Meet Angel City FC's newest minority-stake investors including Chris Paul

LOS ANGELES -- Angel City is bringing in talent on and off the pitch. On Monday, the club announced four new additions to its ownership roster: NBA superstar Chris Paul, philanthropist Solina Chau, consultant Ina Coleman and entrepreneur Paul Bernon. The new wave of minority-stake owners brings Angel City’s ownership list to over 100 investors from a variety of backgrounds. 

Meet the New Investors

Each of the four newest investors advocate for the expansion of women's sports and social change. The quartet is the latest group of new investors announced since Controlling Owner Willow Bay, and Bob Iger bought a controlling stake of the club in July 2024. 

Chris Paul

“It’s an incredible honor to join Angel City FC as an investor and owner,” said Paul. Being able to join ACFC is not only an amazing opportunity, it's a chance to support women’s sports and help drive positive change.”

The Los Angeles Clippers point guard is the latest high-profile athlete to join ACFC's ownership group, which includes legends Billie Jean King, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Cobi Jones, Abby Wambach and Matthew Stafford. 

Paul announced his return to Los Angeles for the 2025-26 NBA season with the Clippers. He previously played for the Clippers from 2011-17, finishing in the top seven of MVP voting in the first five of those six seasons.

Paul, a 12-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist, has frequented Angel City matches, including last August, when he swapped jerseys with Savy King, who underwent heart surgery after an on-field emergency during a game in May.

Paul's $280 million portfolio includes other sports-related investments: the TST, a 7v7soccer tournament started in 2025, as well as the Players TV venture.

Solina Chau

Chau is a co-founder of Horizon Ventures, a Hong Kong-based venture capital fund, and a champion for social impact and innovation. Chau, regarded as 'one of the World's most powerful women' in 2016 by Forbes, has a net worth of $2.8 billion. 

“I am delighted to join Angel City’s ownership group and to be part of a movement reshaping what’s possible in sports, equality, and community,” said Chau. “Angel City’s commitment to advancing women, building inclusive communities, and disrupting the status quo deeply resonates with my values. Together, I believe we can set new standards for what a purpose-driven sports team can accomplish — both in LA and around the world.”

Chau's personal investments include shares in Zoom, the energy drink company Celsius, and Canada's Well Health Technologies.

Ina Coleman

Coleman is a consultant in organizational development at Sirenia Partners and a champion for equity, inclusion, and gender advocacy. Coleman also serves as an advisory board member for the USC Center on Communication Leadership and Policy.  

“Joining Angel City FC as an investor in the club allows me to help amplify a movement toward genuine inclusion and representation, both in sport and society,” said Coleman. “I am inspired by the club’s commitment to impact on and off the pitch, and look forward to supporting its mission and community.”

Coleman previously served as the managing director of the Feminist Majority Foundation, an organization dedicated to women's equality, reproductive health and non-violence. At the FMF, Coleman managed the expansion of the Girls Learn International (GLI) program.

Paul Bernon

Bernon is the Managing Partner of PMB Ventures, a real estate and venture investor, Peabody Award-winning film producer and former Vice Chair of EMILY’s List.

He is also a founding investor in the Angel City Impact Fund, ACFC's partnership with the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, that provides "low and no-cost soccer at 104 recreation and parks sites across L.A., reaching 14,000 youth annually."

 “Angel City is rewriting the playbook for what a sports organization can and should be,” said Bernon. “I’m honored to join this ownership group and eager to contribute to the next phase of growth that blends competition, innovation, and lasting social change.”

"Chris, Solina, Ina, and Paul exemplify the values and vision that define ACFC,” said Bay in a press release. “Their outstanding leadership across business, sport, advocacy, and social impact makes them ideal partners as we continue building a world-class club that is forward-thinking, inclusive, and ambitious. We are proud to welcome them to the Angel City family at such a transformational moment for our team and the future of women’s soccer.”

Most Valuable Club in the NWSL

Since its inaugural season in 2022, Angel City has continued to be one of the most valuable clubs in the National Women's Soccer League. 

Angel City leads the league in attendance, fan engagement, and revenue. The club generated an estimated $35 million in 2024 and achieved a reported record-high valuation of $280 million according to Forbes, making it one of the world's most valuable women’s professional sports teams.

Bay and her husband, Iger's purchase included roughly 40% of the team, and an agreement to contribute an additional $50 million in operating capital. The transaction put the club's value at $250 million.

The couple's purchase occurred amid tensions between Angel City’s founding lead investor, Alexis Ohanian, and his three co-founders, Julie Uhrman, Kara Nortman and Natalie Portman. 

The four co-founders all retained investments in some way after the sale to Bay and Iger. Bay has “full control” of the board, serving as the team’s Controlling Owner. 

Bay is the dean of the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, and Iger is the current CEO of the Walt Disney Company. 

The Heart of Los Angeles

Angel City seems to be a magnet for investors due to its unqiue foundation, focusing on equity and community investment. The club made headlines in 2020 with its Hollywood-influenced and celebrity-driven original investment board. 

The club's consistent commitment to social issues and public stances on immigration rights, women's equality, and inclusivity in all fields has created a massive fanbase. Tickets to Angel City games are also significantly more affordable than other sports teams in the city.

“When we pitched the concept of Angel City, we wanted to be an organization where mission and capital could coexist,” said club president and co-founder Julie Uhrman at a 2023 panel. “We wanted to be a platform that stands for equity impact in every single thing that we do. And we’re going to use sports and this idea of building a community to create a sense of belonging to ultimately to drive toward equity — and bend the curve toward gender equity and pay equity. So we’re more than a sports team.”

“We want to build the most passionate fan base of any team in Los Angeles,” Bay told the Hollywood Reporter. “Not any women’s team, any team in Los Angeles.”

In June, Angel City became one of only three sports teams in Los Angeles to take a public stance on ICE raids in the city by debuting shirts and handing out red cards- pocket-sized cards that remind individuals of their constitutional rights when interacting with immigration enforcement, like ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents. 

In its inaugural season, Angel City made it clear that LGBTQ inclusion and outreach were a priority. In 2022, the club hosted a week-long conference in conjunction with Common Goal and the Play Proud project. The program engages executives in 100 hours of LGBTQ-inclusion training, designed to bring meaningful LGBTQ inclusion efforts to the sport.

The 2025 Season

Despite leading the league in investments and engagement, Angel City's performance on the pitch has fallen short of expectations. As of now, the club sits 11th on the league table, three spots below the final cutoff spot for playoffs. Since its inaugural season, ACFC has only made one playoff run during the 2023 season. 

The club has undergone some major changes since March: a new head coach, numerous player trades and a brand new training facility. 

From March to June, the squad was led by interim head coach Sam Laity before Alex Straus took over as permanent head coach. Under Straus, Angel City has gone 2-6-4, showing some improvement on the field, but not enough to add significant points to the scoreboard. 

With four matches left in the regular season, Angel City (24 points) must gain at least six points to surpass Racing Louisville FC (29 points), which currently sits in the eighth spot.