About Us

Walk-On Ventures is a capital connector focused on providing a solution to the following two-pronged problem:

First, professional athletes need better access to early-stage and private investment opportunities. Secondly, founders need better access to investors who can offer more than just a check.

Athletes bring marketing power, distribution, credibility, and cultural influence, which makes them uniquely valuable partners to add to the cap table.

We operate on a deal-by-deal model. This gives the athletes we work with complete flexibility to choose investments that match their personal risk appetite, preferred check size, and areas of interest. There is no fund and no lock-up. Athletes invest only when they see the right opportunity.

Our team typically sources at least one early-stage deal per month, allowing investors to build a diversified private portfolio over time.

Modern athletes deserve more than traditional portfolios. As Saquon Barkley has shown, early-stage and alternative investments can offer diversification, remarkable returns, and real ownership in the brands shaping the future.

And because athletes can authentically amplify the products and companies they believe in, they often create an advantage that traditional investors cannot.

Walk-On Ventures was founded by Brooks Dyroff, who understands both sides of the athlete-investor relationship.

Brooks played hockey at Boston College from 2009 to 2013, surrounded by teammates and friends who went on to long careers in the NHL. After graduating, he took a different path and moved to New York, beginning his career at J.P. Morgan and later joining Blackstone. He left Blackstone to launch Walk-On Holdings. Walk-On Holdings owns:

• The Street Sheet, a financial publication with over 130,000 subscribers

• The Street Sheet Studio, a finance-focused growth marketing agency working with legacy financial institutions like J.P. Morgan, publicly traded fintech companies like SoFi, and early-stage companies such as Augment Markets and Hadrius

• OptinIQ, a data-solutions software company that powers marketing across content, email, and paid channels

Brooks has also been an active real estate investor with a focus on workforce housing, giving him firsthand experience evaluating private-market opportunities across multiple asset classes. Brooks’ combined background in Wall Street finance, financial publishing, real estate, and growth marketing gives Walk-On Ventures a unique vantage point to:

• Identify trends early, especially in fintech, data, sports, and digital media

• Support portfolio companies with distribution, marketing, and audience growth

• Connect founders with a differentiated investor base of current and former professional athletes

Brooks was also a seed investor in Beehiiv, reflecting his ability to identify breakout companies at the earliest stages.

Walk-On Ventures invests in Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A startups, with some exposure to later-stage private companies.

Our core focus areas include fintech, proptech, sports, media, and data, but we evaluate any opportunity with strong founders, meaningful traction, and an attractive return profile.

Brooks was a recruited Walk-On at Boston College who ultimately earned a scholarship. This experience shapes the culture of the firm. You can read more below.