Family Office · Houston, Texas · Est. 2020

Community. Content. Commerce.

A Houston family office building and backing businesses across sports, sports-adjacent industries, lifestyle, and real estate.

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2020

Founded

60+

Team

US + UK

Presence

Four

Portfolio pillars

The Thesis

Sports social concepts.

Maximo Capital invests in and develops businesses at the intersection of sports, community, and lifestyle — entering at various stages, taking meaningful ownership, and building for the long term.

Community

The people who gather around sport.

Content

Media and IP that build audiences.

Commerce

Products and experiences that monetize them.

The Portfolio

Four pillars. One family office.

Maximo Capital holds, operates, and invests across four pillars. The RAFA Family of Companies is one of them.

Pillar 01Family of companies

RAFA Family of Companies

A vertically integrated motorsport ecosystem.

Motorsport & Lifestyle

RAFA Racing Club

Members-only clubhouses and performance centres.

Performance · Entertainment · TV · Racing Team

Website ↗

RAFA Racing Team

Professional sportscar team across IMSA and SRO.

IMSA · SRO · Endurance

Website ↗

RAFA Motors

Boutique dealership and trackside service.

Dealership · Storage · Trackside

8TWELVE Wheels

Forged performance wheels, made in the USA.

Forged Wheels · Made in USA

Website ↗

812 Brands

Elevated motorsport lifestyle apparel.

Apparel · Hydration · Performance Strips

Website ↗

HEAT Health by RAFA

Performance medicine and longevity. Launching 2026.

Telehealth · Longevity · Recovery

RAFA Media

The Race

Leading independent motorsport news.

Website ↗

Driver Database

The data platform of motorsport.

Website ↗

Grid Finder

Sim racing community platform.

Website ↗

Traxion

Sim racing and racing-game media.

Website ↗

Pillar 02Operating company

sphere

A soccer-inspired boutique fitness and community concept.

Fitness · Community · Events

Website ↗

Pillar 03Holdings

Real Estate

Maximo Builders

In-house construction & development, Houston.

RAFA Houston Motorsports Complex

2.5-acre, 45,000+ sq ft campus.

La Paloma Blanca Ranch

100+ acre event venue & retreat, Gonzales TX.

Garages of the Americas

$55M+ garage-condo community near Circuit of the Americas — our largest real-estate development to date and the second RAFA Racing Club.

Pillar 04Investments & holdings

Capital

Sports-adjacent ventures

Minority stakes in sports, media, fintech, and lifestyle businesses in the US and UK — backing founders at the intersection of sport and culture.

Minority equity · US + UK

Real estate capital

Direct equity and joint-venture capital deployed alongside our operating real-estate holdings.

Equity · Joint ventures

Collectible assets

A dedicated holding for appreciating motorsport and automotive assets — heritage cars and related hard assets.

Motorsport · Automotive · Heritage

Leadership

Operators with institutional pedigree.

Rafael Martinez

Principal

Partner at Hartree Partners with two decades in global commodities and capital markets. Founded Maximo Capital to build and back operating companies at the intersection of sport, media, and culture.

Julia Martinez

Chief Financial Officer

13 years in oil & gas finance.

Toni Calderon

Chief Operating Officer

20+ years motorsport; Executive Producer, Netflix's “The Gentleman Driver.”

Sosti Ropaitis

Chief Marketing Officer

Senior roles at MediaLink, McDonald's, Hilton, Kraft.

Chris Jones

Chief Investment Officer

NVCA member; launched 4 venture fund vintages, 20+ portfolio companies.

Ryan Quinn

Chief Content & Culture Officer

CEO, Drip MFG; co-founder, Por Osos Vodka.

Ernie Manansala Jr.

Chief Product Officer

7 exits; veteran of NOS Energy, Coca-Cola, Nestlé, NEFT Vodka.

Felipe Parages

Chief Data & AI Officer

PhD, Illinois Tech; 15+ years AI/ML across motorsport, medical, logistics.

Fabricio Drumond

CEO, RAFA Media

Former Chief Revenue Officer, Axios.

Tom Stapley-Bunten

President, Grid Finder & Traxion

Co-founder of Grid Finder.

Matt Davis

President, 8TWELVE Wheels

Finance executive in manufacturing; racer and coach.

Jakub Semerda

President, 812 Brands

20+ years in luxury fashion design and brand building.

Kevin Conway

Race Team Principal

Former NASCAR Rookie of the Year; Toyota & Lamborghini factory ties.

Seif Wardani

Sporting Director

Co-founder, AMEVI; performance consultant to ATP Tour athletes.

Holiday Kinard

Chief of Staff

10 years operations for creator-led businesses; MBA, Chicago Booth.

Samantha Sachs

Partnerships Director

Cross-industry sponsorship and brand alliances across motorsport.

RAFA Media Advisors

Natalie Robyn

Former CEO, FIA.

Otmar Szafnauer

Formula 1 team principal veteran.

Roy Schwartz

Co-founder, Axios.

News

March 2026

RAFA Racing Team reveals multi-car Toyota GT4 program

RAFA Racing Team announced a multi-car 2026 SRO Pirelli GT4 America campaign with the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2.

Read full article: RAFA Racing Team reveals multi-car Toyota GT4 program

May 2025

RAFA Racing Club opens its Houston flagship

The members' clubhouse celebrated its grand opening in Houston with 250+ guests.

Read full article: RAFA Racing Club opens its Houston flagship

December 2024

RAFA Racing Team forms for the 2025 IMSA season

RAFA consolidated its racing operation to field Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 entries across IMSA and SRO.

Read full article: RAFA Racing Team forms for the 2025 IMSA season

November 2024

RAFA Media appoints a heavyweight advisory board

RAFA Media named former F1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer, former FIA CEO Natalie Robyn, and Axios co-founder Roy Schwartz to its advisory board, with Darren Cox as president.

Read full article: RAFA Media appoints a heavyweight advisory board

October 2024