Celtics
According to the Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Chisholm is a lifelong Celtics fan with an “encyclopedic knowledge” of the team.
William Chisholm. Symphony Technology Group
By Amin Touri, The Boston Globe
March 20, 2025 | 12:34 PM
3 minutes to read
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The Celtics’ ownership group has agreed to sell the franchise to a consortium led by William Chisholm, managing director and co-founder of Symphony Technology Group, for $6.1 billion.
Chisholm is a Dartmouth College graduate and a native of Georgetown. He co-founded the California-based STG in 2002.
Chisholm played soccer at Dartmouth — his son, Will, attended his father’s alma mater and played soccer from the Big Green from 2016-19 — and graduated in 1991. Chisholm received his MBA from the Wharton School, the acclaimed business school at the University of Pennsylvania.
According to the Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Chisholm is a lifelong Celtics fan with an “encyclopedic knowledge” of the team. Though STG is based on Menlo Park, Calif., Chisholm owns a home on Nantucket and intends to buy a home in Boston.
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Chisholm’s early business career was centered around early-stage technology investing as well as investment banking, before moving into private equity.
Before co-founding STG, Chisholm was a co-founder of the Valent Group, a venture capital and risk consulting firm. He also spent time with Boston-based Bain & Company, one of the “Big Three” management consulting companies.
STG manages more than $10 billion in total assets. In 2023, STG closed on its seventh (and largest) fund, raising $4.2 billion.
Chisholm also sits on the board of directors of a number of companies, including Dodge Data, Cadmium, and CAI software.
Chisholm’s group would be the 15th to own the Celtics. Here’s a rundown of each of the franchise’s owners:
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Boston Garden-Arena Corporation (1946-50): Walter Brown succeeded his father as manager of Boston Garden and took out a mortgage on his home to found the Celtics. Initially, he operated them as a subsidiary of the Boston Garden-Arena Corporation.
Walter Brown and Lou Pieri (1950-64): Brown bought the team from his own corporation to put it under his name and brought Pieri, owner of the Providence Steamrollers, on as a minority owner.
Lou Pieri and Marjorie Brown (1964-65): Pieri was a minority owner until Brown died and left the majority of shares to Pieri and Brown’s widow, Marjorie.
Marvin Kratter/Knickerbocker Brewing Company, subsidiary of National Equities (1965-68): Real estate developer Marvin Kratter bought the franchise for $3 million.
Ballantine Brewery, subsidiary of Investors Funding Corporation (1968-69, 1971-72): The private corporation bought the franchise for $3 million, sold it a year later, and bought it again in 1971.
Trans-National Communications (1969-71): Trans-National and company president Woody Erdman purchased the Celtics for $6 million — twice what it sold for a year prior. TNC and Erdman attempted to use profits from the Celtics to cover the losses from the company’s bad investments.
Irv Levin and Harold Lipton (1972, 1975-78): Levin and Lipton attempted to buy the Celtics for $3.7 million in 1972.
Robert Schmertz/Leisure Technology (1972-75): The NBA rejected the 1972 sale, and in May of that year, Levin and Lipton were forced to sell their shares to Schmertz for $3.95 million, with an option for the two to repurchase half of the Celtics’ stock.
Irv Levin, Harold Lipton, and Robert Schmertz (1974-75): After two years, Levin and Lipton exercised their option, and 10 months later, they purchased the remaining stock from Leisure Technology.
John Y. Brown Jr. and Harry T. Mangurian Jr. (1978-79): Mangurian orchestrated a franchise swap with Levin, trading ownership of the Buffalo Braves for the Celtics. (Levin, who wanted to own a team in California, promptly moved the Braves to San Diego, where they were rechristened the Clippers.)
Harry T. Mangurian Jr. (1979-83): After one year, Mangurian bought out Brown to become the majority owner.
Don Gaston, Alan N. Cohen, and Paul Dupee Jr. (1983-93): Mangurian sold the team for $15 million.
Paul Gaston (1993-2002): Paul Gaston took over ownership from his father.
Boston Basketball Partners, LLC (2002-present): Wyc Grousbeck and the current ownership group bought the Celtics for $360 million.
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