The Weekly Drop 03.30.2023
The hottest news from sports, gaming, media, web3, and fitness.
Two big new sports tech funds were announced. Capital raising continues to march on for gaming, fitness, and sports in a difficult environment. NFL and NBA stars continue to invest in startups and sports teams.
Top Stories
Hawks $50MM Diversity-Focused Fund
💸 The Atlanta Hawks announced a $50MM venture fund. The team will focus on diverse founders building in sports tech. The fund will invest in early-stage companies that can be partners for the team.
Beyond The Game Portfolio Companies In The News
👏🏼 Performance health leader Fount raises a $12MM Series A. Oura Ring launches new sleep optimization product. Learn more about Fan Controlled Sports on a Harvard Biz Review case study and this podcast. Audio Up partners with Invisible Universe on music. Eight Sleep on the Future of Fitness pod.
Tech news, capital raises, and more
⚽ Monarch Collective launches $100MM fund for women’s sports details
💃 G42 buys $100MM stake in TikTok parent ByteDance read
🎮 CCP Games inks $40MM for blockchain offering here
🏀 Huupe adds $11MM for connected basketball training details
🦘 SlamBall raises $11MM to relaunch league more
📺 Rebel Girls closes $7MM for content program details
🕹️ Genpop gets $6.5MM for music and gaming here
🤝🏼 ZIYNX partners with Front Office Sports for student athlete content more
Athletes in the News
⛳ TMRW Sports golf startup league adds Shaq, KD, and D Wade more
⚽ Tom Brady invests in NWSL Vegas Aces and Matthew Stafford joins Angel City
👡 Derek Carr, Dawn Staley and more invest in OOFOS here
🎾 Dude Perfect buys a pickleball franchise read
🏀 Orlando Magic partner with Lead Lake Nona accelerator details
🏋️ Learn about Steve Nash’s fitness startup Block here
🔦 Spotlight on Atlanta’s Shot Makers League read
Portfolio Company Job Postings
Oura Ring (Health): Ops, Product, and Dev roles here
Eight Sleep (Fitness): Engineer, Growth, Product roles here
Artie (Gaming): Design and Engineer roles here
GreenPark Sports (Gaming): Marketing roles here