The Hollywood broker ‘making millions for the stars’: Venture capitalist Adam Lilling whose star clients include Nicole Kidman and Ellen DeGeneres is seen laughing with Prince Harry at LAFC game amid claims pair have worked together for months

Prince Harry sat in a box at the Los Angeles FC stadium next to a Hollywood venture capitalist friend who would help the Sussexes with their big rebrand.

The Duke of Sussex was among the famous faces at BMO Stadium on Sunday and looked animated next to Adam Lilling as they watched Inter Miami beat LAFC 3-1.

Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are thought to have worked with Mr Lilling for months after being introduced by mutual friend Ellen DeGeneres.

Mr Lilling, who has also worked with Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman, has become known for making millions for celebrities and influencers.

His involvement with the Sussexes emerged in February after they were seen with Mr Lilling among guests as DeGeneres renewed his wedding vows to wife Portia de Rossi in California in January, presided over by the couple’s close friend Chris Jenner.

The Duke of Sussex looks lively next to Adam Lilling as they watch LAFC on Sunday night

Directly behind Prince Harry during the match was actress and LAFC superfan Connie Britton, the 56-year-old star of Spin City, Friday Night Lights and most recently The White Lotus.

Mr. Lilling’s business career, a graduate of the University of Michigan, began in 1994 when he founded Pentagon CDs & Tapes, one of the first online music and video retailers.

He sold the pioneering business to Virgin Entertainment Group in 1999.

In 2004, Mr. Lilling created BiggerBoat, an entertainment-focused search engine, aiming to provide users with a specialized way to find producers and artists.

He then co-founded the mentorship program LaunchpadLA in 2009 and in 2012 launched Plus Capital, a Venice, California-based venture capital investment and advisory firm.

Plus Capital describes itself as having a “mission to partner the world’s greatest influencers – those who can effect more change in a day than most can in a lifetime – with the world’s best entrepreneurs and operators. “.

The company is also investing in BetterUp, a coaching and mental health company where Harry is employed as a ‘director of impact’.

Mr Lilling’s involvement with Harry and Meghan was first revealed by page six in February, which quoted a source as saying the venture capitalist “has always worked with Ellen, as well as Matthew McConaughey and a bunch of stars.”

Adam Lilling is a Hollywood venture capitalist who previously ran Pentagon CD & Tapes

Adam Lilling’s More Capital helped broker a deal between Salesforce and Matthew McConaughey

Plus Capital also worked on a deal between vegan hair brand Vegamour and Nicole Kidman

Last year, Mr. Lilling and his business partner Amanda Groves were named among The Hollywood Reporter’s “Top Negotiators of 2022.”

The publication reports that Plus Capital has closed more than 250 deals, including “Pachama with Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Salesforce with Matthew McConaughey, and Vegamour with Nicole Kidman.”

Mr Lilling and Ms Groves also said their favorite podcast of the year was Meghan’s Spotify series Archetypes, while Mr Lilling promoted the Sussexes on his social media.

The couple’s deal with Spotify ended in June after just one season of Archetypes, but they still have an £80million deal with Netflix which unveiled its new Heart of Invictus series last week.

On Sunday, Harry was among the big names at the game alongside Hollywood icons such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Ferrell and sports legends such as Magic Johnson and basketball’s LeBron James.

Also in attendance were actors Gerard Butler, Tom Holland, Toby Maguire, Ed Norton, Selena Gomez and Owen Wilson. Musicians included Liam Gallagher, Nas and Rage Against the Machine.

Seated just behind Harry was actress and LAFC superfan Connie Britton, the 56-year-old star of Spin City, Friday Night Lights and more recently The White Lotus.

Most of the big stars had their job titles listed, but Harry and Meghan had no names.

Harry and Meghan at the Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards in New York on May 16

Harry, who also attended a Beyonce concert in Los Angeles with his wife over the weekend, was never known as a football fan while living in the UK. He supported Arsenal but admitted to preferring rugby.

The Duke is due to make a rare return trip to the UK this Thursday to attend the annual WellChild Awards in London, a charity of which he remains patron.

He is not expected to meet his father or brother Prince William, who will be working despite the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Friday.

Harry will also attend the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf from Saturday, and Meghan is expected to travel from California to join him during the competition.

Inter Miami are undefeated since Lionel Messi arrived at the club in mid-July.

They impressed Harry and others in Sunday’s game with a win against the defending MLS Cup champions.

Messi got two assists in the 3-1 win. Facundo Farias, Jordi Alba and Leonardo Campana scored for Miami, while Ryan Hollingshead scored for LAFC. Miami’s visit to Los Angeles was seen by 22,921 fans, a record for LAFC’s BMO Stadium.

According to TickPick, the average purchase price for the game was $717, which is 515% higher than the $110 before Messi’s signing. For comparison, the average purchase price for Beyoncé’s concert at SoFi Stadium was $493.