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Adrian Hanauer
Adrian Hanauer
Adrian Hanauer
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Adrian Hanauer (born February 7, 1966) is an American businessman and majority owner of Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer. He is also one of the minority owners of the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League and the governor of Seattle Reign FC, a National Women's Soccer League team that the Sounders co-own with the Carlyle Group.

Key Information

Business history

[edit]

Hanauer's family owned the Pacific Coast Feather Company, a down pillow, feather bed, and high-end bedding products manufacturer that was founded in 1884 in Germany, and is now headquartered in Seattle.[1] While Hanauer never held an executive position within the company, he began working at the company at 13.

Hanauer founded Museum Quality Framing, which is a chain of custom frame stores in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, in 1988.[2] Hanauer used to own a chain of pizza stores called Mad Pizza.[3] As an early investor in Amazon and aQuantive, an online based advertising company, Hanauer turned a substantial profit when the latter company went public in 2000 and again when Microsoft purchased the company in 2007.[1][4]

He became the managing partner for the USL Seattle Sounders in 2001, shortly after a meeting with general manager Brad Kimura on a flight.[5][6] Hanauer began reducing the financial losses the team was taking, which had been $1 million per year for the preceding five years,[citation needed] and reduced the losses to $350,000 per year.[3] The team also attained success on the field under Hanauer's leadership as interim general manager, going 23-4-1 in his first season, the second best record in USL history, and made it to the league championship game three times, winning it twice.[1] Hanauer also began working on getting a Major League Soccer team in Seattle. The league passed over Seattle in 2004, choosing instead to expand to better prepared Salt Lake City. Hanauer invested $250,000 for a 15 percent stake in an English soccer team Cambridge United FC in May 2007.

Following the MLS All Star game in July 2007, Hanauer was introduced to Hollywood executive, director, and film producer Joe Roth by MLS commissioner Don Garber. The two men hit it off and over the next few weeks, Roth made several visits to Seattle to take in a few Sounders games and get to know Hanauer better. By November, the two had brought in Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and comedian Drew Carey as investors and MLS had announced Seattle as the next expansion team.[1]

In 2005, Hanauer founded business incubator and venture capital company Curious Office Partners. The company invests in small internet startup companies and offers them office space in Pioneer Square and invests between US$10,000 and $250,000 in the startups.[7] In 2018, he and his brother sold the Pacific Coast Feather Company.[8]

Hanauer joined the ownership group of the Seattle Kraken, an expansion franchise in the National Hockey League, in 2018.[9] He and his mother Lenore also acquired a minority stake in Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League the following year.[10] The stake was later acquired by OL Groupe in December 2019.[11] The Reign were acquired by the Sounders and The Carlyle Group in 2024; Hanauer serves as governor of the team.[12]

Personal life

[edit]

Hanauer's interest in soccer began at the age of 3, he saw his first North American Soccer League Sounders game at the age of 8, and he was one of only two freshmen to make the soccer team for Mercer Island High School. While Hanauer did not make the team as a sophomore, he continued to play soccer, first on an intramural team while attending University of Washington and now on two teams in the Greater Seattle Soccer League.[1]

References

[edit]
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Adrian Hanauer

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from Grokipedia
Adrian Hanauer (born February 1966) is an American businessman and sports executive best known as the majority owner of , a Major League Soccer club based in , Washington. Hanauer's professional career spans over two decades in diverse industries, including technology investments and manufacturing. He co-founded Curious Office Partners, a firm that invests in and incubates early-stage technology companies, and served as a seed-stage investor in aQuantive Inc., which acquired for $6 billion in 2007, as well as an early backer of Amazon.com. Additionally, he formerly co-owned Pacific Coast Feather Company, a family-run business founded by his father, Jerry Hanauer, which he helped manage for decades before its sale in 2017 to preserve jobs and employee welfare. His involvement in soccer began in childhood; Hanauer started playing at age two and attended his first North American Soccer League Sounders game at age eight, later competing in youth leagues under Washington Youth Soccer for clubs like the Newport Marksmen and Mercer Island United. He graduated from the in 1994 with a degree in history. In 2002, Hanauer acquired the United Soccer Leagues' Seattle Sounders franchise, which was losing approximately $1 million annually, and served as its until 2015. Under his leadership, the team secured MLS expansion in 2007 and achieved significant on-field success, including the 2016 , a in 2005 (USL era), and four titles (three consecutively from 2009 to 2011). The Sounders also set MLS attendance records during his tenure, averaging 44,038 fans per match in 2013 and drawing 67,385 for a 2013 rivalry game against the . Hanauer was named the 2012 Executive of the Year by Sports Business Journal. Beyond Seattle, he holds a significant ownership stake in of England's League Two. He is also a part-owner of the of the National Hockey League. Hanauer has contributed to community soccer development through the Sounders' Foundation, which builds free-play fields in underserved areas, and as honorary chair of Washington Youth Soccer's 50th Anniversary Gala in 2016, emphasizing access to the sport for all children.

