Kelly Kraft on Trading PGA Tour for Private Equity
Athletech News caught up with former pro golfer Kelly Kraft to discuss his new role as VP of strategic business development at Disruptive, a global investment firm
PGA Tour pro and 2011 U.S. Amateur Champion Kelly Kraft has teed up his next venture—transitioning from the green to another green—as vice president of strategic business development at Disruptive, a global investment firm.
He’s not alone—Kraft is among a growing roster of athletes investing in tech and fitness, including Venus and Serena Williams, Drew Brees, Lebron James, Kevin Durant, F1 driver Charles Leclerc, former pro golfer Rory McIlroy and NBA’s James Harden—just to name a few.
It’s a natural fit in many ways, as athletes channel their discipline, know-how and decision-making skills to pay off in new opportunities.
Athletech News spoke with Kraft about his new venture, the areas he’s bullish on and how his competitive athletic spirit on the green continues to drive him.
Kraft grew up dreaming of playing professional golf on the PGA Tour—a goal he turned into reality. But as time passed, the constant travel and time away from family began to take a toll, shifting his priorities. He began exploring opportunities in private equity, and after connecting with Disruptive founder Alex Davis, his next move became clear. Impressed by the firm’s track record, Kraft directed his attention to new goals, eager to apply his competitive mindset, strategic thinking and connections in a new arena.
“It’s been a smooth transition,” he tells Athletech News. “The competitive fire in me wasn’t something that started on tour; it’s been with me my whole life, and my drive to win for my friends, my family, my investing family and everyone surrounding me is simply a challenge I enjoy daily.”
He draws a parallel between the sport that propelled him to golf fame and his new venture while remaining candid.
“In golf, you spend a lot of your time in pressure situations, which prepare you well for the types of situations I find myself in now,” Kraft explains. “But when I golfed, it started to feel a bit monotonous. Every day now is a new day, and I believe I’m punching well above my weight, so I can’t say it’s been a struggle or a ‘challenge,’ more of an exciting daily challenge than anything else. This time, I get to do it with a team and for my friends, family and close connections, we all win together, and that is what’s essentially missing in individual sports. This is a team sport, and I’m enjoying it.”
Kraft also reports that transitioning from the course to the office has provided some unexpected perks.
Disruptive, which invests in late-stage technology companies, recently relocated its headquarters to Dallas, Texas.
“I’m not worrying about my back or my swing plane or hitting the ball a mile,” Kraft says. “Instead, my experience and the joy I’ve had from competitive golf is part of my office. I get to do things in the financial world that are unusual from sitting at a desk all day. I get to lean on my relationships and understand the aspects both of how a deal is born, structuring it, personally investing in it and watching the people I care about partake. The transaction isn’t so regimented, though we are focused, dedicated to combining the world’s best companies with some of the world’s most interesting people in ways I’ve never experienced before.”
Kraft is particularly bullish on AI and defense, noting that both areas are of large focus at Disruptive. The firm also invests in companies driving innovation in fitness and wellness through advanced technologies and strategic partnerships.
“In our world, the one in which we invest in growth-stage private technology companies, I’d guess that there are on the order of 2,000 to 3,000 companies with billion-dollar plus valuations looking like they are ready to hit their next phase of joining the public markets,” Kraft says. “Our team does a really good job of blocking out the noise and focusing on the very best and most important generational businesses of this decade. We find that great deals drive capital, and not the other way around, and I’m working on the dynamic relationship between the two. We have a leg up again in doing what we do as well or better than anyone in the private technology sector, and therefore, we have an ingrained culture of identifying tremendous companies that the world either knows about or will. Getting those companies and how we narrow that list down from several thousand to just a few is part of the secret sauce. “
Most of all, Kraft says he’s been taken aback by the amount of support he’s received since pivoting to a career in investing.
“Leaving something I’ve done for most of my life and starting a business career was daunting, but my entire universe has been incredibly supportive and has quickly jumped on the bandwagon,” he says. “Their advice and encouragement made the transition much smoother than I anticipated.”
In terms of Disruptive, Kraft is impressed by the quality of deal flow and its 13-year reputation—and is able to leverage his elite athlete mindset.
“I’m working hand-in-hand with our CEO to quickly adopt a new working style that is more mental than anything else,” Kraft says. “We’re investing in some of the best companies in the world, and I’m genuinely excited—both personally and professionally to change the landscape of venture-backed growth equity for years to come.”
Perhaps most importantly for Kraft, the pivot from pro golfer to an executive role at Disruptive allows him to stick to his guiding principles.
“The most important thing is that my core values remain unchanged,” Kraft says. “My work ethic and determination to be the best—whether in golf or investing—have always driven me. This time is different as there is no time clock, and I’m part of a team that is the best at what it does. It’s an incredible deal unto itself, but it is not for everyone and certainly not for every athlete. There are no seasons, and there are no holidays; it’s a constant, but it has woken me up, and my results and confidence are infectious.”