Melinda French Gates’ power play as she plays a minor role in the Seattle Kraken hockey team
Seattle Kraken fans, Melinda French Gates is ready to “see you deep.”
The billionaire philanthropist and the group of owners of the NHL team announced on Monday that Gates of France participates in Kraken as a small investor.
One Roof Sports and Entertainment, which oversees the Kraken, Climate Pledge Arena and associated facilities, said in a news release that French Gates “shares its commitment to community engagement in Seattle and a shared commitment to investing in the region’s future.”
French Gates also appeared in an Instagram video announcing the news alongside Samantha Holloway, One Roof’s co-owner and managing partner.
“Melinda is an impressive business leader, philanthropist and most importantly, a Seattle sports fan,” Holloway said in a statement. “We share many of the same values, including a deep commitment to Seattle and a belief in building organizations that create lasting impact.”
French Gates called himself a “strong believer in the power of sports” and said that after years of “enjoying Seattle from the sidelines,” he was excited to “have an even deeper connection with the Seattle sports community.”
The former wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, French Gates has an estimated net worth of $30 billion, according to Forbes. That fortune put him on a short list of potential buyers for another team in town — the Seattle Seahawks — and other billionaires with ties to the region.
One Roof has said it will pursue an NBA team in Seattle, if the league moves forward with growth, and French Gates may end up in a position to participate there.
For his part, Bill Gates has expressed no interest in owning the Seahawks or any other major sports team.
When it comes to tech highlights, French Gates joins an ownership that includes Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Others on the team include Holloway, private equity investor David Bonderman, filmmaker Jerry Bruckheimer, Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke, hip-hop star Macklemore, and former Seahawk Marshawn Lynch.
French Gates established Pivotal as an organization to oversee his philanthropic commitment to women and families in the US and around the world. He was previously the chairman of the Gates Foundation in Seattle.
Earlier this year, he participated in the SheBelieves Summit in Seattle, a platform for the US National Football Team to bring together influential voices across sports, business, media and culture.
French Gates’ Kraken stake awaits NHL approval.
GeekWire has reached out to Pivotal for additional comment and will update this post when asked.
