In July 2024, Colin Kaepernick announced Lumi, a storytelling platform intended to help creators develop, publish and merchandise their work. The company said it had raised $4 million in seed funding, led by Seven Seven Six, with participation from Kapor Capital, Impellent Ventures and angel investors. Kaepernick was no longer pitching only as a former NFL quarterback. He was building a business around a problem he had encountered as a publisher: the cost and difficulty of getting a story made and into the world.
That shift—from athlete-activist to founder—is the business story behind Kaepernick’s recent ventures. His public profile has helped bring attention to his projects, but attention alone does not make a company. Publishing, film and software each require rights, partners, distribution and customers. Kaepernick’s approach has been to establish businesses that can develop and own projects, then work with outside companies when they bring resources or reach.
That is a form of independence built through negotiation. His ventures have worked with established publishers, media companies, distributors and investors. The central question is whether those relationships leave the founder’s companies with a meaningful role in the work and the value it creates.
The Platform Became a Starting Asset
Kaepernick became a nationally recognized figure after he began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest racial injustice. That visibility made him a familiar name, but a public following is not itself an enduring business. It can attract attention and open conversations; a company still needs a product, a way to reach customers and a reason for them to return.
The distinction matters for Black creators whose work can draw an audience while the rights and revenue sit elsewhere. Kaepernick’s later ventures gave him ways to participate in developing and distributing stories, rather than relying entirely on other organizations to package his ideas and life.
His first step was building media capacity. In 2020, Disney announced a first-look deal with Ra Vision Media, Kaepernick’s production company. The arrangement covered scripted and unscripted projects across Disney platforms, including ESPN and Hulu. It also positioned Kaepernick to develop stories with The Undefeated, Disney’s publication focused on race, sports and culture. One announced project was a first-person docuseries about his life.
A first-look deal gave Ra Vision Media a route into a large distribution system. It did not guarantee that every project under development would reach an audience. ESPN and director Spike Lee said in 2025 that the planned documentary series would not move forward at the network. That outcome shows the limits of a development agreement: it can create access and a chance to pitch, while decisions about production and release still involve the partner.
The path was not simply a departure from established media. Kaepernick used a corporate partnership where it could expand the work, while building companies with the capacity to develop projects in the first place.
Publishing Put Rights and Relationships on the Page
Kaepernick founded Kaepernick Publishing in 2019. The company says it aims to elevate writers with diverse views and voices. Its work includes books by Kaepernick and other authors, alongside partnerships with larger publishers that can provide editorial, production and distribution resources.
In 2020, Kaepernick Publishing entered a multi-project deal with Audible. Audible took on the exclusive audio release of Kaepernick’s memoir, while the print and e-book editions were to be published through Kaepernick Publishing in partnership with Melcher Media and distributed by Two Rivers, an Ingram company. The arrangement put Kaepernick’s publishing house into the production and rights relationship, while relying on outside companies for audio, production and distribution.
“I want to tell the story of my evolution…”
— Colin Kaepernick
A multi-book agreement with Scholastic followed in 2021. The first title, I Color Myself Different, was published in 2022. Kaepernick Publishing also offered Scholastic Change the Game, a graphic novel memoir co-written with Eve L. Ewing and published in 2023. Scholastic brought a children’s-book imprint, editorial staff and international publishing reach. Kaepernick’s company originated the projects and participated in the publishing arrangements.
That model gives a founder more room to initiate projects and choose collaborators. It does not remove the need for editors, printers, retailers or distributors. An independent press can develop a project and negotiate its place in the market while relying on outside firms for work and reach it cannot efficiently build alone.
For Black creators, the rights question is central. A story can be culturally important and commercially successful, yet its author may have limited control over later uses if contracts transfer rights too broadly. A publishing company gives the creator an organization through which to develop projects and negotiate with partners. The contract still determines who controls each format, territory and use.
Lumi Turns Experience Into a Product
Lumi extends Kaepernick’s publishing experience into software. At launch, the company described a platform to help creators develop stories, produce visual work, publish digitally or physically, and create merchandise. It initially focused on comic books and graphic novels, formats that often require writing, illustration and production skills a single creator may not have. The company said it would use AI tools as part of that process.
