Christie Jenkins: From Elite Sport to Techstars MD
Description
Host: Steve Grace
Guest: Christie Jenkins — 3-sport pro athlete (ex-AUS #1), Managing Director at Techstars Sydney, investor (Athletic Ventures; ex-Blackbird), keynote speaker & performance coach.
Christie unpacks how an elite-athlete mindset translates to venture and leadership: covering her leap to the U.S., buying European football clubs, and returning to run Techstars Sydney.
What we cover:
Packing up life in a week and landing in the U.S. with one intro
Networking that compounds (and why Aussies under-index on intros)
Building FC32: raising ~US$8M and buying 3 football clubs (Ireland, Austria, Italy)
How soccer’s unique player-trading economics work
What Christie learned meeting ~200 U.S. VC funds
Why consistency beats “chasing gold medals”
Carry 101: how VC incentives really work
Why founders need coaches (belief + trust) as much as athletes
Inside Techstars Sydney: 565 applications → 12 startups, retreat, mentors, and lifelong support
Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiejenkins/
Newsletter: https://christiejenkins.substack.com/
Website: https://www.christiejenkins.com.au/
United States
