The Red Bull Italy SailGP Team has become the first team in the global racing league to be led by a female ownership group.
Announced on May 27, the new consortium is headed by Assia Grazioli Venier, founding partner of Muse Capital and Muse Sport.
The group also includes luxury brand entrepreneur Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, and SailGP veteran Jimmy Spithill, who will serve as CEO and co-owner of the team.
The announcement was made ahead of the sixth event of the 2025 SailGP season in New York. The ownership change follows a period of rapid growth for SailGP, which has seen a number of high-profile team sales.
“Italy has an extraordinary sailing legacy, and our mission is to be a catalyst for its next phase. Muse Sport is honoured to lead this pivotal moment for our sport,” said Grazioli Venier.
“SailGP has massive commercial potential for global growth and impact that this ownership group will realise, leaning on elite leadership with strategic entrepreneurial capital.”
The investor group includes a mix of figures from business, media, and entertainment. Among them are actress Anne Hathaway and her husband Adam Shulman, Italian actress Miriam Leone, and Alexander Gilkes, co-founder of Paddle8. Others involved include Evan Yurman, Julie Eddleman, Heather Karatz, Pete Delgrosso, and Dr Jennifer Ashton.
“Being at the top of the sport as an athlete for the last 25 years, it’s incredibly exciting to put together such a talented world-class team, both on and off the water,” said Spithill, one of the sport’s most decorated sailors.
Passi de Preposulo, who will serve as Chairman of the Board, said: “SailGP is far more than a sporting competition. It is a global platform for innovation, entertainment and hospitality.”
The rebranded Red Bull Italy team will aim to be a strong commercial and competitive presence in the mixed-gender league. With Red Bull as title partner, the team plans to blend sport, technology and media to reach new audiences.
The team’s journey will be featured in Uncharted, SailGP’s first long-form documentary series, set to air next month across international broadcast channels.
The next SailGP event takes place in New York on June 7–8 , followed by the European leg in Portsmouth, United Kingdom on July 19-20.
Tifosy Capital & Advisory acted as exclusive financial advisor to Muse Sport
SailGP bets on Red Bull docuseries to grow audience
SailGP recently announced its first premium documentary series, Uncharted, focused on Jimmy Spithill’s transition from elite sailor to team CEO.
The three-part series is produced in partnership with Ten100 and will premiere globally in June. Each episode will follow Spithill’s efforts to build a competitive SailGP team in under six months and will feature commentary from SailGP co-founders Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts.
The series is part of a broader push to position SailGP as a media-savvy, globally relevant league.
