A Los Angeles women’s football club co-founded by Oscar winner and Star Wars star Natalie Portman has struck a deal to use the services of a British software engineering firm.
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) was set up in 2020 by the Black Swan best actress award winner and investors including technology venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman, and venture capitalist, 776 founder and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Orange is the New Black star Uzo Aduba is also a backer.
The Angels started playing in the National Women's Soccer League in 2022, under head coach Freya Coombe, and are based at the BMO Stadium in downtown LA.
The club has now signed a deal to work with Leicester software engineering business Mindera to help with its digital operations.
Mindera was founded in 2014 and has built a strong global presence around the world including the US, UK, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, India and Romania.
It now employs 1,200 people specialising in software engineering and consulting, as well as software education – teaching young minds the value of coding. It covers sectors and industries including retail, gaming, travel, and finance.
The partnership will see Mindera support the Angels with their digital transformation, and will also see the company get matchday advertising. On top of that, the Mindera team will also play a part in the clubs community work, running tech camps in coding and software engineering education.
ACFC co-founder Julie Uhrman said: “What drew us to this collaboration are our shared values of education and community empowerment.
“Mindera's commitment to using technology to change lives aligns perfectly with ACFC's mission, and together, we look forward to introducing the pioneering Mindera Tech Camp curriculum to the United States for the very first time.
“This partnership is not just about football and software engineering – it's about making a positive difference in the lives of young minds and diverse communities.
“With Mindera's support, we are poised to foster talent, bridge opportunity gaps, and drive innovation, all while enriching our local community. We believe this partnership will be a game-changer on and off the field."
Paul Evans, founder and chief executive of Mindera, said: “We can’t wait to get started working with ACFC. The work the club has done both on and off the field is incredibly impressive.
“What drew us to partnering with ACFC is our shared values. At Mindera, education and giving back to the community are core principles for us.
“We believe tech has the power to change lives and we regularly run tech camps and coding academies to help people learn tech skills and launch their careers.
“Being people first is at the core of everything we do. We love helping people to grow and develop skills that will ultimately help improve people’s lives, and we believe this partnership will undoubtedly enable us to make a positive difference to many. ”
One of the factors in Mindera's decision to join forces with ACFC is the club’s groundbreaking sponsorship model, where 10 percent of all sponsorship money goes back into the community.
ACFC and Mindera will focus on introducing the pioneering Mindera Tech Camp curriculum to the United States for the very first time.
Mindera Tech Camps are a globally recognized initiative designed to democratise coding and software engineering education, empowering young minds and diverse communities.
Starting in 2024, the partnership will collaborate with select non-profit organisations.
Mindera branding went live at the August 27 game against OL Reign with more to follow in 2024.
