Philadelphia Eagles’ star running back Saquon Barkley has not only become an investor in fintech startup Ramp, he is also the star of the company’s first Super Bowl commercial.
Interestingly, it was Barkley who reached out to Ramp about investing, not the other way around as is so often the case with celebrity endorsements.
Barkley reached out after reading Peter Thiel’s book, Zero to One, according to Ramp CEO and co-founder Eric Glyman. Barkley chose Ramp after some mutual investor friends gave Ramp “strong” recommendations, Glyman said.
In a blog post posted February 6 on Ramp’s website, Barkley is quoted as saying: ”True partnership requires skin in the game. That’s why I invested in Ramp. I saw firsthand how they’re powering American businesses to cut costs and achieve a higher level of performance. That’s the kind of impact I want to be part of.”
The 15-second ad – which features Barkley buried in a mountain of expense reports – was conceived, shot and finished in seven days, Glyman said.
Founded in 2019, Ramp has built a name for itself in the corporate card and expense management space. It’s branched out into travel, bill pay, and more, and was last valued at $7.65 billion.
According to Ramp, Barkley’s investment in the fintech startup marks the NFL star’s largest private technology investment to date. According to PitchBook, he’s also backed crypto startup Monad Labs, fintech and Y Combinator alum Sequin and beverage company X2 Performance.
The Super Bowl airs on February 9, where the Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
