Jaylon Smith, the former Notre Dame standout turned businessman, quietly spun a six-figure private wager into a seven-figure payout and is now pouring that cash into ramen bars and a small web of ventures. The 30-year-old opened his first JINYA Ramen Bar near the Notre Dame campus last July and says he plans to blanket Indiana with more locations. The money comes from an early stake in the Oura smart ring that Smith later sold for a hefty multiple, and it is now fueling ramen build-outs, an eyewear distribution push and a budding insurance play.
How a ring became a bankroll
Smith put $100,000 into Oura during a Series C round in 2021 and exited around the company’s Series E, turning that check into roughly $1 million, according to IndyStar. Oura’s late-stage raise valued the sleep-tracking ring maker at roughly $11 billion, which helps explain how a single private deal produced a double-digit multiple, per Vogue Business. RISE Family Office, which advised Smith on the investment, framed the payout as an unusually strong private-market win, the reporting noted.
Ramen, retail and a return to campus
Smith’s first JINYA Ramen Bar opened July 9, 2025, at 1145 N. Eddy St., Suite 140 in Eddy Street Commons, just steps from the Notre Dame campus, according to local coverage and the brand’s release. WNDU and the chain’s press materials on Franchising.com say the debut drew big crowds and marked JINYA’s first South Bend location. Organizers say Smith holds regional development rights and is eyeing eight to ten Indiana restaurants as he tries to turn one campus-adjacent spot into a small regional ramen network.
Where the money is going
Ramen is only one piece of the play. Smith’s portfolio now includes at least 21 private stakes and consumer ventures, ranging from an eyewear brand that secured distribution at Sam’s Club to a planned $5 million insurance company built with Globe Life. AfroTech reports that RISE Family Office is steering how those Oura proceeds are being redeployed, with an eye on building longer-term, generational wealth instead of quick flips.
From field to balance sheet
All of this comes after a decorated football career that gave Smith the first chunk of capital to work with. He won the 2015 Butkus Award, earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2019 and racked up 626 tackles across 88 NFL games, according to Pro-Football-Reference. The Dallas Cowboys drafted him 34th overall in 2016 and guaranteed roughly $4.42 million on his rookie deal, per Spotrac. That early NFL money, combined with his Oura return, provided the fuel for his current business run.
What’s next
Smith says the mandate now is scale: more JINYA units in Indiana and additional concepts that have nothing to do with noodles, a plan local outlets have tracked. The strategy fits a broader trend of athletes leaning on family-office advisers and selective private deals to turn short on-field careers into longer business lives. For South Bend, it means a hometown alum is not just hanging around campus but literally serving it, with a restaurant that brings familiar marketing, steady student foot traffic and, if his expansion plans hit, plenty of follow-up locations across the state.
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