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ports technology investment firm SeventySix Capital is funding three startups spanning augmented reality (AR), NFTs and sports betting, announced the venture capital company on Monday. The startups are Quintar, NFT PRO, and Lucra Sports.
Lucra Sports is a social-first sports gaming platform, currently available via the Apple App Store in 37 states. Led by CEO Dylan Robbins, COO Hannah Farr and CTO Ed Psyk, the company offers a peer-to-peer, real money sports gaming platform that allows fans to compete with their friends.
“Lucra is for anyone who has ever filled out a bracket, bought a Super Bowl square, or teased a friend about their favorite player or team,” describes Robbins. “Everything is more fun with friends, and above all, Lucra provides a fun way to engage with friends around sports.”
“We are excited to unveil the first three innovative sports-focused investments in our new fund,” stated Wayne Kimmel, SeventySix Capital Managing Partner. “The management teams of these companies exemplify the types of entrepreneurs who are transforming the sports industry.”
Quintar is an AR-based fan technology company which enables content owners, creators, and rights holders to build live-action augmented reality experiences that “revolutionize fan engagement.” It is led by Dr. S. “Jay” Jayaram and Dr. Jeff Jonas, who sold their last company to Intel in 2016.
“The time is now to enhance sports viewership via AR,” said CEO Dr. Jayaram. He expects that, by having SeventySix Capital as an investor, Quintar will scale its business “in unprecedented ways.” Las August, Quintar partnered with the PGA Tour to launch an augmented reality app that lets fans view ShotLink data and 3D graphics during tournaments at certain PGA Tour courses.
NFT PRO is an enterprise white label NFT solution for global brands, which provides turnkey solutions: creating, minting, marketing, and selling NFTs from a brand’s website and digital properties, making the customer experience seamless and on-brand.
The company is led by founder and CEO Christian Ferri, and has high-profile clients including Juventus, Atari and Lamborghini. “We ensure that top brands maintain their identity and give them total control of their NFT and the experience,” describes Ferri.
Juventus lands in the world of #NFT! ⚪️⚫️#JuventusNFT
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) June 19, 2021
SeventySix Capital has previously invested in startups such as C360, Diamond Kinetics, ShotTracker and U.S. Integrity. To date, the firm has sold three portfolio companies: sports betting media network VSiN, sold to DraftKings; sportsbook Vigtory, sold to FuboTV; and sports and entertainment media company Team Whistle, sold to ELEVEN SPORTS.
Last month, SeventySix Capital SeventySix Capital completed its second sports betting-focused venture capital fund, aiming to secure at least $50 million in investments. The fund’s investors include Pittsburgh Pirates owner Robert Nutting, Arthur Blank’s AMBSE Ventures and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
Led by Wayne Kimmel, Jon Powell and Chad Stender, the company aims at “reshaping” the sports venture capital industry by investing in entrepreneurs launching startup companies innovating the sports betting industry, as well as esports and sports tech companies.
