Marques Colston

Marques Colston is the Founding Partner of Champion Venture Partners, an asset management firm providing broader investor access to sports and sports-adjacent alternative investments.
Marques is a seasoned business leader with a unique ability to 'Create Separation,' the driving force behind his journey from unlikely NFL superstar and Super Bowl champion to business leader, owner, partner, and strategic advisor to dozens of businesses and organizations.

He’s supported professional athletes, entrepreneurs, business owners, and decision-makers in top companies like Nike, Jordan, NFLPA, and Bolthouse Farms as an executive coach and strategic advisor, helping individuals and organizations to unlock sustainable high performance.

As an independent consultant, Marques served as Managing Director for the Center for Innovation at Virtual Health systems, building and operationalizing innovative programs, including an intrepreurship program to support employees bring innovative business ideas to market.

He spent seven years as an Arena Football owner and operator, where his organizations won 3 championships and multiple Front Office of the Year Awards. Additionally, he helped to secure strategic partnerships like Facebook, CBS, Twitter, and Draftkings as a member of the AFL Business Development committee.

Marques has also stepped into management roles in several early stage companies. At Main Squeeze Juice Co., as the first outside investor, he spearheaded business development, helping it expand to 30+ franchises in development in 2 years.

He also led business development and strategic initiatives for Timeless Herbal Care, an international cannabis company, working with global partners like Mt. Sinai Hospital, Ford Motors, and Lexaria Bioscience to secure R&D and commercial partnership opportunities.

A former investment adviser holding Series 66 and Series 7 licenses, Marques is passionate about supporting athletes and other groups left out of the wealth conversation. Marques played a pivotal role in building and growing The Players Impact as Managing Director, and served in advisory roles with NFL Players Inc. and NFLPA One Team Collective, the NFLPAs sports tech accelerator.

He launched Venture Investing and Entrepreneurship, an executive education program tailored for professional athletes at Columbia Business School and holds the certificate. He also works with the Urban Entrepreneurship and Policy Institute at the University of New Orleans to provide financial education and entrepreneurship resources to high school students.