Early life and education

Family background

Adrian Hanauer was born on February 7, 1966, in , Washington, where he has remained a lifelong resident, deeply rooted in the city's business and cultural fabric. Hanauer's father, Jerry Hanauer (1927–2007), was a prominent entrepreneur born in , , whose family fled Nazi persecution as , first to and then to in 1941, where they integrated into the local community. Jerry transformed the family's bedding business, Pacific Coast Feather Company—originally founded by his grandfather Joseph Hanauer in Germany in 1884 and later acquired by relatives after immigration—growing it into one of the nation's largest manufacturers of pillows and comforters. A major philanthropist, he donated $15 million to the Seattle Opera and provided multimillion-dollar support to the for studies in Western civilization, instilling in his children values of entrepreneurship and community giving. His mother, Lenore Hanauer, Jerry's former wife, continued the family's philanthropic legacy after their divorce, remaining actively involved in charitable causes and even partnering with Adrian in business ventures, such as acquiring a minority stake in Reign FC in 2019. Hanauer's brother, , is a renowned venture capitalist, early investor in Amazon, and civic activist who co-manages the Nick and Leslie Hanauer Foundation, focusing on social and economic issues; the siblings grew up together immersed in the from a young age, absorbing its emphasis on innovation and philanthropy. The Hanauers' Jewish heritage, marked by resilience amid historical adversity, underscored a family tradition of entrepreneurial drive and commitment to giving back to Seattle's institutions.

Youth and schooling

Adrian Hanauer was born on February 7, 1966, and grew up in the Seattle area's Mercer Island community, where his family had relocated during his early years. His passion for soccer ignited at the age of three, as he began playing the sport in local programs initially in Bellevue before transitioning to Mercer Island teams. By age eight, in 1974, he attended his first Seattle Sounders game in the North American Soccer League, an experience that deepened his lifelong affinity for the team and the sport. During his teenage years, Hanauer gained early exposure to business operations by working in the family-owned Pacific Coast Feather Company alongside his brother , handling tasks that instilled foundational entrepreneurial skills. He attended Mercer Island High School, graduating in 1984, where he excelled in competitive soccer as a member of the school's team. These high school years further honed his athletic interests and built lasting connections within the local soccer community. Hanauer enrolled at the in the mid-1980s to study history, participating in intramural soccer during his time there. However, in the late 1980s, he left the program just two classes short of earning his degree to pursue his first business venture, marking the transition from education to entrepreneurship.

Business career

Early companies

Adrian Hanauer founded Museum Quality Framing in 1988 while studying history at the University of Washington, establishing his first independent venture in retail and custom framing services. The business began as a single location offering high-quality custom framing for artwork and memorabilia, quickly gaining traction in the Seattle area through Hanauer's hands-on approach to operations and emphasis on personalized customer service. By the early 1990s, it had expanded into a regional chain with multiple stores across Washington, showcasing his developing skills in inventory management, staff training, and market adaptation for a niche service industry. To pursue entrepreneurship full-time, Hanauer left the university without earning a degree, navigating the challenges of launching and scaling a startup without formal academic qualifications or established networks beyond his prior exposure to family enterprises. This transition enabled focused growth for Museum Quality Framing, which by the late 1990s operated dozens of locations and pursued aggressive expansion goals.

Investments and ventures

Hanauer's investment portfolio reflects a strategic focus on early-stage technology opportunities, beginning with his seed investment in Amazon.com during the 1990s. This early bet positioned him to benefit substantially from the company's rapid expansion into a global and leader, though specific return figures remain private. He also made a seed-stage investment in aQuantive, a pioneering digital advertising firm originally known as Avenue A. The company went public in February 2000 amid the dot-com boom, allowing early investors like Hanauer to realize gains from the IPO, and was later acquired by in 2007 for $6 billion, further amplifying returns for stakeholders. In 2005, Hanauer co-founded Curious Office Partners, a Seattle-based firm that combines seed-stage investing with incubation services tailored to technology startups, including the provision of specialized office spaces to support emerging tech companies in the region. The venture has facilitated the development and funding of multiple software and digital firms over its nearly two decades of operation. As of 2025, Hanauer continues to co-lead Curious Office Partners, supporting early-stage tech investments. Spanning more than 20 years, Hanauer's experience across diverse industries has solidified his reputation in , particularly through these high-impact tech investments that underscored his ability to identify and nurture scalable innovations.

