🔊 Former NFL QB Launches An AI Startup

📰 TOP STORY
Colin Kaepernick Launches An AI Startup

• Here’s The Rundown On Colin Kaepernick’s New AI Startup. Kaepernick’s new startup Lumi, which provides tools for creators to produce and distribute their work, recently came out of stealth to announce a $4M seed round led by Seven Seven Six with individuals such as Chamillionaire and David Sze participating. The idea came from previous challenges in building his own media and publishing company. The platform leverages AI to streamline the creative process for comic books and manga. It could open up new avenues for storytellers who have traditionally faced high barriers to entry into the publishing world. One of Lumi's most promising features is its ability to assist creators at various stages of the storytelling process. The platform offers AI tools that can help flesh out characters conceptually and visually, draft and edit dialogue, and even build full images which could significantly reduce the time and resources needed to produce high-quality content (more here).

💰 MONEY MOVES 
NBA Finalizes Deal With Amazon & Rejects WBD Bid

• NBA Unveils $77B TV & Streaming Deals With NBC, ESPN and Amazon. The NBA has rejected longtime media partner Warner Bros. Discovery’s bid to keep airing games after next season. The league told the media company it doesn’t believe it holds legal matching rights for the new media deal. Instead, it plans to move ahead with Amazon as its third partner, along with ESPN and NBCUniversal, with the 11-year deal worth about $77B (more here).

• TeachMe.To Raises $5M To Make It Easy To Learn Sports. TeachMe.To, the hub for finding and booking local in-person lessons, announced that it has raised $5M in seed funding led by Bling Capital and with participation from Marketplace Capital, 20Growth, and Gokul Rajaram, as well as existing fund and angel investors, including 1984, Alumni Ventures; Ancestry CEO, Deb Liu; and Rover President, Brent Turner. The company will use the investment to continue to enhance its platform with a particular focus on tools that improve the learning experience (more here).

• Sports Nutrition Company Maurten Raises €20M. Maurten, a leading global sports nutrition company, has closed a €20M round led by international growth equity fund IRIS Ventures. The round also had participation from existing investors, including the CEO of Stena Sphere, Dan Sten Olsson. The Maurten sports fuel ecosystem focuses on solving the legitimate problems that limit athletic performance. Patented Hydrogel Technology, used in the brand’s Drink Mixes, Gels, and revolutionary Maurten Bicarb System, allows athletes to rethink the parameters of carbohydrate fueling (more here).

• Fitness App TRAIT Raises €1M. The Berlin-based training app TRAIT, previously twaiv, has raised €1M in seed funding from HTGF, better ventures, and other private investors. The funding will support the development of its AI training platform. The company’s mission is to help people achieve their individual training goals and lead a more sustainably active and fulfilling life (more here).

• Chicago Bulls Unveil $7B Investment Into The Area Surrounding United Center. Dubbed The 1901 Project after the United Center’s Madison Street address, the $7B development is expected to take a decade to complete. The owners of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks would convert 55 acres of land surrounding the arena, much of which is now parking lots, into housing, retail, entertainment, and public space (more here).

• LEAD Sports Health Tech Partners Launches LEAD ONE. LEAD ONE is an evolution of LEAD’s accelerator vehicle. With $1M allocated annually, LEAD ONE will look to invest in 10 companies per year that are building technology around the sports and health industry such as healthcare accessibility, youth sports, food as medicine, media/IP, women’s health, orthopedics, wellness modalities, gaming, and fan engagement (more here).

 🤝 PARTNERSHIPS
Ally Becomes First Founding Partner For 3v3 League Unrivaled

• Ally & Unrivaled Form A Partnership. Unrivaled, the new 3v3 professional women's basketball league announced its first and founding brand partner, Ally Financial, which is a full-scale financial services company with the nation's largest all-digital bank. Ally will be visible in several ways around Unrivaled, including as the jersey patch partner for all six teams, activating hospitality and fan engagement opportunities, and appearing in online/digital content and in-arena signage (more here).

• DraftKings Becomes An Official Sports Betting & Daily Fantasy Partner Of The WNBA. Through this partnership, DraftKings will receive rights to league and team IP and access to marketing, activation, and hospitality opportunities around tentpole league events, such as the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game. They will also utilize official WNBA data feeds to support the gameplay experience for fans. DraftKings has been an official sports betting partner of the NBA since 2021 (more here).

