ShotTracker raises $10.4M round featuring former NBA Commissioner David Stern
May 16, 2018 | Bobby Burch
Merriam-based ShotTracker is fueling its global expansion via a large funding round featuring several high-profile investors.
The sports tech company announced Wednesday that it raised a $10.4 million Series A financing round led by Ward.Ventures, NBA commissioner David Stern and two-time National League home run champion, Ryan Howard. The round also includes Greycroft, Elysian Ventures, KC Rise Fund, Irish Angels and SeventySix Capital.
ShotTracker co-founders Davyeon Ross and Bruce Ianni.
The injection of new capital brings ShotTracker’s total funding to more than $21 million, which includes an investment by NBA legend, Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
ShotTracker’s TEAM system tracks multiple players with an array of sensors — secured to each player, within each Spalding basketball, and in the rafters — plotting the games’ shots in real time.
ShotTracker will use the funding for growth and scalability to increase installations in courts around the United States and to solidify global partnership opportunities, said Davyeon Ross, co-founder and COO of ShotTracker.
“This additional funding allows ShotTracker to execute on its vision and accelerate the proliferation of our product across the market,” said Ross. “Whether you’re a fan, a player, a coach, a broadcaster or a market maker – ShotTracker is changing the overall experience of the game. There are significant changes happening in sports and ShotTracker is poised to capitalize on those industry changes with its real-time data.”
In March, the company released its new ShotTracker fan app for the Division 1 NAIA basketball tournament. The app combines real-time analytics with augmented reality in a first-of-its-kind fan engagement tool that displays game and player information on fans’ smartphones.
ShotTracker recently earned a bronze Edison Award in the category of “Digitized Data.” The tech is being used by the University of Kansas, the University of Oklahoma, TCU, Baylor and several other top collegiate basketball programs.
ShotTracker was co-founded by Ross and Bruce Ianni. To learn more about the firm, check out the video below.
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Popular TEDxKC won’t return in 2018; organizers to focus on women, youth events
TEDxKC — one of the largest and most-popular independently-organized TEDx events in the world — won’t be back for 2018. While TEDxYouth@KC and TEDxKCWomen are expected to return in 2018, hitting pause on TEDxKC’s “general ideas” event will allow organizers to reflect on accomplishments, missteps and milestones, said Mike Lundgren, co-founder of TEDxKC. “We asked two…
Fitbit integrating Sickweather illness forecasting into new wearables
Sickweather is stepping into the wearables market. A new partnership with industry leader Fitbit is expected to see the Kansas City-based startup’s illness forecasting technology integrated into Fitbit’s new products. “Smartwatches provide a powerful platform to deliver important health tools that help our users manage conditions more conveniently than ever before,” said James Park, co-founder…
Surveys, rewards dying: Tapyness scores customer feedback with one-tap, 3-second experience
No one takes 15-minute surveys anymore, said Matthew Korte, co-founder of Tapyness, a Lawrence-based customer experience platform that provides real-time feedback via kiosks in client businesses. A typical Tapyness interaction takes three seconds, he said. “We’re down to the millisecond, and we’re aggregating hundreds of tablets simultaneously within one brand to go: ‘Here’s the health…
Lean Lab rebrands to reflect its evolution within education innovation
The Lean Lab has announced a rebranding effort to better reflect and differentiate it from other groups in education innovation, said co-founder Katie Boody. Unveiling a new look in late April, the Kansas City-based organization is now LEANLAB Education, which Boody hopes will better communicate its mission, she said. “We know the nature of our…