Kaepernick has described Lumi as growing out of challenges he faced while developing media and publishing projects, including high production costs and long timelines. The business proposition is to make more of the process accessible through one platform. That is the company’s intended service; the proposition still depends on creators finding the tools useful enough to adopt and return to.
“Lumi addresses an unnecessary dependency on gatekeepers that slows creators down.”
— Colin Kaepernick
Lumi’s reported $4 million seed round supplied early capital to build and develop the business. Seven Seven Six led the round, alongside Kapor Capital, Impellent Ventures and individual investors. Seed funding can pay for product development and early operations before a company has established a dependable customer base. It also brings investors into the company, with expectations tied to growth and returns.
This is where “independent” needs a precise meaning. Kaepernick’s model is not self-sufficiency. His book business has used major publishing partners. His screen work has sought distribution through established media companies. Lumi raised venture capital. Independence here means building organizations that can originate projects, develop products and negotiate with partners from a position of ownership. It does not mean controlling every distribution channel or growing without outside capital.
That distinction is familiar to founders navigating unequal access to money. Black entrepreneurs use personal funds, family support, grants, loans, customer revenue and investment in different combinations. Kaepernick’s seed round is one example of venture funding for a technology company seeking scale, not a template for every Black-owned business. Venture capital can finance rapid product development, but founders must weigh the capital against the equity and growth expectations attached to it.
Building an Institution Is Different From Owning Attention
Kaepernick’s ventures illustrate the difference between having an audience and building a business that can serve one. His public profile has helped make projects visible and attract collaborators. The companies create repeatable structures: Kaepernick Publishing can develop multiple titles; Ra Vision Media can pitch and produce screen projects; Lumi aims to sell tools to creators.
The results differ by venture. Kaepernick Publishing has released multiple books and entered arrangements with Audible and Scholastic. Ra Vision Media secured a Disney first-look deal, though the planned ESPN documentary did not air. Lumi launched with a disclosed seed round and a stated product direction. These are business developments, but they do not all measure the same thing: a publishing deal is not a profit figure, and a funding round is not evidence of lasting customer demand.
The businesses must keep finding readers, viewers and users. Publishing depends on readers and retail access. Film and television depend on production and distribution decisions. A software platform has to prove its tools work well enough for creators to use them repeatedly. Ownership can give a founder more influence over that work, but it does not guarantee a market.
Kaepernick’s story connects activism and enterprise without treating them as the same activity. Advocacy helped shape the public identity and subject matter associated with his work. Running companies required different decisions: negotiating rights, assembling teams, choosing distribution, raising capital and developing a product. Public attention may help begin those conversations. It cannot replace the operating work that follows.
For Black founders, the practical insight is not that celebrity or venture capital is required. A durable company can be built around a repeatable process, a body of work, a customer relationship or intellectual property. Partnerships can supply infrastructure when agreements preserve a meaningful role for the founder. Capital can accelerate growth when its cost is understood. A public platform has more economic reach when it supports institutions capable of creating value beyond one person’s visibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Companies Has Colin Kaepernick Founded?
Kaepernick founded Kaepernick Publishing in 2019 and Lumi, a storytelling technology company launched in 2024. His production company, Ra Vision Media, has also developed projects with major media companies, including a first-look partnership with Disney.
How Much Funding Did Lumi Raise?
Lumi announced a $4 million seed round at launch in 2024. Seven Seven Six led the round, with Kapor Capital, Impellent Ventures and angel investors participating. The funding supported the company’s early development.
Does Kaepernick Publishing Work With Major Companies?
Yes. It has had publishing arrangements with Audible and Scholastic. Kaepernick Publishing has originated or participated in projects, while partners have supplied services such as audio production, editorial support, publishing imprints and distribution.
Did the Kaepernick Documentary Announced With ESPN Air?
No. ESPN and director Spike Lee said in 2025 that ESPN would not move forward with the planned documentary series. The project had been announced as part of Disney’s first-look deal with Ra Vision Media.
What Does Lumi Offer Creators?
Lumi launched as a platform for developing, producing, publishing and merchandising stories. The company initially described a focus on comics and graphic novels, using AI tools to help creators make visual work and prepare it for publication.
What Can Black Founders Learn From Kaepernick’s Businesses?
A public profile can help attract partners and capital, but it does not replace an operating business. Founders can build organizations around intellectual property and customers, then use outside partners for services or distribution while negotiating carefully over rights and control.
