LeBron, Osaka Among Stars Backing Extended Reality Platform StatusPRO
Sports tech and gaming company StatusPro, which creates extended reality training programs, announced a number of new big-name investors Thursday, headlined by Lakers star LeBron James and his longtime business partner Maverick Carter, tennis phenom Naomi Osaka and rapper Drake. Interscope Records and Beats by Dre headphone company co-founder Jimmy Iovine and James’ investment adviser Paul Wachter were also among those named.
The newcomers join venture capital firms KB Partners, TitletownTech, Greycroft, Verizon Ventures and SC Holdings, which were part of StatusPro’s $5.2 million seed raise announced in August. The Cleveland Browns ownership group, Haslam Sports Group, and 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers, were also among the tech company’s early financial backers.
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“Besides the immense credibility our new investors bring to the business, they have proven the value of creating companies and brands that prioritize empowerment, diversity of thought, experience and culture,” StatusPro co-founder and CEO Troy Jones said in a statement.
Jones, a former college football player, and Andrew Hawkins, a former NFL wide receiver who went on to work for James’ and Carter’s SpringHill Company, founded StatusPro in 2020.
StatusPro uses player data and extended reality (encompassing augmented, virtual and mixed reality) in its training platform, which turns that data into holographic virtual reality experiences that players can utilize to simulate practice and game scenarios. Those same simulations can then also be made available for fans to experience, “democratizing” the athlete experience. Several NCAA and NFL teams, including the Baltimore Ravens, currently utilize StatusPro’s training technology.
The company, which counts quarterback Lamar Jackson and the NFL Players Association among its partners, detailed plans to use the funding and its new investors’ connections to expand beyond football into other sports and industries, such as gaming, entertainment and healthcare, with an expanded suite of enterprise and consumer products.
“I look for investment opportunities that can have a lasting impact on culture and society—and StatusPro is poised to do that,” Osaka said in a statement. “It’s not only going to influence gaming and entertainment (two things I am passionate about), but also the way athletes can train and analyze their performance.”
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