Group 1001 becomes majority stakeholder in women’s sports-focused enterprise Parity

Group 1001 will become a majority stakeholder in Parity, a startup created for both elite women athletes and their fans to combat gender pay inequities in professional sports.

As part of the acquisition, Parity will have substantially increased funding to pursue brand partners and support elite women athletes on a larger scale. Group 1001 Life and Annuity CFO Linda Wang will join the Parity board.

Parity currently focuses on two major lines of business: an influencer marketing platform using analytics and a newly-debuted NFT marketplace. Parity has amassed a roster of 700+ elite women athletes and 20 corporate partners in its first full year of business.

The commitment also includes working to bring in more women, specifically women leaders, across the Group 1001 enterprise. Parity athletes will have the opportunity to authentically engage with Group 1001 partnership campaigns.

“We’re excited to have Parity join the Group 1001 enterprise. Part of our mission is to transform communities through sports and education and those values align with Parity, a groundbreaking platform created to close the gender pay gap in sports sponsorship income.” – Group 1001 Life and Annuity CFO Linda Wang.

“Joining the Group 1001 enterprise and welcoming Linda Wang to the board will allow Parity to make a greater positive impact in women’s sports sponsorships. We are thrilled to integrate the talented Parity athletes into Group 1001’s ongoing efforts to engage with clients, prospective clients, employees and communities through the power of sports.” – former Parity co-CEO and Group 1001 Insurance chief marketing officer Bill Shelton.