Former NBA champion and Defensive Player of the Year Metta World Peace is making his mark off the court by launching a venture capital fund. In partnership with former Boost Mobile CEO Stephen Stokols, World Peace has co-founded Tru Skye Ventures, a consumer-focused fund aiming to raise $100 million by the end of the first quarter next year. The fund will target investments in sports tech, digital media platforms, and health and wellness innovations.
Tru Skye Ventures has already made its first investment in Barcode, a performance beverage company founded by Mubarak “Bar” Malik, a former performance director for the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. This move aligns with World Peace’s personal mission to promote health and wellness, a significant pivot from his playing days and infamous involvement in the “Malice at the Palace” brawl. “It’s a full-circle story,” he shared. “Health and wellness are always going to win.”
World Peace, a 17-season NBA veteran originally known as Ron Artest, is part of a growing trend of former athletes leveraging their fame and networks to build generational wealth through venture capital. The fund, which expects to invest in at least 20 companies, aims to provide not just capital but also expertise in areas like product development, distribution, brand partnerships, and growth marketing.
The launch of Tru Skye formalizes years of co-investing by World Peace and Stokols, who have been active in supporting startups through their personal portfolios. Their goal with Tru Skye is to move beyond angel investing into institutional-scale investments, allowing them to lead funding rounds and secure greater ownership stakes. “We can write bigger checks and follow along with these companies and add more formal value,” Stokols noted.
World Peace’s journey into venture capital has been deliberate. Since retiring from the NBA in 2017, he has pursued a master’s degree and taken digital analytics courses at UCLA to better understand private equity and finance. Determined to build credibility beyond his basketball career, he remarked, “I told people that I didn’t want my face to add value. I wanted that to be my word and my (mind).”
Tru Skye’s leadership team also includes former Navy SEAL officer and early-stage investor Tarey Gettys, who brings operational expertise to the fund. Together, they plan to leverage a robust network of corporate partners, influencers, and limited partners that include former athletes, entertainers, politicians, and family offices.
“Metta has a ridiculous network,” Stokols emphasized. “Not just in the athlete community.”
As World Peace continues to redefine himself beyond his storied basketball career, he hopes Tru Skye Ventures will showcase how retired athletes can create lasting value and build successful legacies in business.