Joseph Schooling starts a new career in venture capital after retiring from swimming

SINGAPORE: After retiring in April, Singapore’s first Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling has started a new career in venture capital.

In a LinkedIn post on Monday (September 30), Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India announced that Schooling was joining the firm as an associate on its investment team.

“As he embarks on this new journey, he will work with our seasoned investment professionals to gain greater experience and insights in assessing and making investments in high-growth startups,” the release said.

Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India is one of six major funds in Vertex’s global network of venture capital funds, with the anchor investor being Vertex Holdings – a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings. The fund’s investments focus on healthcare, fintech and sustainability, among other things.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Schooling studied economics at the University of Texas from 2014 to 2018, where he was also a member of the Texas Longhorns swimming team.

Schooling made history for Singapore at the 2016 Rio Olympics when he won gold in the 100m butterfly, beating his idol Michael Phelps.

He holds eight national records: six in individual events and two in the relay.

In 2018, he launched his own swimming school for children called Swim Schooling, which offers a 10-week program for children.

In April, Schooling announced he would retire from competitive swimming to focus on his swimming school and other business ventures. In a report by The Straits Times on April 2, he shared that he would be working with two partners in the venture capital industry in the “health and wellness, technology and sustainability” sectors.

CNA has contacted Schooling for comment.