Family business involvement

Adrian Hanauer joined the family-owned Feather Company, a Seattle-based manufacturer of down pillows, comforters, and other bedding products, which was established in 1924 after his great-grandfather Joseph Hanauer immigrated from and the family acquired the struggling firm founded by F.W. Cutler and Mr. Van Valkenburg. As a fourth-generation member, Hanauer worked alongside his brother Nick as co-chairman starting in the late , following their father Jerry Hanauer's leadership that had transformed the company from a local niche player with $1 million in annual sales into a major national supplier. Under the brothers' guidance, expanded its operations across the , employing over 1,200 people and achieving $265 million in revenue in 2015 by emphasizing high-quality down products for both consumer and hospitality markets, including supplies to four- and five-star hotels worldwide. The company's growth under Hanauer and his brother involved strategic investments in manufacturing facilities and efficiencies, turning it into one of North America's leading down producers while navigating the challenges of a competitive industry shifting toward synthetic alternatives. In 2017, the brothers sold to Hollander Sleep Products, a Florida-based private equity-backed firm, for an undisclosed amount, concluding nearly a century of Hanauer family ownership and allowing the brand to integrate with a larger entity focused on synthetic innovation. Hanauer's tenure provided key insights into scaling a , including the importance of to resist short-term temptations like cost-cutting at the expense of quality, a lesson echoed by his brother from their shared experience. He also learned the value of under-promising and over-delivering from observing his father's management style, which built long-term trust with suppliers and customers in a family-run operation. Regarding family dynamics, co-leading with his brother highlighted the need for clear roles and communication to balance personal relationships with professional responsibilities, ensuring the enterprise's continuity across generations until its sale.

Sports ownership

Seattle Sounders FC

In 2001, Adrian Hanauer joined the ownership group of the franchise in the United Soccer Leagues (USL), becoming the managing partner and majority owner by 2002. At the time, the club was struggling financially, incurring annual losses of approximately $1 million for the previous five years due to low attendance and operational challenges in minor-league soccer. Under Hanauer's leadership, he implemented cost efficiencies, improved marketing, and boosted fan engagement, significantly reducing those losses and transforming the team into a profitable operation by the mid-2000s, with the club achieving financial stability that laid the groundwork for future growth. Hanauer played a pivotal role in elevating the Sounders to (MLS), leading efforts to secure an expansion franchise for the 2009 season. As majority owner of the USL Sounders, he partnered with investors including and to form an ownership group that successfully bid for the MLS slot, paying a $30 million expansion fee and committing to play at the newly renovated CenturyLink Field (now ). Hanauer served as the club's from 2002 until 2015, overseeing soccer operations, player acquisitions, and the transition to MLS, during which Roth held majority ownership of the MLS team until Hanauer assumed that role in 2015. This expansion marked a transformative moment for soccer, establishing the Sounders as a flagship MLS franchise. Under Hanauer's stewardship, the achieved significant on-field success, including victories in 2016 and 2019, making them the second team in league history to win the championship twice in its first decade. The club also captured the in 2014 for the best regular-season record and won the four times (2009, 2010, 2011, and 2014), with three consecutive titles from 2009 to 2011 setting a modern-era record. These accomplishments were complemented by strong community engagement, spearheaded by Hanauer through the RAVE Foundation, the club's philanthropic arm founded in 2013, which has built over 26 community soccer fields and programs to promote youth development and equity in underserved areas of the . As of November 2025, Hanauer remains the majority owner of the Sounders, guiding the club through a period of strategic growth amid league-wide challenges. In October 2025, the club announced a strategic capital raise to seek investors for initiatives like potential expansions and enhanced facilities, building on earlier discussions of off-field struggles including rising operational costs and competitive pressures in MLS. In June 2025, Hanauer faced criticism after reportedly confronting players in a profanity-laced following a match protest related to compensation, highlighting tensions in his .

