@mattjpsmith
Account based inUnited Kingdom
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Matt Smith retweeted
Investing alongside tier 1s is cool… but how many co-investments do you have with @litcapital ?
S-tier.
Almost every organisation on Earth is paying for the privilege to hand over its IP to someone else's AI.
We just closed a $50M Series A, led by @NEA, to build the alternative from right here in London: every model, agent and workload sealed in its own enclave, on infrastructure you control, with keys only you hold.
You can't be sovereign on someone else's stack. Build your own with Valarian.
Investing alongside one of the world’s very best @NEA … and @litcapital 😎🙌🏼🔥
Proud to back @valarian!
Let’s go Max and team 🚀
Matt Smith retweeted
'70-80% of investors add negative value' - I agree with @vkhosla
I have a particularly painful personal experience of this in the story below.
Investors can break you. No investor will 'make you' but they can accelerate you...
We treat our founders like clients @joinsequel
Alex Macdonald (@alexfmac) Co-Founder & CEO of
@joinsequel tells us why they have a "storytelling team" and the associated brand equity it offers for portfolio companies.
"Im not talking about the rage bait style content that you may see many @ycombinator come out with recently".
This team, which @alexfmac is also personally a part of, helps portfolio companies with: product launch videos, behind the scenes documentaries, customer testimonial.
"Im talking about content that builds real equity value over the long run. You look at it in three years time and it will of helped attracted talent...investors...potentially even acquirers".
Technology which started as science fiction saves 1.8m lives per year and has created $55 trillion in value.
Tell your story.
Make it reality.
Fiction is the future.
Matt Smith retweeted
@mattjpsmith was one of the reasons we started @bizzofsport
A player who wanted to get into business/investing…off their own back. Didn’t see much of it.
Finally got him to join in the studio, and what followed was a passionate delivery on how financial management as a player can work for you so you don’t have to fear the end of your career. Electric 🔥
Full show👇
Matt Smith retweeted
We think we understand the finances of professional footballers.
Salaries. Cars. Headlines. End of story.
The reality is far more fragile and far less talked about.
@mattjpsmith played 500+ games for Leeds, Fulham, QPR & Millwall.
Unlike most players, he didn’t outsource every decision.
University. MBA. Now co-founder of @joinsequel, a venture firm helping athletes think long-term.
What he reveals here is uncomfortable listening at times:
- Players paying tax on undisclosed agent fees
- Contracts with zero transparency
- Careers ending with no plan, no structure, no purpose
It’s an industry that discourages education, ownership and long-term thinking and the consequences that follow.
In this episode we discuss:
⚽ Why footballers often delegate every major life decision and why that backfires
💰 The hidden realities of agent fees, tax bills and financial exposure
📉 How fragile many football clubs actually are behind the scenes
🧠 Why education and decision-making matter more than earnings
📊 Venture investing, outliers and how athletes should really think about wealth
🔄 Transition, retirement and the identity shock players aren’t prepared for
This conversation explains why so many players struggle after football and what actually needs to change.
Youtube 👉 youtu.be/UADPL4i7E5k
Spotify 👉 open.spotify.com/show/1lD0eI…
Apple 👉 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
All on Business of Sport 🔥
Matt Smith retweeted
Derrick White gifted the entire Celtics team and coaching staff a one-year membership to sequel, giving them access to learn about startup investing and invest directly in the world’s most promising startups alongside top-tier funds like a16z and Google Ventures
D-White is always looking after his teammates on & off the court 💪
Matt Smith retweeted
Matt's path to becoming a professional footballer was unique.
When I was at University in Manchester with him - he was playing non-league football casually.
He then had a meteoric rise which led to contracts with Leeds, QPR, Fulham, Millwall among many other clubs.
600 appearances and one of the very few footballers with both a business degree & who took the time to do an MBA (which he passed with distinction) while playing.
@mattjpsmith was naturally my first phone call when I was thinking about starting sequel. 🫡
Full episode below.
"They say in sport, you die twice.”
From applying for jobs at Accenture & Bain to 600 games in the Championship, @mattjpsmith's path to professional football was anything but conventional.
A University footballer. Going out three times a week. Then a scout spotted him…
15 years later, he's one of the longest-serving Championship strikers in history.
Now he's navigating the hardest transition of all: life after the game.
