A North Texas-based venture capital firm is partnering with Tim Tebow on a $50 million initiative aimed at investing in technological solutions to fight human trafficking. 

Eagle Venture Fund of Fort Worth has announced the launch of Eagle Freedom Fund II, backed by former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow's investment group, The Tebow Group. The fund looks to build on the success of its predecessor, Eagle Freedom Fund I, which has invested in 20 "high-growth companies" that have pledged to stop the scourge of human trafficking. 

Under the first Eagle Freedom fund, nearly 150 trafficking victims have been freed, while another 39 traffickers were arrested, with more than 6,000 doctors and nurses trained to better identify victims, according to Wes Lyons, general partner of Eagle Freedom Fund II.

A naval aviator turned investor, Lyons is the co-founder of two private equity funds, Eagle Venture Fund and WayMaker Real Estate. With a focus on helping entrepreneurs realize their vision, Lyons says he places a "special emphasis on combating human trafficking, scalable pathways out of systemic poverty, and holistically following Jesus."

"The first Eagle Freedom Fund seeded the counter-trafficking industry," said Lyons. "The second Eagle Freedom Fund will grow the counter-trafficking industry."

The Heisman Trophy-winning Tebow, 38, is a general partner in the fund and believes this effort could reach around the world.

"We need bold, strategic action in the fight against trafficking. That's what gets me excited about Eagle Freedom Fund II, the chance to reach a scale of impact that can reach millions of children," he said. 

Tebow said after he and his wife, Demi-Leigh Tebow, welcomed their first child in July, the fund has taken on an entirely personal dimension.

"I just had a daughter, and I'm hungry to build a safer future for our children," he said. 

Tebow's commitment to the cause has borne fruit with his Tim Tebow Foundation, which he is actively involved in anti-trafficking efforts, as well as garnering support from values-aligned partners like Keel Point, a wealth management firm, which says it's looking for investors who want to align their portfolios with their values.

"We have been energized by our partnership with the Eagle Freedom Fund," said Lyle Minton, CIO of Keel Point. "The first fund has been a successful addition to our values-based investment platform, and the portfolio companies are already producing tangible impact results for investors who want to align investment capital with their values and mission. We expect Eagle Freedom Fund II to continue to deliver impact and investment returns to our clients."

Earlier this year, Tebow gave an interview with podcaster Shawn Ryan in which he warned that child exploitation is not just a foreign crisis but a widespread problem occurring within the United States, often at the hands of family members.

"This is happening in our backyard," Tebow said during his appearance on "The Shawn Ryan Show." "It's overwhelming when you think how much is done by families, by friends, by those in the trusted circle."

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the definition of human trafficking is any situation in which someone experiences "force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving payments or benefits to a person in control."

A February 2023 report from The New York Times found that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) could not locate over 85,000 migrant children who had been released to a purported sponsor.

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