Prenetics, A Company Backed By David Beckham, Invests $20M in Bitcoin

Prenetics, a U.S.-based healthcare company backed by football icon David Beckham, has officially joined the growing list of public firms holding Bitcoin. The company disclosed a $20 million BTC investment, its first crypto buy at an average purchase price of $106,712 per Bitcoin. The move triggered a 23% surge in Prenetics’ stock price, signaling strong market support for its Web3 pivot.

First Healthcare Firm to Hold Bitcoin on Balance Sheet

With this purchase, Prenetics becomes the first publicly listed healthcare company to acquire Bitcoin as a treasury asset. Headquartered in Hong Kong with global subsidiaries, the firm is best known for its work in genomics and personalized medicine. Its entry into crypto positions it as a pioneer at the intersection of healthcare innovation and digital assets.

“What excites me most is not just Bitcoin as a treasury asset, but the convergence we’re witnessing between healthcare innovation and blockchain technology,” said CEO Danny Yeung. “We’re at the dawn of a new era where genomics, personalized medicine, and digital assets will intersect in ways that could revolutionize how we approach human health, longevity and wealth.”

Strategic Hires Signal Long-Term Commitment to Crypto

Prenetics isn’t treating this move as a one-off. The company recently appointed Andy Cheung, former COO of OKEx, to its Board of Directors. Cheung brings over a decade of experience in the crypto space. The company has also onboarded Raphael Strauch, founder of Token2049, and Tracy Hoyos Lopez, Chief of Staff at Kraken, as Web3 strategy advisors.

“We now have the financial foundation to pioneer innovative treasury management approaches, including our historic Bitcoin treasury strategy,” Yeung said. “But this is just the beginning—we have the capital, partnerships, and conviction to build one of the most significant Bitcoin treasuries in healthcare.”

Market Reactions and Sector Implications

Prenetics joins a growing wave of public companies—more than 60 firms globally—that have adopted Bitcoin as part of their balance sheet strategy, following in the footsteps of MicroStrategy. While the price point of Prenetics’ BTC purchase was relatively high, the timing has so far proven profitable.

The move could have ripple effects across industries, especially as sports professionals and firms in biotech and healthcare begin to explore blockchain and crypto integrations. Though Beckham is not directly involved in the crypto decision, his longstanding association with Prenetics may help broaden interest in Bitcoin within the sports sector.

Src: BeInCrypto

Football Players And Involvement In Crypto

⚽ 1. Lionel Messi

• Company/Platform: Socios.com / Chilliz (CHZ)
• Involvement: Became a brand ambassador and received part of his PSG signing bonus in $CHZ fan tokens.
• Crypto Angle: Socios issues fan tokens for football clubs on the Chilliz blockchain.

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⚽ 2. Cristiano Ronaldo

• Company/Platform: Binance
• Involvement: Signed an exclusive multi-year NFT partnership with Binance in 2022.
• Crypto Angle: NFT drops featuring Ronaldo on Binance’s marketplace.

⚽ 3. Gerard Piqué

• Company: Sorare
• Involvement: Investor and board advisor.
• Crypto Angle: Sorare is a blockchain-based fantasy football game using Ethereum NFTs. Piqué invested through his firm Kosmos.

⚽ 4. Neymar Jr.

• Involvement: Bought multiple Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs.
• Crypto Angle: Public NFT purchases (spent over $1M in ETH); part of the celebrity wave boosting Yuga Labs’ visibility.

⚽ 5. Antoine Griezmann

• Company: Sorare
• Involvement: Investor.
• Crypto Angle: Took part in Sorare’s $680M Series B funding round led by SoftBank.

⚽ 6. Andrés Iniesta

• Company: Binance (promotional role)
• Involvement: Promoted Binance on Twitter and Instagram.
• Crypto Angle: Ended up being warned by Spain’s financial regulator (CNMV) for not disclosing risks.

⚽ 7. Ronaldinho

• Company/Project: Own token project and multiple NFT partnerships.
• Involvement: Promoted and co-created NFTs and his own token (subject to some scam warnings in past ventures).
• Crypto Angle: Heavy crypto promotion, though some involvement raised scrutiny.

⚽ 8. David Beckham

• Company: DigitalBits Blockchain
• Involvement: Global brand ambassador.
• Crypto Angle: The project was related to NFTs and token-based sponsorships; however, DigitalBits later faced financial issues.

⚽ 9. Zlatan Ibrahimović

• Company: Unknown direct investment, but featured in Sorare cards and associated promotions.
• Involvement: Passive endorsement.
• Crypto Angle: NFT-based digital collectible licensing.