Women’s Sports Is Exploding. So Why Aren’t More Women Owning Teams?
Women are having more than a moment in sports, they’re building a movement.
At the 2026 Winter Olympics, women made up 45% of all athletes, the highest participation rate in more than 100 years; and, globally, women’s sports are projected to exceed $2.35 billion.
While those numbers are encouraging, serial entrepreneur, investor and author Chantell Preston is focused on another metric of success: how many women own, or are investing, in the teams themselves?
Preston is the founder and CEO of Preston Partners, and is the co-founder and co-owner of LOVB San Francisco, part of League One Volleyball (LOVB), a professional volleyball league designed to elevate women’s sports from youth development to the pro level.
In her upcoming book, The Success Lie (releasing July 2026), she highlights that women must move from perfectionism to ownership, and from being exceptional participants in systems to becoming architects of them.
“Ownership isn’t just about one team. It’s about who controls the economics of the fastest-growing segment in sports. Women have been supporters of the game for years,” Preston says. “But ownership is where decisions are made and where wealth is built.”
While women control roughly 80% of household spending in the U.S., they receive only about 2% of venture capital funding. And in sports franchise ownership, Preston says women are often missing from the cap table.
She believes the surge in valuations and visibility across women’s sports represents a rare window for women to get in the game. “This isn’t a charity play. It’s a smart business move,” she says. “The data is clear. The audience is there. The revenue is growing. Now, the capital needs to follow from more women.”
Preston’s call extends beyond ownership to every layer of the ecosystem: from photographers and broadcast crews to front offices, venture funds and private equity firms backing teams and leagues.
“When more women are involved, the stories change. The economics change and the culture begins to change.”
Preston’s own career spans more than 25 years in healthcare transformation, private equity-backed growth and executive strategy. At Preston Partners, she advises organizations on strategic planning, leadership development and M&A. She previously founded and scaled multiple healthcare ventures, including Mentis Neuro Health, which culminated in a private equity acquisition. She also serves as a Lead Partner in Portfolia’s Active Aging & Longevity Funds, investing in high-growth companies often overlooked by traditional capital markets.
Now, she is committed to applying that same investment lens to sports.
“The market is moving,” Preston says. “Women’s sports are accelerating. The question is whether women will claim equity in this moment or watch it happen from the sidelines.”
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