Group 1001 Becomes Majority Stakeholder in Women’s Sports-Focused Enterprise Parity

In a bold step to create lasting and meaningful change in women’s sports, Group 1001 will become a majority stakeholder in Parity, a startup created for both elite women athletes and their fans to combat gender pay inequities in professional sports. 

As part of the acquisition, Parity will have substantially increased funding to pursue brand partners and support elite women athletes on a larger scale. Group 1001 Life and Annuity CFO Linda Wang will join the Parity board. 

“We’re excited to have Parity join the Group 1001 enterprise. Part of our mission is to transform communities through sports and education and those values align with Parity, a groundbreaking platform created to close the gender pay gap in sports sponsorship income,’’ said Group 1001 Life and Annuity CFO Linda Wang.

The minority-founded company currently focuses on two major lines of business: an influencer marketing platform using proprietary analytics and a newly-debuted NFT marketplace. Parity has amassed a roster of more than 700 elite women athletes and 20 corporate partners in its first full year of business.

This acquisition directly addresses the staggering gender pay disparity in athlete endorsement pay. In recent years, women have received 0.4% of the global $66 billion sports sponsorship revenue share, or, less than half of one cent for every $100 that a male athlete is paid, although data proves that women’s sports fans are a crucially-untapped target consumer audience. A rise in both TV coverage and in viewership of women’s sports is signaling predictions for a radically-profitable turn in the near future, and the industry is expected to generate nearly $90 billion by 2027

“Joining the Group 1001 enterprise and welcoming Linda Wang to the board will allow Parity to make a greater positive impact in women’s sports sponsorships.” said former Parity Co-CEO and Group 1001 Insurance Chief Marketing Officer Bill Shelton.  “We are thrilled to integrate the talented Parity athletes into Group 1001’s ongoing efforts to engage with clients, prospective clients, employees, and communities through the power of sports.” 

The commitment also includes working to bring in more women, specifically women leaders, across the Group 1001 enterprise. Parity athletes will have the opportunity to authentically engage with Group 1001 partnership campaigns.

Parity’s athlete roster currently includes 4x Olympian Kara Winger, Olympic medalist Michelle Carter, NCAA basketball star Sedona Prince, and many more. In addition to creating revenue opportunities, Parity offers 1:1 career coaching, personal branding workshops, and other professional development opportunities. 

About Parity

Parity is a startup created to unapologetically work toward closing the gender pay gap in sports, benefitting both elite women athletes and their fans. Founded by former leaders on Wall Street, Parity drives revenue to athletes by using proprietary data analytics to curate sponsorship opportunities, NFT sales, and more. With a current roster of more than 700 athletes from 40 sports and 20+ corporate partners, Parity is revolutionizing the financial model for women athletes. To learn more, visit www.paritynow.co and our NFT marketplace www.market.paritynow.co.

search
date filter
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat

Employees Participate in Nasdaq Closing Bell

This week, employees attended the Nasdaq Closing Bell to celebrate the recent launch of Delaware Life's select Fixed Indexed Annuity products featuring the innovative Nasdaq-100 Volatility Control 12%™ Index. We are proud to be a Nasdaq partner. Learn more about how our annuities can help you power your retirement...

Group 1001 Welcomes Tony Marichal as Vice President of Annuity Operations

Group 1001, a leading financial services company, announces Tony Marichal as Vice President of Annuity Operations of Group 1001 Life & Annuity.

Reporting to Chief Operating Officer Martin Woll, Marichal oversees the annuity operations for two Group 1001 companies, Delaware Life Insurance Company and Clear Spring Lif...

Group 1001 Leverages Apprenticeships to Attract Tech Talent

Group 1001 and Franklin Skills Partnership

One year ago, Group 1001 and Franklin Skills (formerly Franklin Apprenticeship) partnered to launch Group 1001’s first apprenticeship program. This program provides employees with on-the-job tech training under the supervision of skilled IT managers and mentors and customized i...

Gainbridge® and RetireOne® Partner to Offer Innovative Annuity Products to Registered Investment Advisors

Gainbridge®, through its Group 1001 affiliate, announced today a partnership with RetireOne, the leading independent platform in the annuity marketplace for registered investment advisors (RIAs). RetireOne, an outsourced insurance desk, provides RIAs and their customers valuable solutions that are simple to use, easy t...

Group 1001 Announces Chief Risk Officer and Chief Internal Audit Officer Appointments

Group 1001 announces that Dan Healy has been appointed the Chief Risk Officer, Group 1001, and Mark McCallister has been promoted and will succeed Dan as Chief Internal Audit Officer.

Healy has been with Group 1001 for more than nine years and has been acting as the interim Chief Risk Officer for the Life & Annuity...

