MUSE SPORT NAMED ADVISORY PARTNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRO BASEBALL LEAGUE, GLOBAL WOMEN'S SPORTS LEADER ASSIA GRAZIOLI-VENIER NAMED CHAIR

Grazioli-Venier to Lead WPBL's Global Search for a Chief Executive Officer

BOSTON, April 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) announced today that Muse Capital's sports investment and advisory arm Muse Sport has been named an advisory partner to the WPBL, and global women's sports leader Assia Grazioli-Venier has been appointed Chair of the WPBL. Muse Sport will provide strategic oversight of the League's partnership and financing plans, while Grazioli-Venier – a founding partner at Muse Capital and a global leader in sports, business, venture capital and consumer innovation – will lead the WPBL's global search for a Chief Executive Officer.

For the first time in over 70 years, the WPBL will provide the first professional baseball league in the country for elite female players. Assia Grazioli-Venier, Chair of the WPBL Board, stated "The establishment of a professional baseball league for women has been long overdue, and I'm energized that the WPBL will now serve as a permanent home for today's fast-scaling generation of ballplayers to participate in America's pastime at the highest level."

A visionary in the commercialization of women's sports, Grazioli-Venier leads venture firm Muse Capital's Muse Sport portfolio, which includes the Washington Spirit (invested in 2020), Therabody, Just Women's Sports, SailGP, and the Angela Ruggiero-cofounded Sports Innovation Lab.

Anticipating the rise of pickleball as a professional sport, Grazioli-Venier invested early in Miami Pickleball Club. In 2024, she directed Muse Sport's investment into SailGP, positioning the advisory business at the forefront of one of the fastest-growing sports properties in the world. Prior to this, Grazioli-Venier was the first woman and youngest board member in the 120-year history of Juventus Football Club, where she helped launch Juventus Women and a suite of Juventus-operated properties.

"We are fortunate to live in a period of extraordinary growth and transformation in women's sports. I believe the WPBL is poised to join the ranks of other great women's leagues like the WNBA, NWSL, and PWHL," said Grazioli-Venier.

Grazioli-Venier's investment thesis bridges women's sports and women's health, recognizing that growth in one fuels the other. Working alongside her founding partner Rachel Springate and associates, Muse Capital has become a leading force in women's healthcare innovation, backing companies like Midi Health, Conceivable Life Sciences, Cofertility, Sequel, and Eli Health — each pioneering solutions for historically underserved medical needs.

In 2023, Grazioli-Venier was named a Top VC Investor in Sports Startups by Business Insider. She has also been published and recognized by Sports Business Journal for her contributions to prominent sports business transactions.

"Assia Grazioli-Venier is a tremendous business leader and sports pioneer. It is an honor to have her as Chair of the WPBL," commented Justine Siegal, Co-Founder of the WPBL. "I am confident that with her leadership and support the WPBL will become one of America's premier sports leagues."

For more information on the WPBL, visit www.womensprobaseballleague.com. 

About the WPBL:
The Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) is the only professional women's baseball league in America and will launch with six teams in the spring of 2026 and consist of a regular season, playoffs, and championship. League Co-Founder and baseball pioneer, Dr. Justine Siegal, is the first woman to coach a professional men's baseball team and to pitch batting practice in Major League Baseball. For more information on the WPBL, visit www.womensprobaseballleague.com

About Muse Sport:
Muse Sport is the dedicated sports advisory and investment arm of Muse Capital, focused on supporting the next generation of sports properties and platforms. Its portfolio includes the Washington Spirit, Just Women's Sports, SailGP, and Miami Pickleball Club.

About Muse Capital:
Muse Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm founded by Assia Grazioli-Venier and Rachel Springate, investing in overlooked and untapped consumer technology opportunities across the future of how we care, play, and live. For the past eight years, the firm has backed category-defining companies in multibillion-dollar markets traditionally overlooked by Silicon Valley.

SOURCE Women's Pro Baseball League