Introducing the AUBL Advisory Committee

Curtis Ferguson currently serves as a Managing Partner of Ventech China, a venture capital firm focused on investment opportunities in digital consumption, big data, intelligent innovation, hard technology and other aspects in the era of digital economy. Curtis also serves as a Director for the Indiana University Foundation, the home of the famed Indiana Hoosier’s Basketball Team and is the Chairman of DMALL Inc., a Hong Kong listed B2B AI retail solution platform. A former 38-year old veteran of the Coca-Cola Company, Curtis led the refranchising in China – driving the Chinese business unit to become the fastest growing market for Coca-Cola.

With over 18 years of experience in the media and entertainment industries across the U.S. and Asia, Grace Chen is the founder of Graceful Media, a Hong Kong-based firm representing talent and companies at the intersection of sports, music, and content in Asia. In 2022, she launched the MetaMoon Music Festival to support Asian artists with a consistent global stage. Forbes described the event as “a celebration of Asian culture and artists.” Previously, Grace served as Managing Director of William Morris Asia and Chief Strategy Officer at Live Nation China.

Jamie Zaninovich, a Managing Director for TrailRunner International in the San Francisco Bay Area, draws on nearly 30 years of global sports industry leadership experience to advise clients on matters related to operations and governance, marketing, sponsorships, media rights, crisis management, sustainability and social responsibility, and international business development. Prior to TrailRunner International, Jamie served as the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer at the Pac-12 Conference for nearly a decade. Before that, he was the Commissioner of the West Coast Conference and a senior athletic administrator at both Princeton University and Stanford University. Having previously served on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee, Jamie also led collegiate sports expansion and global markets business development, including the historic Pac-12 China Games in Shanghai from 2015-2019 and the Pac-12 football and basketball events in Australia from 2016-2018. Jamie was named to Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” list and regularly lectures on sports business at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

Masaaki Matsuzawa is a partner at Vectr Ventures, a Hong Kong-based global early-stage venture studio combining capital, creation, and growth to deliver game-changing impact to teams ready to tackle global issues and transform industries. Masaaki spent 7 years with the NBA, serving as the Chief Strategy Officer for NBA in China, where he led the development and execution of the NBA’s growth strategy and investments in China, in areas such as: fan and consumer engagement, e-commerce, digital and social media and local content production. At the NBA, he was also part of the Global Strategy team, where he provided leadership in investments in areas such as: development of the NBA 2K eSports league, the Basketball Africa League, gaming and sports-tech (AI and vision tech). Masaaki spent nearly 14 years at Goldman Sachs in New York and Hong Kong, most recently as the COO of Asia M&A, where he led the sourcing and execution of cross border acquisitions, divestitures and restructurings. Masaaki is on the board of sports tech company, KNQ

Raphael X. Moffett serves as the Chief Student Affairs Officer at Schwarzman Scholars in Beijing, providing leadership for student development initiatives and co-curricular programs. Previously, he served as the former dean of students at Duke Kunshan University and has been involved in student life / affairs for over two decades, working with various other universities such as Georgia State, Texas Southern, and Trinity University. Raphael has extensive experience in implementing strategies related to student development, student activities, and multicultural affairs and was a walk-on Division I basketball player at Washington State University.

"The AUBL Advisory Committee comprises distinguished leaders and close friends, each a proven expert in their field. Their collective expertise will be instrumental in advancing AUBL’s mission: to cultivate the next generation of student-athletes while creating transformative opportunities for players, universities, and fans across Asia. We could not be more excited, or grateful, to have the Advisory Committee with us," stated Jintian Jay Li , CEO of AUBL

We look forward to sharing more updates soon – stay tuned as we redefine the future of university basketball in Asia!

‍