Delaware Life Accelerator Prime® Variable Annuity Named to Barron’s 2024 List of Top 100 Annuities for Fifth Consecutive Year

Delaware Life Insurance Company, a Group 1001 company, announces its inclusion in the annual Barron’s list of “Top 100 Best Annuities.” This is the fifth consecutive year that Barron's has ranked Delaware Life Insurance Company annuities in the top 100.

Delaware Life Accelerator Prime® Variable Annuity was recogni...

Group 1001 Wins Business Insurance Community Outreach Project of the Year

Group 1001 has won the 2024 U.S. Insurance Award for Community Outreach Project of the Year – Pro Bono and Volunteer for 1001 Hours of Impact.

This award from Business Insurance recognizes a community outreach project in 2023 by an organization operating in the commercial insurance and risk management sector that invol...

Delaware Life Insurance Company Recognized as a 2024 Ward’s Top 50® Life-Health Company

Delaware Life Insurance Company, a Group 1001 company, has been named a Ward’s 50® top-performing life-health company for 2024. This placement positions Delaware Life Insurance Company in the top 50 of more than 700 life-health insurance companies for outstanding financial results in the areas of safety, consistency, a...

Group 1001 Names Martin Woll as Chief Operating Officer

Group 1001, a leading financial services company, announces Martin Woll as Chief Operating Officer of Group 1001 Life & Annuity. A member of the executive leadership team and reporting to Group 1001’s President and CEO, Woll will lead the operations team, including the client experience, facilities, and corporate r...

Annuity Myths and Truths

By Dale Uthoff, Chief Product Officer, Group 1001 Life and Annuity

June is National Annuity Awareness Month. Annuities can offer flexibility both in how you save for and receive money in retirement. It comes down to knowing that there are different types of annuities, each designed to address a specific need or life sta...

Delaware Life Announces Enhancements to Fixed Index Annuities, Bringing Innovation and Diversification Including the Invesco QQQ ETF

To give consumers a simple, tailored way to diversify returns and guarantee higher minimum growth, Delaware Life Insurance Company (Delaware Life), a Group 1001 company, announces the addition of two diversified, multi-strategy Precision Portfolios as part of the Growth Pathway fixed index annuity (FIA). As an addition...

New Savings Program Offers Higher APY by Combining Market Returns with a Guaranteed Yield

Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company, and Save®Advisers, LLC, a technology and wealth management company, announced the launch of Market+ to address the needs of savers who want market participation with a minimum guaranteed return.

Market+ offers a hybrid yield structure, featuring a 3% guaranteed annual yield (returned i...

DUPR and Delaware Life Team Up to Fuel Growth of Pickleball

Delaware Life Insurance Company (“Delaware Life”), a Group 1001 company and a leader in annuity and life insurance products, and DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating), today announced a long-term partnership dedicated to driving growth and innovation in pickleball.

Under the agreement, Delaware Life is the exclusi...

Delaware Life Insurance Company Launches Innovative Fixed Index Annuity with Premium Bonus: PrimeStart Bonus 10SM

WALTHAM, Mass., March 25, 2024 - Delaware Life Insurance Company ("Delaware Life") has launched an innovative, flexible-premium fixed index annuity featuring a premium bonus. PrimeStart Bonus 10SM offers an exclusive trifecta of features combining the power of a 10% premium bonus, interest crediting that’s ba...

Boaknin

Group 1001 Names Boaknin as Chief Information Officer

Zionsville, Ind. (March 11, 2024) – Group 1001, a leading financial services company, announces Nick Boaknin as Chief Information Officer. Boaknin previously held the role of Technology Transformation Leader.

As Chief Information Officer, Boaknin will assist Group 1001’s Technology team in building and delivering high-...

Women's History Month Race Cars

Group 1001 Includes Women Employees’ Names on Race Cars in Honor of Women’s History Month

Group 1001, a leading financial services company, is off to the races to recognize and honor women employees and financial advisors during Women’s History Month in March.

To celebrate women working for Group 1001, more than 450 woman employees’ names will be included Sunday, March 10 on two Group 1001 company race cars...

Caitlin Clark (Photo Credit: Iowa Athletics)

Gainbridge® Signs College Basketball Star Caitlin Clark as Brand Ambassador

Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company, announced today a multi-year partnership with Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark to serve as brand ambassador for the company. The company also announced a new product now available on the Gainbridge® platform, ParityFlex™, a multi-year guaranteed annuity product created for w...

Group 1001 Announces Two Vice President Technology Hires

Zionsville, IN (February 27, 2024) - Group 1001, a leading financial services company, announced the addition of Tricia Borcherding as Vice President, Technology Governance and Walter Hjelmar as Vice President, Platforms and Cloud.

In the role of Vice President, Technology Governance, Borcherding will shape and oversee...

Celebrating Black History Month

Every February, the United States honors the contributions, sacrifices, and achievements of Black Americans who have helped shape the nation. We’ve asked several Group 1001 employees how they celebrate Black History Month and what it means to them.

Black History Month originally started as National Negro History Week in...