Ryan Nece Joins Me On Panic With Friends To Talk NFL Football, The Super Bowl and Venture Investing at Next Play Capital

I loved making this podcast with Ryan.

On Twitter today, this podcasting tweet I clipped below went viral…which of course I had to answer along with Ramp Capital and 200,000 others…

Talking about investing with a wide group of friends and acquaintances I respect has been great therapy for me in an absurd 2020.

I started out in March of this year thinking I would make 10 and today Knut and I have made 123.

I met Ryan four years back at The Upfront conference in LA. My friend Ryan Spoon had already introduced us and we hit it off. Or maybe I just thought we hit it off. Either way, Ryan did agree to come talk about investing and his unique venture capital firm Next Play Capital.

While I know Ryan had won a Super Bowl in his rookie year, I did not know he also played on the 0-16 Detroit Lions. Luckily he did not parlay that season with a Tesla short sale.

I think you will really enjoy this episode. You can listen to it here on Spotify or Apple.

More details of the episode follow below…

Guest: Ryan Nece

Profile: Former NFL Football Player; Co-Founder, Managing Partner at Next Play Capital

Where to Find Him: LinkedIn, Twitter 

Fun Fact: Fun Fact: Ryan is more than just a leader on the field. As a community leader, Ryan sits on the Board of Directors of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, WEDU, and Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo.

What’s the Panic About:

I was excited to chat with Ryan Nece, a great investor and great football player. He’s had some big wins on and off the field, from winning a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to starting his own foundation. Ryan knows how to play the game with heart, determination and drive. His two decade’s worth of experience as a professional and disciplined athlete, entrepreneur and investor gave him the foundation to start Next Play. Ryan connects his passion and knowledge of sports and tech at Next Play, leveraging those relationships to provide investors with a diversified pool of venture funds and companies. In this episode, Ryan and I discuss the transition from football to investing, Next Play’s backstory and the naming of the firm, Ryan’s current role in his company, missed investments and ones he is excited about, the mindset that goes into being a founder and an athlete, a one time he’s panicked, winning a Super Bowl and supporting the next generation of investors.

The Takeaway:

As Ryan says in this episode, with interest needs to come education. We stunt our own intellectual growth in denying ourselves from engaging in productive and respectful dialogue with those of differing opinions or backgrounds. We learn more when we let go of an individualistic mindset and instead try to build on what we know.

Favorite Quotes:

“The only play that matters is the next play.”

“There’s a lot of parallel between being a good athlete and a good founder.”

“If I have to coach you in a game, it’s too late.”

“When we walked into a game in Tampa, I felt like we were up by 14 before the game even started.”

Food for Thought:

Ryan’s not the first athlete turned investor I’ve spoken to on Panic with Friends. We’ve also had Ryan’s friend Kelvin Beachum on the podcast, which you can listen to here.

PS – I am now doing two ‘Panic With Friends’ podcasts per week. Thanks for listening and make sure you subscribe over on Spotify or Apple.