Black Cat Ventures, a golf technology fund started by Michael Jordan, has invested an unspecified amount in Novi-based V1 Sports, a sports video analysis and mobile app company.
The capital will allow V1 to pursue projects that further cement the brand as a leading solutions provider for those instructors, coaches, and improvement-driven athletes, according to the company.
Under the direction of CEO Bryan Finnerty, V1 has developed itself into a game-improvement ecosystem for coaches and athletes across multiple sports. Finnerty has added an expert executive team, expanded the product line, and positioned V1 as a leading developer of sports improvement software applications.
As a longtime leader in the golf industry, V1 offers what it calls best-in-class professional and consumer video analysis apps to “Improve Your Swing,” and “the most innovative GPS and stats app with auto shot tracking intelligence to ‘Improve Your Score.’”
“Our team has been working to make V1 Sports mean more things to more athletes and to be attractive to potential investors,” Finnerty says. “We’re pleased that our investors’ enthusiasm for the process of sports instruction, development, and training truly aligns and now sets the framework for an ecosystem athletes and coaches can trust for a lifetime.”
While best known for its video analysis platform, V1 has been steadily growing its stable of game improvement technology in recent years. The portable V1 Pressure Mat, provides instant visual feedback and ground pressure data integrated into the V1 video stream and has become a tool for player and coach to see and quantify what the athlete could only feel in the past.
Last year saw the launch of the award-winning V1 Game mobile app for GPS course data, intelligent auto shot tracking and stats analysis providing insight for the golfer and instructor to evaluate on-course performance. Also last year, V1 launched the V1 Baseball segment of its business, extending its focus beyond golf.
Finnerty, an entrepreneur and former professional soccer goalkeeper, has been laying the groundwork for V1’s expansion with calculated restructuring.
“As an all-inclusive ecosystem for learning, practicing, improving, coaching and commerce, we see that the amount of data available to athletes today is vast, but we want to help athletes, from professionals to enthusiasts, interpret that data in a way that actually helps them perform better,” Finnerty says. “Our investors’ belief in our trajectory, and how it fits their overall vision for providing elite coaching and training methodologies to more athletes, is a huge inspiration to our growth process.
“The best coach for you might be 2,000 miles away, but that shouldn’t restrict your access to learn the way elite athletes learn in a way that fits your goals and lifestyle.”
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