With the arrival of new basketball coach Pat Kelsey, the 502Circle — the official collective of University of Louisville athletics — got a major shot in the arm.
Not only have memberships increased, but giving has accelerated, thanks in large part to a $1 million matching pledge from GLOW Brands founder and CEO Rick Kueber.
The collective has been around a while, founded by Marc Spiegel, an alumnus who holds two degrees at the school and who co-founded Rubicon Global, a waste management company that counts actor Leonardo DiCaprio among its major investors.
After selling the company, Spiegel founded Innovatio Capital, an investment firm making control investments in global sports founded 502Circle largely to help boost the fortunes of Louisville athletics, basketball in particular, as a way of revitalizing his hometown.
Last year, the collective struck a deal with Learfield Sports to become U of L’s official collective, which allows it to further integrate with Louisville athletic department brands.
Dan Furman, who became 502Circle president in April of 2023, previously worked as Louisville’s associate athletics director for major gifts.
He sat down with WDRB’s Eric Crawford for a wide-ranging discussion about the collective, its efforts in basketball (and other sports), and what lies ahead for the group.
He also updated the group’s efforts in the wake of Louisville’s hiring of Pat Kelsey as men’s basketball coach.
