The twelve questions Apex receives most often, from brands evaluating the firm and from talent considering representation. Answered briefly so the first conversation can be about the brief.
01. What does Apex do?
Apex finds the person whose authority fits what an organisation is trying to reach, then builds the partnership around them on terms built to hold. Representation is one part of that: Apex represents a small number of people whose authority is worth placing carefully. The current talent is Serdar Gözübüyük, UEFA Elite Referee.
02. Is Apex a sports agency?
No. Apex is a boutique partnership-architecture and advisory firm. A traditional agency runs dozens to hundreds of clients and makes its money on volume. Apex takes one partnership at a time and stays with it for years.
03. What does Apex cost?
We set the numbers in the first conversation, once we know what the work requires. The model is two parts: a retainer for the ongoing work, plus commission on what gets built. No introduction fees, and no charge for the first call.
A retainer for the ongoing work, plus commission on what gets built.
04. How long until I hear back after writing?
Substantive inquiries are answered within forty-eight hours, Monday through Friday. Every email is read personally by the founder. Press requests on tight deadlines move faster when the subject line includes "PRESS".
05. Does Apex only work with commercial brands?
No. The work is the same whether the partner is a brand, a cause, an institution or a public body. What matters is that the fit is genuine, a person whose authority belongs there.
06. Why category exclusivity?
When a person's authority is placed with one organisation, a competitor borrowing that same authority erodes it for both. Exclusivity protects the fit so it can compound over time, and keeps the position owned by one partner alone.
07. What does "by invitation" mean in practice?
It means Apex does not solicit. Conversations begin because an organisation or a person reached out, or because a mutual contact made an introduction. The intake is the same regardless of how it began.
08. What happens in the first conversation?
Thirty minutes, online or in Amsterdam. You describe what you are building. The founder asks the structural questions: the fit, the time horizon, existing commitments. No pitch, no proposal, and no pressure to decide on the call. The brief leads.
"Thirty minutes. No pitch."
09. What are the contract terms?
A multi-year horizon. Category-exclusive where the fit needs protecting, so the position is never shared with a rival. Activation budget held separate from representation. Mutual exit clauses written in. The shape varies per relationship; the principles are firm-wide and public on the standards page.
10. Which categories will Apex never represent?
Alcohol and spirits. Betting and gambling. Football clubs and federations. These three exclusions are permanent and firm-wide, written into every contract Apex signs. They keep refereeing independence beyond question. The reasoning sits on the standards page.
11. What about privacy and confidentiality?
Three tiers, enforced by contract and operating practice. Proposals are direct-link only, not indexed by search engines, never repurposed across partners. Information shared at intake is held personally by the founder. Representation conversations stay private.
12. How can I refer someone to Apex?
Write directly to info@apexpartnerships.nl. Say who they are and why you think the fit is there. Referrals from people Apex already works with carry the most weight.
Apex Partnerships & Advisory
Amsterdam · Reviewed May 2026