Korrio, a Seattle youth sports software startup founded in 2009 by former Isilon Systems and F5 Networks executive Steve Goldman, has been acquired by Boulder, Colo.-based TeamSnap. Korrio’s platform helped youth sports leagues and teams organize and communicate with each others. TeamSnap, also founded in 2009, calls itself the “leading communication and coordination platform for amateur sports.” “TeamSnap has become the platform amateur sports participants and organizers cannot live without,” TeamSnap CEO Dave DuPont said in a statement. “We’re excited to welcome Korrio’s outstanding base of customers. They will appreciate the breadth of capabilities our platform provides and love how… Read More
SoftBank sparked headlines in the technology world this week as the tech giant prepares to invest $1 billion into online sports apparel company Fanatics, according to The Wall Street Journal. It’s a peculiar investment for SoftBank and its Vision Fund, which typically focuses on more traditional tech companies like Boston Dynamics, Nvidia, or OneWeb. But it highlights how Fanatics, now valued at $4.5 billion, has caught the attention of big-name investors with its formidable e-commerce engine that pairs high-speed manufacturing with crucial sports league licensing deals — a formula that one Seattle startup is also using on its own pathway… Read More
Another day, another new business vertical Amazon is aiming to disrupt. The Seattle tech giant is looking to partner with U.S. arena owners as a way to sell event tickets, Reuters reported on Thursday. The move would put Amazon in direct competition with Ticketmaster, the industry giant that controls much of the ticketing market in the U.S. Amazon already launched a ticketing service called Amazon Tickets in the U.K. two years ago and now it appears that business may be gearing up for more growth. Amazon has several job postings for Amazon Tickets which note “rapid expansion.” “If you love seeing live… Read More
As Microsoft enters the final year of its reported $400 million deal with the NFL, the Surface tablet will be more visible on the sidelines than ever. Since the 2013-14 season, players and coaches have used the Surface tablet to review past plays on the sideline during games. As GeekWire reported earlier this month, NFL referees this season will now use the tablet to review replays for the 2017-18 season, replacing the “under-the-hood” monitor. We saw the integration during the preseason opener on Aug. 3 and it was used again on Wednesday during the Texans vs. Panthers game. There will be… Read More
Disney is going to go its own way when it comes to streaming, announcing Tuesday that it will be ending its distribution deal with Netflix. The company plans to launch its own branded streaming service in 2019 and will also debut an ESPN service early next year. The announcement came during Disney’s quarterly earnings report and was detailed in a news release from the media giant. The move is made possible by Disney’s acquisition of a majority stake in BAMTech, the streaming video arm founded by Major League Baseball. Disney acquired a 33-percent stake in BAMTech last year for $1… Read More
