Kirkland Advises Otro on Formation of Crimson Brand Partners with University of Utah

Kirkland & Ellis advised Otro Capital on finalizing a partnership with the University of Utah Growth Capital Partners Foundation to form Crimson Brand Partners. The partnership marks a major milestone in the launch of the institution's effort to protect its core missions of education and research, while also generating sustainable income for Utah Athletics. The agreement establishes a long-term framework to drive revenue growth, expand commercial opportunities, and strengthen support for Utah Athletics. Crimson Brand Partners, previously introduced as Utah Brands & Entertainment, is an innovative operating model designed to modernize how Utah continues to build its brand and fund its 19 athletics programs-including women's and Olympic sports-over the long term.

Read the transaction press release

The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Frank Saviano, Jason Krochak, Aidan Murphy and Bob Gilligan; tax lawyers David Foster, Joe Tobias and Brooke Schafer; technology & IP transactions lawyers Seth Traxler, Bernadette Coppola and Jackson Zebovitz; employee benefits lawyer Alex Clark; employment & labor lawyer Jackson Phinney; executive compensation lawyers Rohit Nafday and David Branham; and real estate lawyers Meghan Cocci and Alex Sibirzeff.