About two months ago, the NFL owners voted to allow investments in teams by the private equity funds. And it seems the Miami Dolphins are going to become the first franchise to do so.

The Phins’ owner Stephen Ross is currently in talks with private equity firm Ares Management. In addition to this, he is also speaking with billionaire Joe Tsai for investments in the parent company.

Who is Joe Tsai and what is his net worth?

Joe was born in Taiwan. He is now a billionaire and an owner of the Brooklyn Nets, as well as the Co-Founder and Executive Vice Chairman at Alibaba Group. Having a net worth of around $9.8 billion, he ranks as Alibaba Group’s second-largest individual shareholder. First is business tycoon, Jack Ma.

Joe Tsai is a Canadian passport holder, who “under graduated with Economics and East Asian studies from Yale University.” In addition to that, Tsai also “holds a law degree from Yale Law School” that vast his academic knowledge. And all these degree holdings didn’t go in vain for Tsai, as he is qualified to practice law in New York.

In addition to that, he also founded the “Tsai Family Office to manage his family’s investments.” Indeed, his diverse roles and contributions have made him a key figure not only in the business world but also in sports and various industries like internet retail and leisure facilities. When he joined the Alibaba Group, Tsai was actually “appointed as the vice chairman. However, in 2023, when there was a rising competition for the brand, he made it to the Chairman role.”

Now, advancing his empire, Joe Tsai is negotiating to buy an additional 3% stake in the parent company of the team, after Ares Capital decided to buy 10% in a deal that values the group at $8.1 billion. Besides this, there are plenty of other investments done by Tsai.

What are Joe Tsai’s investments?

From shaping tech giants to diving deep into sports investments, Joe Tsai has become one of the biggest business tycoons in the world. Being an angel investor, Tsai has a passion for helping companies grow by investing “personal money into promising companies, typically in exchange for equity.” And some of his exciting investments, via PitchBook, are: “Premier Lacrosse League, Fanatics, and Anka (Internet Retail) within the Leisure Facilities, Specialty Retail, and Internet Retail industries.”

Moreover, Joe Tsai is even a co-owner of the Los Angeles Football Club. And according to Forbes, “In 2018, he bought 49% of the Brooklyn Nets National Basketball Association team, and the following year he purchased the remaining 51%.” So, all in all, Tsai’s personal drive and vision have led to him being on the board of companies like Ant Group and Ele.me.

And the most significant reason for him being one of the powerful businessmen is that he always looks for the next opportunity to make an impact in the business world.

Meanwhile, do also check out our latest Think Tank exclusive interview with Doug Sanders. It’s packed with insights on the current NFL season, college football, NIL, and much more.