Seattle Kraken and other teams

In 2018, Adrian Hanauer joined a group of minority owners supporting the NHL's expansion to , announced as part of the initiative to develop and establish a new franchise. This investment positioned Hanauer among local business leaders, including co-owners, contributing to the formation of the , which began play in the 2021–22 season. His involvement underscored a commitment to diversifying 's professional sports offerings beyond soccer. In June 2024, Hanauer, as majority owner of , led the club's ownership group in a co-purchase of from OL Groupe alongside , a global investment firm. As part of this transaction, Hanauer was appointed governor of the Reign on the (NWSL) Board of Governors, overseeing strategic operations for the three-time winner. The acquisition aimed to stabilize the franchise after its temporary relocation to Tacoma, ensuring it remained rooted in the . Hanauer's multi-team ownership reflects strategic synergies, particularly between the Sounders and , to foster growth in women's soccer through shared resources, marketing, and potential co-located facilities. He has emphasized building a comprehensive soccer in , including youth development and fan engagement initiatives that bridge men's and women's professional leagues. Additionally, Hanauer holds a significant minority stake in , an English League One club, which he acquired in 2007. These decisions leverage operational expertise from the Sounders to elevate the Reign's competitiveness and visibility. Through these investments, Hanauer has broadened 's sports landscape, supporting the city's emergence as a hub for major league franchises across hockey and soccer. His role in the and has enhanced community ties and economic impact, with the teams contributing to local events, job creation, and infrastructure development around and .

Personal life

Immediate family

Adrian Hanauer maintains a private family life in , where he resides as a longtime community member. He is married and has at least one child, including a who was young as of and has been involved in activities reflective of Hanauer's passion for soccer. Hanauer has expressed a desire for children, including his own, to benefit from Seattle's strong soccer culture, emphasizing life lessons like and discipline gained through the sport. Hanauer remains an avid soccer player into adulthood, actively participating in the Greater Seattle Soccer League after playing competitively in high school. This ongoing hobby underscores his deep personal connection to the sport beyond his professional ownership roles. He shares a close relationship with his brother , rooted in their shared history managing the family-owned Pacific Coast Feather Company until its sale in 2017. The brothers have made occasional joint public appearances, such as a 2018 GeekWire event where they discussed lessons from business, sports, and family legacy. Known for a low-key lifestyle, Hanauer prefers to "stay beneath the surface" and avoids the spotlight, focusing instead on building meaningful connections within Seattle's close-knit community.

Community involvement and philanthropy

Hanauer has been a prominent figure in Seattle's philanthropic landscape through his leadership of the RAVE Foundation, the official charitable arm of (since 2016) and (since 2024), which he helped found in 2013. The organization focuses on constructing small synthetic turf fields, known as mini-pitches, in underserved communities across the to promote free play and youth development through soccer, with efforts intensifying in the to address access barriers in low-income areas. Under his guidance as a board , the foundation achieved its initial goal of 26 mini-pitches in September 2024 and has built 42 such fields as of November 2025, partnering with local governments and emphasizing soccer's role in fostering equity and , with a new target of 52 by 2026. His has directly enabled this work by leveraging team resources for and . In addition to the RAVE Foundation, Hanauer has supported broader youth soccer initiatives, notably serving as the honorary chair for Washington Youth Soccer's 50th anniversary gala in 2016, where he highlighted the importance of programs in building Seattle's soccer culture starting from childhood. This endorsement underscored his commitment to expanding access to organized sports for young people, aligning with his vision of soccer as a tool for personal and communal growth. Hanauer's philanthropic approach draws influence from his family's longstanding tradition of supporting arts and education, exemplified by his father Jerry Hanauer's multimillion-dollar donations to the University of Washington's College of Arts and Sciences and the Seattle Opera. While echoing this legacy of cultural and academic giving, Hanauer's efforts center on sports accessibility, particularly for underserved youth, to promote and social inclusion. Hanauer remains actively engaged in Seattle's civic life, participating in discussions on the broader community benefits of sports franchises, including economic and social impacts as outlined in his 2024 reflections on club growth and fan engagement strategies. His contributions have been recognized with awards such as the of Greater Seattle's Judge Charles V. and Lazelle Johnson Excellence in Award on September 24, 2025, affirming his role in advancing equity through athletics.

References

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  11. https://www.geekwire.com/2019/seattle-venture-capitalist-joins-reign-fc-ownership-group-soccer-team-announces-move-tacoma-new-stadium-plans/
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