Here's what we spoke about:
2:28 - How spinning plates early made the transition easier
4:02 - The identity crisis no one prepares you for
10:14 - "I never had the most natural God-given talent"
11:21 - Why he's a big believer in the 1%
14:04 - What his dad sacrificed before anyone believed
17:37 - Advice to his 16-year-old self
25:46 - The myth that athletes have no spare time
28:43 - How Harry Stebbings reached out over Twitter—and what happened next
30:17 - The hardest part: being out of favour with managers
33:03 - The phone call that changed everything—wages slashed 50%
42:10 - "Always spin your plates early"
42:58 - "Try to be the dumbest guy in the room"
Matt Smith retweeted
"They say in sport, you die twice.”
From applying for jobs at Accenture & Bain to 600 games in the Championship, @mattjpsmith's path to professional football was anything but conventional.
A University footballer. Going out three times a week. Then a scout spotted him…
15 years later, he's one of the longest-serving Championship strikers in history.
Now he's navigating the hardest transition of all: life after the game.
Here's what we spoke about:
2:28 - How spinning plates early made the transition easier
4:02 - The identity crisis no one prepares you for
10:14 - "I never had the most natural God-given talent"
11:21 - Why he's a big believer in the 1%
14:04 - What his dad sacrificed before anyone believed
17:37 - Advice to his 16-year-old self
25:46 - The myth that athletes have no spare time
28:43 - How Harry Stebbings reached out over Twitter—and what happened next
30:17 - The hardest part: being out of favour with managers
33:03 - The phone call that changed everything—wages slashed 50%
42:10 - "Always spin your plates early"
42:58 - "Try to be the dumbest guy in the room"
One for the morning commute…
My first sit down - 18 months after retiring from football @joinsequel 🎙️🖤
What they DON'T tell you about retirement - Matt Smith youtu.be/gwwItAX1gI8?si=Gvhb… via @YouTube
What does an athlete gift his teammates who already have everything?
Sometimes the best gifts aren’t material...
Every year around Christmas, social media is rife with superstars across the NFL and NBA gifting their teammates something special. Most of the time it's material - watches, golf clubs, scooters, cars, wine, jewellery or designer luggage. Extreme level generosity and appreciation for their peers who help them perform at the top of their game.
This year, our very own @Dwhite921 chose a different route. Which we love.
Instead of something you can wear or drive, he gifted his entire @celtics squad access to sequel.
- High-level financial education
- Access to world-class investors
- Long-term perspective beyond sport
- A trusted filter for better decision-making
We’ve onboarded close to 180 athletes this year across the Premier League, NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. But the most rewarding part of our work continues to be moments like this - going inside teams, building trust, and having real conversations that actually matter.
This activation with the Celtics was genuinely one of our favourites of the year.
Players looking after players.
Knowledge that compounds.
Happy New Year all 🍀💚
Matt Smith retweeted
Lars is not only a Stanley Cup 🏒 winner (scoring the winning goal) - he’s also one of the most curious athletes I know.
Curiosity leads to questions and questions lead to knowledge.
Welcome to the team Lars 🤝
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve recently joined the Athlete Advisory Board at @joinsequel.
They’re creating an outstanding platform designed for athletes to connect with peers, build valuable networks, access high-quality educational resources, and selectively engage in exciting investment deals.
Love it @lellerofficial 🔥
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve recently joined the Athlete Advisory Board at @joinsequel.
They’re creating an outstanding platform designed for athletes to connect with peers, build valuable networks, access high-quality educational resources, and selectively engage in exciting investment deals.
Proud of what we’ve achieved in 2025.
Ready to make 2026 the best yet 🚀
@joinsequel
Proud of you @ThomasCairney. 10 years at any one club is an incredible achievement.
Great trip down memory lane - back at CC recognising everything you’ve done for club!
Some player - even better guy.
Sess is right. Build the statue 👑
Special evening for a special person! Looking forward to heading back to the Cottage on Thursday 🤍🖤 @ThomasCairney
The past few weeks have seen @alexfmac & I spend time inside a number of PL training grounds speaking with players - discussing @joinsequel as well as the various lessons & learnings from a team with 200+ angel investments and businesses scaled from $0 to $500mill in value 📈
A year in, we’re hosting 160+ athletes across every major league in sports. Nearly 400 investments made across 12 start ups, exclusively alongside the world’s best VC’s, including Andreessen Horowitz & Bessemer Venture Partners 🔥
Looking forward to more of these coming soon ✔️
Great to be back 🏠 again & thank you for the incredibly warm reception @OfficialOAFC. Enjoyable afternoon at BP. Good luck for the rest of the season 💙🙏🏼
Thank you guys! Where it all really started. Memories for life. Forever indebted to you all, none more so than @OfficialPDickov 💙 See you tomorrow at BP. Looking forward to it 🙌🏼