BOOTSTRAPPED BASEBALL LIFESTYLE 101 TAKES FIRST PE CHECK
Baseball Lifestyle 101 has taken a strategic minority investment from e-commerce PE firm Digital Fuel Capital. Terms weren't disclosed, and The Sage Group advised the brand.
Josh Shapiro started BL101 as an Instagram account at age 15. It did ~$1M a year through 2022, then 5m in 2023 and grew to $40M in 2024 and $138M in 2025.
Co-founder Bill Rom says the brand is on track for $220M this year. It got there on revenue-based financing and a credit line, selling through 750+ Dick's doors and 11 of its own stores.
The brand is Digital Fuel's second consumer deal of 2026, after its June jewelry platform. Digital Fuel plans to use BL101 as a platform to buy fandom brands in other sports.