• US Soccer & Xtadium Collaborate On VR Gaming Content. US Soccer and Xtadium announced a collaboration to bring US Men’s and Women’s National Team game content to VR through the Xtadium app on the Meta Quest Headset. Fans can experience the thrill of these matches from the comfort of their homes, using Xtadium’s cutting-edge VR technology. By transporting fans directly into the stadium, Xtadium and US Soccer aim to redefine the fan experience by making watching games more engaging and interactive than ever before (more here).

• Mattel Partners With AthLife. Mattel, a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world announced a partnership with leading sports and entertainment marketer AthLife, Inc. to create branded game day activations at sports arenas nationwide. The collaboration launches Tuesday, August 20th, at the Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros MLB Barbie Night Game, closely followed by the first WNBA Barbie Night Game on August 30th at the highly anticipated match between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky. Both games will feature themed giveaways, photo opportunities, branded jerseys, trivia, and other promotions (more here).

• Pro League Network Teams Up With Birches Health. Pro League Network, the leading sports media and entertainment company producing sports purpose-built for a wagering audience and short-form consumption has struck a strategic partnership with Birches Health, a pioneering behavioral health provider focused on increasing access to Responsible Gaming resources and problem gambling treatment (more here).

• Panathinaikos BC AKTOR Partners With Globalsat. This collaboration is set to redefine the EuroLeague experience with the installation of the ASB GlassFloor, a Full-LED video sports surface officially endorsed by the EuroLeague. This flooring will make Panathinaikos the first team to regularly host EuroLeague games on this cutting-edge court (more here).

🔊 ATHLETES & OTHER SPORTS NEWS
Chiefs Wide Receiver Launches A Real Estate Firm

• Kansas City Chiefs’ Marquise Brown Launches Real Estate Firm. Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is launching a real estate firm that will specialize in Caribbean and other resort properties. He is a co-founder of the company which is called Platinum Pro Capital. They will primarily cater to athletes and high-net-worth individuals. Brown played for the Arizona Cardinals and Baltimore Ravens before signing with the Chiefs this year (more here).

• The Olympic Games' Leap Into The AI Era. At the heart of the Olympic Games lies a spirit of continuous innovation and relentless pursuit of excellence. This spirit transcends the physical boundaries of sports, embracing the advancements of our time. In recent years, a new player has entered the Olympic arena, not to compete, but to revolutionize how the Games are experienced and managed: Artificial Intelligence (more here).

• MLB All-Star Game Showcases Big-League Technology. The MLB All-Star Game last week in Arlington, Texas was a showcase for the transformative power of technology in sports. From fan engagement to team operations, tech companies are playing a vital role as partners, not just sponsors, offering cutting-edge solutions that enhance every aspect of the game (more here).

• New Media Deal Still Undervalues WNBA, Experts Say. The new national media rights package will bring the WNBA $200M a year, which represents the entire revenue figure for the league from just one year ago. Despite the jump, Terri Carmichael Jackson, executive director of the WNBA players’ union, is concerned the league is being undervalued (more here).

• Full Swing KIT Launch Monitor Now Integrated Qith GSPro Software. Full Swing, the leader in sports technology, announced the integration of its Full Swing KIT launch monitor with the widely adopted GSPro Software for their latest indoor gameplay option for golfers around the world. Golfers will be able to enjoy GSPro's 4K graphics across 500+ courses, ultra-realistic ball physics, and a massive online community creating new courses with shot data being delivered from their Full Swing KIT Launch Monitor (more here).

• San Diego FC Is Building A Soccer Academy. San Diego FC is investing in the future by building a fully funded residential program, school, and youth soccer academy. This will be the first to offer a free residential training program with a privately operated school for middle and high schoolers, according to SDFC (more here).

• Mikhail Solodovnikov’s Immersive Training Environments With VR, AR, & AI. Mikhail Solodovnikov, an advocate of cutting-edge training technologies, is exploring the fascinating world of immersive training environments. By combining VR and AR with AI, these advanced training scenarios are revolutionizing how athletes develop their skills and strategies. This integration of technology not only enhances the effectiveness of training but also brings a new level of realism and engagement that traditional methods cannot match (more here).