Mark David Ein (born December 31, 1964) is an American venture capitalist and sports entrepreneur. He owns the Washington City Paper and is a limited partner of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). An enthusiast of tennis, Ein briefly played semi-professionally in his 40s, founded the World TeamTennis (WTT) team Washington Kastles in 2008, and has chaired the DC Open since 2019. He is also chairman of the President's Export Council and a member of the Federal City Council, World Economic Forum, and Gridiron Club.
Mark Ein | |
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Born | Mark David Ein December 31, 1964 Chevy Chase, Maryland, U.S. |
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Sally Stiebel (m. 2013) |
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Early life
editEin was born on December 31, 1964, in Chevy Chase, Maryland.[1][2][3] Ein is Jewish; his mother is a Holocaust survivor.[4] He earned a degree in economics from the Wharton School in 1987 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1992.[5]
Career
editEin worked for The Carlyle Group, Brentwood Associates, and Goldman Sachs before founding Venturehouse Group in 1999.[6][7] A lifelong enthusiast of tennis, Ein founded the Washington Kastles of World TeamTennis (WTT) in 2008 and is a board member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).[6] He earned an ATP ranking of 1098 at age 46 after playing in a few ATP doubles tennis tournaments.[1][8] Ein bought the Washington City Paper in 2017 and became chairman and CEO of the DC Open tennis tournament in 2019.[9][10] He is the chairman of the board for Kastle Systems, a security company, and CEO of Capitol Investment Corp.[7] Ein founded the Washington Justice of the esports Overwatch League in 2018.[11] Ein became a Washington Business Hall of Fame laureate in 2018.[12]
In 2023, president Joe Biden appointed Ein to chair the President's Export Council, a group within the International Trade Administration that serves as a national trade advisory committee.[13] He is also a member of the Federal City Council, World Economic Forum, and the Gridiron Club.[6][14] The same year, he was a part of an investment group led by Josh Harris that bought the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL) for $6.05 billion,[15][16][17] the highest price ever paid for a sports team.[18] He and Harris have been close friends since elementary school; they attended Wharton and Harvard Business School together and shared beach houses during their time on Wall Street.[3][8][17]
Team | Notes |
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Washington Kastles | World TeamTennis team |
Washington City Paper | Alternative newspaper |
Washington Justice | Overwatch League team; league folded in 2023 |
DC Open | Tennis tournament; chairman and CEO |
Washington Commanders | National Football League team; limited partner |
Honors
editIn 2009, D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty presented Ein with the key to the city for his success with the Washington Kastles.[19] He was inducted into the USTA Mid-Atlantic Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012.[20] In 2013, Ein was honored for "Outstanding Public Service in Professional Sports" by the Jefferson Awards Foundation.[21]
Personal life
editEin was an executive producer of the 2008 documentary film Kicking It.[5] In 2001, he purchased the home of Katharine Graham following her death in the Georgetown district of Washington, D.C. for $8 million. He never occupied it and put up for sale in 2024.[22]
Ein married Sally Stiebel in September 2013.[23] The wedding included a live performance of Y.M.C.A. by the Village People and was attended by over 350 guests, including Mark Warner, Ted Leonsis, Raul Fernandez, Vernon Jordan, Valerie Jarrett, Debra Lee, Gene Sperling, Larry Summers, David Bradley, Adrian Fenty, Jack Evans, Murphy Jensen, Sam Kass, Capricia Marshall, and Mitchell Rales.[23] They spent their honeymoon at Lake Como in Italy and reside in Georgetown.[23]
References
edit- ^ a b Politico Staff (December 31, 2018). "BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Mark Ein, founder and CEO of Capitol Investment Corp and Venturehouse Group". Politico. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ "Mark Ein ATP Tour profile". ATP Tour. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ a b Elfin, David (July 6, 2015). "Q&A with the Owners of the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils and Washington Kastles". MoCo360. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
- ^ Schwartzman, Paul (January 30, 2018). "A tennis team, mansions and now an alt-newsweekly: A tycoon's new project". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "Dinner and Discussion w/Mark Ein". Harvard Club of Washington DC. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Mark Ein - Chairman". kastle.com. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ a b Kangarloo, Kasra. "The many lives of Mark Ein (Video)". American City Business Journals. Washington Business Journal. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ a b Lynn, Carter. "Wharton grad Mark Ein continues to make impact in D.C. sports world". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Gregg, Aaron. "Local businessman Mark Ein to buy Washington City Paper for undisclosed sum". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ "Citi Open Spotlight with Mark Ein". usta.com. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ Wolf, Jacob (September 4, 2018). "Sources: Overwatch League to add D.C. and Hangzhou, China, teams". ESPN. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
- ^ Milk, Leslie (November 19, 2018). "Here Are the Washington Business Hall of Fame Laureates for 2018". Washingtonian. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ "President Biden Announces Key Appointments to Boards and Commissions". The White House. February 28, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ "Current Members". Federal City Council. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
- ^ Maske, Mark; Jhabvala, Nicki (July 20, 2023). "NFL owners approve sale of Commanders from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ "Josh Harris Announces Acquisition of Washington Commanders" (Press release). Washington Commanders. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ a b Jhabvala, Nicki (July 23, 2023). "How Josh Harris's Washington roots inspired him to buy the Commanders". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ Jhabvala, Nicki (July 20, 2023). "The Commanders sale was so complicated, it was 'like 20 deals in one'". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ Bland, Jacque (August 26, 2009). "Key-sponsored team given key to the city". Washington Examiner. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ "Usta Mid-Atlantic Award Winners". United States Tennis Association. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
- ^ "Jefferson Awards Announces Strategic Alliance with the NFL Player Engagement, Charles Fazzino and IvyConnect, While Celebrating 41 Years of Honoring Service to Others". PRWeb. Jefferson Awards Foundation. June 19, 2013. Archived from the original on June 26, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ Williamson, Elizabeth (July 23, 2024). "Why Katharine Graham's Washington Home Has Sat Vacant for 22 Years". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Mark Ein weds Sally Stiebel: An A-list bachelor finally finds his bride". The Washington Post. September 22, 2013.