Tom Brady’s business pivot and partnership with Mike Repole positions NoBull to widen its scope.
Tom Brady is calling an audible.
The former superstar quarterback is merging his wellness company TB12 and his apparel venture Brady Brand with sportswear company NoBull. Brady will now become the second largest shareholder in the wellness company behind sports drink entrepreneur Mike Repole, who bought a majority interest in NoBull last summer through his private equity arm Impact Capital.
The move positions NoBull to widen its scope as it aims to become a complete wellness company, with expertise in nutrition and performance.
“This is going to be incredibly fun but also an emotional opportunity for us to give back,” Repole said in a video interview. “We have some great teams … I didn’t do what I did alone, and neither did Tom. Now we’re making it a NoBull family. We’re going to influence as many people as we can.”
For Brady, the strategy pivot allows him to combine resources with Repole without the strain of trying to build up his namesake companies that were built off his success in football. The future Hall of Famer now teams up with the beverage entrepreneur to fight for market share in a crowded activewear space that includes larger companies like Lululemon, Brooks Running and others.
“We both have enough humility to understand that this is tough and will be a big challenge,” Brady said in a video interview. “But we have some tremendous teams that are already in place that are excited for the challenge. Neither of us have backed down from a challenge a day in our life, and we don’t plan on it anytime soon.”
NoBull believes it can stand out from other apparel retailers by offering wellness-related offerings including protein and supplements, while adding a media component that includes promotional content narrated by Brady, who has his own production company 199 Productions. The seven-time Super Bowl champion said he looks forward to being under the tutelage of Repole, the billionaire entrepreneur behind Glaceau, the maker of Smartwater and VitaminWater. He later co-founded the sports drink BodyArmor.
“I’m going to make [Bill] Belichick look like he was an easy coach,” Repole said, laughing.
The merger also means Brady is now officially a partner with the NFL, which invested in Boston-based NoBull in 2022 through the league’s venture capital fund, 32 Equity. For the second year in a row, NoBull will sponsor the league’s upcoming scouting combine. It’s a full circle moment for Brady, who successfully sued the NFL over the Deflategate scandal in 2015.
Repole, who found success with the late Kobe Bryant, will now turn to another Hall of Famer to help grow the consumer base of his latest venture. This could eventually develop into an initial public offering, but that’s not the focus right now, Repole says.
It’s unclear if trainer Alex Guerrero, who co-founded TB12 with Brady, will be associated with NoBull. A change in direction for the TB12 duo seemed inevitable after the health and recovery business shuttered its Foxborough headquarters store in October after 10 years.
“There’s been adversity in every single thing I’ve done in my life,” Brady said. “Not just unique to TB12, I’ve had challenges in my football career and personal life. You always learn and grow and try to apply them [elsewhere]. I’ve very proud of everything that we’ve done at TB12, and this merger is about doing more for more people.”
Repole early on pointed out to Brady that his focus and strategy was too narrow and that it needed to become more accessible to people. NoBull, which was founded in 2015 by former Reebok execs, is also targeting the next generation.
Repole’s Impact Capital, which bought the majority stake in NoBull, also acquired granola bar manufacturer Junkless Foods last year. The prominent horse owner met Brady through a mutual friend in thoroughbred racing more than two years ago, and the two now are at a different kind of starting gate.
“IPO is on the table, but me being 55 and [Tom] being 45 now, it’s about giving back to others,” Repole said. “We’re all about motivating the next generation, from Gen Alpha to GenZ. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
