Topgolf is finally in Seattle. The sports and entertainment company on Friday will open its first-ever Topgolf Lounge concept, an indoor facility that combines virtual sports with food and beverage offerings. Topgolf is known for its traditional outdoor driving-range-meets-bowling-alley venues that have popped up across the U.S over the past several years. Topgolf Lounge moves the experience inside with five high-tech simulators powered by Topgolf Swing Suite technology, which lets customers play virtual golf and other sports such as dodgeball and football. The 9,200 square-foot lounge is located on the second floor at Kirkland Urban, a new 1.2 million square-foot… Read More
That’s snot the play we drew up! But, face it, there’s more than one way to swipe across the screen on a tablet. During the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, sideline cameras picked up Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill on the bench, bundled against the cold temperatures. With his hands covered with gloves, Tannehill showed us all a new trick for the Microsoft Surface, using his nose to swipe sideways and then up on the device. CBS broadcasters Jim Nantz and Tony Romo got a laugh out of Tannehill’s technique and the video was shared on… Read More
It’s been a couple weeks since the demise of Seattle-based Vicis, the high-tech football helmet maker that laid off all of its employees and was placed into receivership by its board just before Christmas. But the once highly regarded startup is still in the game — at least when it comes to being featured in NFL commercials that are airing during current playoff games. The Vicis ZERO1 helmet, the company’s signature product, shows up right at the start of an ad titled “Building a Better Game,” below, in which the NFL touts its commitment to helping engineers and innovators come… Read More
Raising money and managing investors can be a major undertaking for any startup, but for failed Seattle startup Vicis, the complexity was on a whole other level. The high-tech football helmet maker lists an extraordinary 389 investors on its capitalization table, or “cap table” as it’s commonly known in the business world. The list, never before made public, spans nearly eight pages in King County Superior Court documents unearthed by GeekWire. Vicis was placed into receivership last week by its board after running out of cash. The list includes current and former sports legends such as Aaron Rodgers and Doug… Read More
Technology is changing the way we watch live sports. The innovation dates back decades, from the advent of the color TV, to the yellow augmented reality first down line, to high-def TV, to internet-powered streaming options. With software and hardware evolving at a rapid pace, what’s next for the industry? How will technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning affect live sports production? And when will the robots take over — if ever? We posed some of those questions to ESPN executives who help put together Monday Night Football (MNF) each week during the NFL season. Earlier this month… Read More
