Steve Young vs. Joe Montana: Which Superstar QB Has the Better Post-Nfl Business Career?

ESPN analyst Steve Young broadcasts before the AFC Wild Card Playoff game between the Houston Texans and the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium in Houston on Jan. 4, 2020. (Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Steve Young recently made headlines off the gridiron by announcing his HGGC private equity firm is investing $300 million in registered investment advisors.

Young will serve as the chair of the new platform, which will be called Aspire Holdings.

Since his retirement from football in 1999, Young has earned a reputation on Wall Street as a savvy investor and businessman. His former Hall of Fame teammate and mentor, Joe Montana, is also no slouch in the business world either.

Grit

Young’s business resume includes currently serving as chair of four companies in the HGGC portfolio: IDERA, Integrity, Dealer-FX, and AutoAlert.

Young has previously served on the boards of several of former HGGC investments, including Hybris Software, which was acquired by SAP SE; Serena Software, which was acquired by Micro Focus International PLC-ADR; and Sunquest Information Systems, which was acquired by Roper Technologies Inc.

Young also founded and chairs the Forever Young Foundation, his philanthropic organization focused on children’s charities.

Former NFL player Joe Montana speaks onstage during day 3 of SiriusXM at Super Bowl LIV in Miami, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM )

Joe Cool

Montana, who hung up his cleats in 1994, was an early investor in Pinterest Inc. After spending several years with former San Francisco 49ers teammates Ronnie Lott and Harris Barton at HRJ Capital, Montana co-founded Liquid 2 Ventures in 2015.

As of 2020, Montana has made 24 different angel investments. In addition to Pinterest, one of his biggest winning stakes was a 2015 investment in Gitlab Inc at a $12-million valuation. GitLab completed its IPO in October 2021 at a valuation of $11.1 billion.

Montana also has his own Four Rings Montana Family Foundation, which focuses on providing educational and personal growth opportunities to economically disadvantaged youth.

And the Winner Is?

Montana won four Super Bowls and two NFL MVPs in his career, while Young three Super Bowls—two as Montana’s backup and one on his own.

At the end of the day, both superstar QBs are all-time greats both on and off the field. But for business fans, the best scoreboard to pick a winner may simply be dollars and cents.

By Wayne Duggan

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