The world of finance has plenty of role models whose principles are followed by regular investors, venerable names like Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett.
Now one Silicon Valley startup is inviting people to take investment cues from a far less conventional source: the professional football player Vernon Davis.
The San Francisco startup Fantex first gained attention in 2013 when it said it would offer a way to buy shares in professional athletes. It has since convinced a handful of football players, including Davis, to sell a portion of their future income to sports fans, who get shares linked to that income.
Fantex is now going a step further with Davis, a 31-year-old tight end for the San Francisco 49ers. On Tuesday, Fantex said it had invested alongside Davis in three Jamba Juice franchises, exposing the Davis shareholders to any gain or loss in the stores' value.
Davis, who has an endorsement deal with Jamba Juice, brought the investment idea to Fantex, said Buck French, Frantex's CEO. After studying the opportunity, Fantex, which has a contractual right to join its athletes in making investments, decided to buy 10% of the deal, French said, while declining to specify how much money was invested.
"We didn't have any reservations," French told BuzzFeed News. "We got to look at the investment through our own set of eyes, and we thought it was a good opportunity."
Professional athletes aren't always known for their financial savvy. The sports world is littered with tales of players who, suddenly flush with cash, squander it on expensive toys or dubious investments.
But as such investments go, a trio of Jamba Juice franchises seems relatively tame. Davis already owned one Jamba Juice location, as well as a sports gym and an art gallery in San Jose, Calif.
French said he believed Davis had entrepreneurial ability, and, besides, "you can't lump all athletes in the same bucket."
"If you think about it, Vernon Davis is the CEO of a multimillion-dollar operation, whether it's what he gets paid working for the N.F.L. or what he gets paid working off the field," French said.
The contracts that athletes sign with Fantex extend beyond their athletic ability. Players promise to give investors a portion of all income related to their "brand," including from any memoirs, film roles or broadcasting jobs after they retire.
Such extracurricular income may become especially important for a player like Davis, who had a rough season with the 49ers. Davis scored just two touchdowns over 14 games.
Several months before the season started, Davis sold investors a 10% stake in his future brand-related income, in exchange for a $4 million payment. Fantex, which promotes and manages Davis's brand, makes money by keeping 5% of the cash that flows to investors.
Fantex on Tuesday announced a dividend of 50 cents a share for Davis shareholders. That amount will bring the stock's total dividends paid to $1.50 a share.
The Davis stock, which is thinly traded, is currently valued at $8.10 a share. It was priced at $10 in its initial public offering last year.