All Access

Media Deals

Media Deals Alerts

Alert

Standard

Media Deals Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

mustard

BFD Expert Voices - Media Deals

BFD Expert Voices

Two years ago, NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo posted two TikTok videos of himself unpacking a giant box of candy. On Tuesday, he announced that he's investing in the company that sent it. 

Why it matters: The Milwaukee Bucks legend's dip into Candy Funhouse provides a major boost to the Canadian company to pursue global growth with the help of his star power.

Of note: "Giannis wants us to become a household name. He's talked about potentially going out in Greece and having a candy fun park," CMO Dave Theodoropoulos tells Axios, adding that the hoop star's family is "really going to help us strategically grow the business on a global scale." 

Details: Candy Funhouse, founded in 2018, is a profitable family business that now has about 40 employees. It just launched its U.S. website, where it currently has about 500 products available with plans for fast expansion. Its Canadian site averages from 2,500 to 3,500 products.

The equity partnership comes through Antetokounmpo's recently announced company, Ante, that will manage his investments, businesses and social impact work. He plans to become Candy Funhouse's largest individual shareholder. Terms were not disclosed. 

Candy Funhouse executives first met in-person with Antetokounmpo at his Milwaukee home last year and reunited there last month. "We sat down for a few hours ... mapped out the next two to five years," CEO Jamal Hejazi tells Axios. "He's in the thick of it and a real part of the ideas."

Future plans include Antetokounmpo's own candy line by the end of the year, Hejazi says. The NBA star also has helped brainstorm ideas for TikTok videos and other content. The company hopes to expand from online sales into physical retail, too.

By the numbers: Sales were "just under $15 million" in 2021 and the family retains 90% of the business, Hejazi told CNN last year. (He declined to provide updated sales figures.) Another notable stakeholder is Isla Management founder Simon Gebrelul. 

The business received a flood of earned media attention after announcing it was hiring "candyologists" in 2021 and again in 2022 for a chief candy officer job posting. It received 80,000 applications for the former and 200,000 for the latter, for which it's planning to hire soon, Hejazi says.

Hejazi touted the company's social reach, including its 3.3 million followers on TikTok. It has garnered two billion views across its social channels over the past year, he says.

Zoom in: Hejazi says Candy Funhouse has received interest from other celebrity investors and has met with private equity and venture capital firms.

"They've told us that we have a path to a billion-dollar company," he says. "We've gotten a ton of offers, but we just thought that Giannis was the right partner." 

What Giannis is saying: "I believe no brand is doing what Candy Funhouse is doing," Antetokounmpo said in a statement. "Brands in the U.S. are more focused on the product versus experience. People of all ages find joy in sharing candy, and we want to make those moments happen!"

Exclusive: Giannis Antetokounmpo and family invest in Candy Funhouse

The Canadian company and NBA star plan for global expansion.

Giannis Antetokounmpo standing holding a blue box from Candy Funhouse that is filled with assorted candies

Giannis Antetokounmpo. Photo: Courtesy of Candy Funhouse

National Basketball Association (NBA)

Two years ago, NBA star <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Giannis Antetokounmpo" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/12/16/giannis-antetokounmpo-contract-comparison" data-vars-content-id="e4399bf2-1125-4653-b56a-128e01ca31e9" data-vars-headline="Exclusive: Giannis Antetokounmpo and family invest in Candy Funhouse" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/12/16/giannis-antetokounmpo-contract-comparison" target="_self">Giannis Antetokounmpo</a> posted <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="two" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRoc9SJc/" data-vars-content-id="e4399bf2-1125-4653-b56a-128e01ca31e9" data-vars-headline="Exclusive: Giannis Antetokounmpo and family invest in Candy Funhouse" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRoc9SJc/" target="_blank">two</a> <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="TikTok" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRocmPF2/" data-vars-content-id="e4399bf2-1125-4653-b56a-128e01ca31e9" data-vars-headline="Exclusive: Giannis Antetokounmpo and family invest in Candy Funhouse" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRocmPF2/" target="_blank">TikTok</a> videos of himself unpacking a giant box of candy. On Tuesday, he announced that he&#x27;s investing in the company that sent it. Why it matters: The Milwaukee Bucks legend&#x27;s dip into Candy Funhouse provides a major boost to the Canadian company to pursue global growth with the help of his star power.

topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

stock-market-news

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

charlotte

boulder

detroit

kansas-city

columbus

austin

dallas

atlanta

washington-dc

nw-arkansas

chicago

indianapolis

nashville

richmond

colorado-springs

houston

san-francisco

seattle

boston

des-moines

salt-lake-city

philadelphia

denver

phoenix

new-orleans

miami

twin-cities

raleigh

san-antonio

portland

san-diego

tampa-bay

cleveland

huntsville

pittsburgh

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

Exclusive: Giannis Antetokounmpo and family invest in Candy Funhouse

What to read next