As the founder of GK Digital Ventures in Montclair, Greg Kahn works around the world as an AI investor and strategic advisor for the companies aiming to be leaders in a business ecosystem built around the intersection of sports, technology, media and marketing.
He’s just never done so in his home state.
Kahn, born and raised in Piscataway, changes that fact Thursday, when GK Digital Ventures, in collaboration with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, hosts The Global Game: The Future of Soccer, Tech & Media Summit, at the Prudential Center in Newark.
Kahn said he has long recognized how technology is helping soccer – already a global sport – explode with business opportunities.
Kahn said the FIFA Club World Cup, which includes this week at MetLife Stadium, combined with the coming FIFA 2026 World Cup, provided the perfect opportunity to bring together top executives and thought leaders from across the soccer, tech and media industries.
“This is a cultural moment for the sport,” he said. “It’s obviously a huge moment for athletes and for investors that want to be part of building the sport, whether it’s ownership of teams or expansion or ancillary revenues that are developed from the sport.”
See preview of event here; agenda here, ticket information here.
In creating the event, Kahn worked in conjunction with the Murphy administration (the governor will offer the welcome address) and the N.J. Economic Development Authority.
Kahn said the summit Thursday will be just the first of many events in New Jersey, leading up to the 2026 World Cup.
“New Jersey has so many interesting things that are happening in media and tech and sports,” he said. “This is really the moment for New Jersey.
“It’s not the moment for New York/New Jersey. It’s the moment for New Jersey.”
BINJE recently spoke with Kahn about the event. Here’s more of the conversation, edited slightly for space and clarity.
BINJE: Talk more about the origin of the event?
Greg Kahn: The World Cup is the biggest sporting event globally, and it will be on our doorstep next year. Eight games and the final is significant. And then there’s obviously this year’s FIFA Club World Cup, where New Jersey is hosting a quarter, both semis and the final.
This is a huge moment for athletes and for investors that want to be part of building this sport, whether it’s ownership of teams or ancillary revenues that are developed from the sport.
BINJE: Talk about how these two big soccer tournaments illustrate the global reach of the game – and how they are just the start of that reach?
GK: The opportunities extend beyond the World Cup and the Club World Cup. There’s just more and more interest from an international audience to follow what’s happening around the globe on a regular basis.
As streaming continues to develop, and as the networks continue to figure out their sports streaming strategies, it’s a really interesting moment for everybody to come together and discuss what’s the evolution – and what is going to happen for this coming year, leading up to the World Cup.
BINJE: When you talk globally, people obviously assume a grand scale. Talk about medium and small companies – even startups. How do they fit into this ecosystem and into this business summit?
GK: We’ve invited startups to be a part of this. I think startups are a big part of what Gov. Murphy and (EDA CEO) Tim Sullivan have been building with their innovation engine. And both existing companies and investors know that so much of innovation comes from startups.
Look at CoreWeave. If you asked a handful of our peers about a year and a half ago what CoreWeave was, you probably wouldn’t have a lot of recognition. Now, you have a company that’s worth almost $80 billion. I remember when everybody pooh-poohed Meta, Facebook at the time, and Twitter and TikTok and the like. You can now see how powerful they are as media in our world.
Startups in the AI era can become the next giant very quickly. OpenAI is a perfect example of that. So, we’re very friendly to the startup ecosystem. They’re a very important piece to the growth of not only just the tech industry, but the growth of industry at large, which includes sports.
BINJE: Talk about the event itself. We know it runs from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – and that there will be five panels and a fireside chat. How will it be set up at the Prudential Center?
GK: While we will have access to the floor, the event itself will take place on the concourse. And adjacent to where we have the panels, there will be an area for networking, which is a big part of the event. Everybody wants time to meet, so we will have plenty of time for that.
One of the things that I try to do is bring together some people that people know and a lot of people that people don’t know. I think it makes it very interesting and dynamic.
BINJE: Who do you expect to be there?
GK: We’ll have team owners and investors, athletes and marketers and streamers. It’s an interesting mix of people that are part of this overall ecosystem.
BINJE: You have said this will be the first of many events that GK Digital Ventures intends to do leading up to the World Cup – and that they will be of various sizes and substances. How would you describe the Global Game business summit?
GK: This is a medium-sized event. The goal is to have several hundred individuals here. We will be building a bigger event – and one where there’s more opportunity for showcasing startups, not just speaking about them, but showcasing the work that they’re doing.
There also will be events that are more consumer friendly. This event is positioned as a business summit, but we plan to do ones that are both B2B and B2C.
BINEJ: And all in Jersey, your home state. How cool is that?
GK: I have a media tech portfolio, I’m an active angel investor, I incubate companies and I advise Fortune 500 CEOs and their boards on AI, emerging tech and media – but I’ve never done it in New Jersey.
My work always has been international or in New York City. When this moment came, I said, ‘This is the time for New Jersey.’
