Key Takeaways
- • Nobull Footwear closed a private investment round at a $1 billion valuation, with Dynasty Financial acquiring approximately 3 percent stake via co-investment alongside Repole's family office, Driven Capital.
- • The deal marks continued capital deployment by Dynasty Financial, which closed over $200 million in private markets funds over nine months, including its Dynasty Growth Equity & Coinvest I fund at $110 million.
- • Nobull's cap table includes beverage entrepreneur Mike Repole (majority owner and co-founder of Vitaminwater and BodyArmor) and NFL quarterback Tom Brady (second-largest shareholder following his 2024 TB12 nutrition brand merger with Nobull).
- • The footwear company, founded in 2015 by former Reebok executives Marcus Wilson and Michael Schaeffer, was acquired by Repole in 2020 and has since consolidated its position in the cross-training athletic footwear segment.
- • Dynasty Financial leveraged its status as official wealth management partner of the United Football League (co-owned by Repole) to source the deal, positioning private market access as a competitive advantage for its network of independent RIAs.
Summary
Nobull Footwear, the cross-training footwear brand backed by beverage entrepreneur Mike Repole and NFL quarterback Tom Brady, has closed a growth-stage investment round valuing the company at $1 billion. Dynasty Financial, a wealth management platform, acquired an approximately 3 percent equity stake through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) structured as a co-investment alongside Driven Capital, Repole's family office.
The transaction reflects Dynasty Financial's expanded capital-raising activity in private markets. The firm closed over $200 million in private markets funds during the nine-month period preceding this announcement, including the $110 million Dynasty Growth Equity & Coinvest I fund. According to Shirl Penney, founder and CEO of Dynasty Financial, these successful raises underscore the firm's ability to source deals typically unavailable to independent registered investment advisors. Penney attributed the capital raises partly to "the scale of the Dynasty Network," which provides RIA members access to differentiated private market opportunities traditionally reserved for institutional mega-funds.
Nobull's ownership structure reflects a convergence of entrepreneurial and sports celebrity capital. Mike Repole, who acquired the company in 2020, remains the majority shareholder. Repole previously co-founded Vitaminwater (acquired by Coca-Cola via Glaceau) and BodyArmor, both major beverage brands. Tom Brady became Nobull's second-largest shareholder following a 2024 merger between Nobull and his TB12 nutrition brand. The underlying business was founded in 2015 by Marcus Wilson and Michael Schaeffer, both formerly of Reebok, and has built a niche in the functional athletic footwear category.
The deal's timing and structure reveal Dynasty Financial's strategic positioning around Repole's broader business ecosystem. Dynasty Financial serves as the official wealth management partner of the United Football League, which Repole co-owns, providing both institutional credibility and sourcing advantage for private market dealflow. This relationship positions Dynasty's independent advisor network as the distribution channel for otherwise inaccessible investment opportunities in founder-backed consumer brands.
The transaction reflects Dynasty Financial's expanded capital-raising activity in private markets. The firm closed over $200 million in private markets funds during the nine-month period preceding this announcement, including the $110 million Dynasty Growth Equity & Coinvest I fund. According to Shirl Penney, founder and CEO of Dynasty Financial, these successful raises underscore the firm's ability to source deals typically unavailable to independent registered investment advisors. Penney attributed the capital raises partly to "the scale of the Dynasty Network," which provides RIA members access to differentiated private market opportunities traditionally reserved for institutional mega-funds.
Nobull's ownership structure reflects a convergence of entrepreneurial and sports celebrity capital. Mike Repole, who acquired the company in 2020, remains the majority shareholder. Repole previously co-founded Vitaminwater (acquired by Coca-Cola via Glaceau) and BodyArmor, both major beverage brands. Tom Brady became Nobull's second-largest shareholder following a 2024 merger between Nobull and his TB12 nutrition brand. The underlying business was founded in 2015 by Marcus Wilson and Michael Schaeffer, both formerly of Reebok, and has built a niche in the functional athletic footwear category.
The deal's timing and structure reveal Dynasty Financial's strategic positioning around Repole's broader business ecosystem. Dynasty Financial serves as the official wealth management partner of the United Football League, which Repole co-owns, providing both institutional credibility and sourcing advantage for private market dealflow. This relationship positions Dynasty's independent advisor network as the distribution channel for otherwise inaccessible investment opportunities in founder-backed consumer brands.
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