It certainly helps to have Steph Curry on your side, either on the court or in the startup world. The 29-year-old sharpshooting NBA star — who is also a talented golfer and made his professional debut this week — is the co-founder of Slyce, a Bay Area-based startup founded in 2015 that we covered last year. Slyce originally launched as a platform that helped athletes and celebrities sort through social media noise and increase engagement with their most loyal fans. But Slyce co-founder Bryant Barr, a former college hoops teammate of Curry and long-time friend, told GeekWire that his 8-person company pivoted… Read More
NFL players and coaches won’t be the only ones using a Microsoft Surface tablet on the sidelines this season. NFL referees will now use the tablet to review replays for the 2017-18 season, replacing the “under-the-hood” monitor. The new technology was in action for the first time during Thursday night’s preseason opener in Canton, Ohio. Dean Blandino, the NFL’s former vice president of officiating, noted that there are two tablets at each 20-yard line for the referees to use. NFL debuts replay tablets tonite. 2 tablets, 1 at each 20 yd line for ref to use during reviews. Replaces under… Read More
Ernie Els knows a thing or two about a good business deal. The long-time golf professional, who will compete in his 100th major championship later this month, has one of the more impressive off-the-course resumes that includes everything from selling his own wines to running a foundation that supports people with autism. Now Els is entering the tech startup game. This week the 47-year-old announced an investment in 18Birdies, a popular golf app that includes a GPS rangefinder, digital scorecard, round analysis tools, social leaderboards, and more. Els, who has won 70 tournaments to date and was previously the world’s… Read More
The Sounders may look a little different after the 2018 season — aesthetically speaking, at least. Seattle’s MLS club announced today that it is working with sports management giant WME | IMG to explore a potential new naming rights sponsor for its jerseys, matchday pitch, and training facility. Since the team’s inaugural MLS season in 2009, Seattle-area tech giant Microsoft has paid to have the Xbox brand name and logo appear on all three of those properties. That contract was extended both in 2013 and 2014; the current deal expires after the 2018 season. The original jerseys featured “Xbox 360,”… Read More
Lisa Brummel may have retired after 25 years at Microsoft, but the former executive is still certainly keeping busy. GeekWire caught up with Brummel at the WNBA All-Star Game last month in Seattle, where the Seattle Storm co-owner joined thousands of hoops fans who had a chance to watch the world’s best women’s basketball players compete against one another at Key Arena. Brummel, who was a stud athlete while attending Yale — she played basketball, softball, volleyball, and track at the Ivy League university — was part of an ownership group that bought the Storm in 2008. The team won… Read More
