Professional Athlete to VC: Merging Passion and Investing with CiCi Bellis

​CiCi Bellis has an accomplished and diverse background in business, sports, and entrepreneurship. Recently, she completed her MBA degree at the University of Miami with a focus on Management and Finance. Before her MBA, CiCi earned a BA degree with an emphasis on Finance and Entrepreneurship from Indiana University. Alongside her academic achievements, she had a successful background as a professional athlete, competing at the highest level in pro tennis, reaching #35 in the world on the WTA tour at 17 years old, before having to retire from an elbow injury. Playing pro tennis instilled in her a strong work ethic, steely determination, and a deep understanding of the sports industry.

​Following her tennis career, CiCi started in the VC industry at a firm focusing on early stage sports startups. After several years working there, CiCi made the bold decision to embark on her entrepreneurial journey, founding Cartan Capital in July 2023—a venture capital firm centered around seed and series a stage companies focusing on advances in human performance, sports tech and health tech. Since then Cartan Capital has been actively investing in top performing startups in those focus areas. The company has leveraged its relationship network and made a number of successful investments so far. CiCi also sits on the board of the USTA and works as a Sports Broadcaster for the Tennis Channel and CBS Sports, leveraging her sports expertise to provide insightful commentary and analysis.