevention, profound medical needs, and special needs ministry.
Founded by fund general partners Rob Panepinto, Jonathan Kilman, Brian D’Ambrosio, and 1858 Capital Partners, GOVO Venture Partners launched its first venture fund, GOVO Fund I, in January 2023. The fund focuses on finding early-stage companies involved with government entities and/or regulations and investing in them early on to influence essential growth aspects. GOVO’s goal is to support and optimize the success of promising ventures looking to make meaningful impacts on people across Florida, America, and beyond.
Tebow said, “I am excited to partner and invest in GOVO because they care about purpose and people.” As a new partner in GOVO, Tebow and his Florida-based team get to support the growth of the fund’s seven portfolio companies with things such as cloud clinic healthcare, data-supported traffic management, 3-D printed seawalls that enhance sustainability and resilience, AI-powered voice identification for fraud and theft prevention, precision medicine management for patients facing cancer and complex/rare diseases, connected vehicle commerce, and cybersecurity.
GOVO Managing Partner Rob Panepinto was quoted as saying, “We are excited and honored to have Tim join us as a Partner. Throughout his career as an athlete and businessman, and in his mission-driven work, Tim has demonstrated an extraordinary work ethic and unsurpassed integrity. As we explored this partnership, the alignment between Tim’s talent and values and our work at GOVO became clear. Our portfolio companies often solve problems that make the world a better, safer place in areas such as environmental technologies, fraud and theft prevention, and the modernization of healthcare. Through his creativity, relationships, and energy, we are confident that Tim will help accelerate the growth of our portfolio companies. We also believe that some of our current and likely future portfolio companies can help support the vulnerable people that the Tim Tebow Foundation is fighting for.”
Furthermore, Jonathan Kilman concluded, “As a fellow University of Florida Gator, I’ve cheered Tim on and watched his extraordinary career unfold. He is as well-known and respected as any Floridian can be. In addition to his other efforts, we anticipate that Tim will magnify GOVO’s capacity to attract the best Florida-based investment opportunities and support portfolio company goals. Perhaps what has impressed me most is that he never wavers from his mission, whether as an athlete on a field or as the founder and leader of a global charity. Tim’s example will inspire the founders of our portfolio companies, and we look forward to working with him.”
