CHAMP fund invests in American activewear brand Rhoback

The new Champion Athlete Managing Partner (CHAMP) investment fund, a joint partnership launched in April 2026 between L Catterton, Patricof Co and more than 250 athletes, has announced a strategic investment in Rhoback, an American active lifestyle apparel brand.

The move marks CHAMP’s first partnership and will see the fund joining forces with Rhoback as a strategic partner to help accelerate the brand's next phase of growth, working alongside the company's co-founders, Kevin Hubbard, Kristina Loftus, and Matthew Loftus, who retain control of the business and will continue to guide its long-term vision and day-to-day operations.

In a statement, Rhoback, known for its distinctive dog logo and premium apparel, said it would use the investment to continue to expand beyond its direct-to-consumer roots, as the company looks for its first retail location. It will also support its rapidly expanding wholesale and collegiate licensing businesses, as Rhoback was an early leader in Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), partnering with many of college football's most recognisable student-athletes.

Champion Athlete Managing Partner to help accelerate Rhoback’s next phase of growth

Founded in 2016 by friends Kevin Hubbard, Kristina Loftus, and Matthew Loftus, Rhoback has grown from a bootstrapped start-up selling shirts from a wooden camper into one of the fastest-growing active lifestyle brands in North America. The company has remained profitable since its inception and has never previously raised outside capital. The brand currently has more than two million customers worldwide, has shipped over 3.5 million orders, and employs more than 100 people. Revenues in 2025 topped 150 million US dollars.

Commenting on the investment, Rhoback co-founders said: “When we started the company, we had no apparel experience and no outside funding, just a passion to create the highest quality apparel that kept up with our active lives. We've grown one customer at a time by creating products we believe are the best on the market and fostering a community around our 'Crave Activity' lifestyle.

“We weren't looking for capital; we were looking for the right partner. CHAMP brings together unmatched expertise across consumer brands, sports, and culture, and we're excited about what we can build together while staying true to what makes Rhoback unique."

Scott Dahnke, global chief executive of L Catterton, added: "Rhoback represents exactly the kind of brand CHAMP was designed to support. The company has built a distinctive brand through premium products, authentic storytelling, and a deeply engaged community.

“We believe Rhoback is well-positioned to benefit from CHAMP's unique combination of consumer expertise and athlete engagement."

CHAMP investment fund: Turning athletes into business owners rather than just paid spokespeople

The CHAMP partnership was designed to pursue brands across the consumer landscape, which could benefit from authentic athlete involvement to accelerate awareness, deepen consumer engagement, and unlock new avenues for growth. With the fund stating it is particularly oriented toward companies “with strong underlying brand affinity but untapped visibility,” where its athletes could help activate growth.

The concept also represents a distinctive new athlete ownership model, where athletes participate directly alongside L Catterton and Patricof Co as co-owners of portfolio companies “to create powerful and authentic alignment of interests that differs meaningfully from traditional athlete-brand relationships”. So, rather than just being the face of a brand, the athletes will be true business owners.

Athletes invested in CHAMP include Cade Cunningham, Cooper Flagg, Kevin Durant (35V), Tyrese Haliburton, Azzi Fudd, Cameron Brink, Sophie Cunningham, Dak Prescott, Ja'Marr Chase, Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, Bobby Witt Jr., Corbin Carroll, Logan Webb, Mike Trout, Tarik Skubal, Nacho Figueras, Patrick Cantlay, and Livvy Dunne.

Commenting on the investment fund, Dahnke, said: "Consumer behaviour is undergoing a profound and secular shift driven by the convergence of culture, technology, and media. Our proprietary research shows that athletes are among the most trusted and influential voices to emerge in this landscape.

"This partnership reflects a thoughtful extension of L Catterton's consumer investing approach. By combining our global investment platform and deep understanding of the consumer with Patricof Co's athlete relationships, CHAMP seeks to execute a distinctive approach to partnering with consumer brands and a systematic framework for translating cultural relevance into sustainable growth while preserving the rigorous investment diligence for which we are known."

Mark Patricof, founder and chief executive of Patricof Co, added: "We have spent years building trust-based relationships with some of the world's most prominent athletes, and observing that those athletes can drive better outcomes when they have skin in the game.

“CHAMP is the institutionalisation of these collective insights. We believe that partnering with L Catterton, a firm that shares our conviction and brings deep consumer investing experience, enables us to take our demonstrated outcomes to an institutional platform scale."