Roger Federer invested $50 million in Swiss shoe company: Sports partnerships can go far beyond putting an athlete’s name beside a company logo. Some deals includes athletes in product development, brand building and long-term business decisions leading to partnerships that can reshape both the athlete’s legacy and the organization's ambitions. Roger Federer’s association with Swiss sportswear company On is one example of that approach. In 2019, Federer did not simply become an endorser of On. He invested in the company, helped develop a tennis shoe and became involved in taking the brand into a sport where it had not earlier established itself.
At the time, On was primarily popular for its CloudTec running shoes and Swiss engineering. That changed in November 2019, when Federer joined the organization as an investor and what On stated as a co-entrepreneur. The New York Times described his position as that of an investor, contributing designer and representative.
