Andre Iguodala on wearables, tech investing, golf

 
Post new topic    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> General Basketball Discussion Reply to topic
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Basketball Fan
Franchise Player
Franchise Player


Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 24744

PostPosted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 5:01 pm    Post subject: Andre Iguodala on wearables, tech investing, golf

https://www.sporttechie.com/warriors-andre-iguodala-talks-wearables-and-tech-investing/

Quote:
Golden State Warriors’ Andre Iguodala On Wearables, Tech Investing, Golf


Golden State Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala has been using wearables and apps, such as Game Golf and Zepp Golf, to improve his swing. The 2015 NBA Finals MVP and golf fanatic says devices like these that track athlete performance represent the future of the sports industry.

Iguodala is no stranger to player-tracking technology. The Warriors have been using wearables with sensors made by an Australian company called Catapult Sports to manage athletes and keep tabs on their training ebbs and flows since 2015.

But Iguodala says the current state of wearables in the sports world merely scratches the surface of what’s to come. An avid technology investor whose portfolio includes the trading platform TruMid, lifestyle company Thrive Global, mattress startup Casper, beauty products maker Walker & Company, fashion platform Hingeto and The Players Tribune, Iguodala says he’s watching the wearables market closely for technologies with potential to scale.

“A lot of pros are using them but we’re still in infant stages as far as being able to go into the consumer world where we can scale,” Iguodala said in an interview with SportTechie. “We need to get the amateurs to utilize it so they can perform better.”

Get The Latest Sports Tech News In Your Inbox!

The 33-year-old and 13-year NBA veteran has already started to set his sights on his post-NBA career. His location in Silicon Valley has given Iguodala access to venture capitalists and technologists, which has helped transform him over the past few years into one of the most tech-savvy pro-athlete investors. In his retirement, he’ll be able to add to the strategic business partnerships he’s already started to develop there, while continuing to cultivate his love of golf.


“I’m a big golf fan. I play, some would say too much, I would say not enough,” he said.

On Friday, Iguodala was set to takeover the Instagram account and do Facebook Live standups for the PGA Championship, bringing the wit behind his unique social media persona to the tournament in an effort to attract Iguodala fans who might not be among the typical consumers of golf.

Soon, his interests will be further meshed in a show set to kickoff on the digital network Cheddar, another one of his investments, called ‘Evenings with Andre,’ which will dissect business, tech, sports and entertainment topics through a series of celebrity interviews.

In the meantime, Iguodala is looking to use the relationships he’s forged in the tech capital to get other pro athletes interested in tech investing. At an inaugural three-day conference called The Players Technology Summit next week, Iguodala and co-host Stephen Curry will give athletes a crash course in startups and investing, while connecting them to influential VCs.


“We want to put athletes in front of some of these tech guys,” Iguodala said.

The summit comes as more athletes look for ways to spend their money and leverage their globally-recognized individual brands. They’ve already had to turn people away, says Iguodala, because of demand. But the hope is to grow the summit over the next few years.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
focus
Star Player
Star Player


Joined: 23 May 2012
Posts: 2526

PostPosted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 3:50 pm    Post subject: Re: Andre Iguodala on wearables, tech investing, golf

Quote:
His location in Silicon Valley has given Iguodala access to venture capitalists and technologists, which has helped transform him over the past few years into one of the most tech-savvy pro-athlete investors. In his retirement, he’ll be able to add to the strategic business partnerships he’s already started to develop there
...
Soon, his interests will be further meshed in a show set to kickoff on the digital network Cheddar, another one of his investments, called ‘Evenings with Andre,’ which will dissect business, tech, sports and entertainment topics through a series of celebrity interviews.

In the meantime, Iguodala is looking to use the relationships he’s forged in the tech capital to get other pro athletes interested in tech investing. At an inaugural three-day conference called The Players Technology Summit next week, Iguodala and co-host Stephen Curry will give athletes a crash course in startups and investing, while connecting them to influential VCs.


“We want to put athletes in front of some of these tech guys,” Iguodala said.

The summit comes as more athletes look for ways to spend their money and leverage their globally-recognized individual brands
. They’ve already had to turn people away, says Iguodala, because of demand. But the hope is to grow the summit over the next few years.


This is also a very appealing "platform" to sell. One that the Warriors are taking advantage of, and tech folks there are going to take advantage of the Warriors brand. Magilinka are wise to understand the competing, different platform we have and to start pushing it as such. As tech keeps going in LA and to a lesser extent LB/south OC, eventually they can exploit tech further. For now, media, movies, etc plus LA. Bay Area is a really strong play though. Tough to explain how vibrant it can be there, and how much is going on, so quickly. I see every reason GSW and tech firms/partnerships/cities will mutually exploit each other in a way you can't elsewhere, and acceleratingly so. Warriors did not win, so there was nothing in it for the longest time from the tech side of things, but now they are the biggest current thing, and with Curry and Durant, worldwide. There's China, India, brand taking hold. GSW really savvy. I hope our people can keep up, but really Magic Jeanie and Rob need to know what they don't know and seriously involve some of the genius tech/business/media leaders in LA/OC who don't want to take over the team but just want to see the Lakers on court and off compete and win worldwide. Magic has had some great business mentors and partners in his life, and he needs to see the landscape as an evolving ever-changing thing, with new players and technologies. Warriors have it easy, and it will be even easier in SF proper.

Great read. Thank you.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Reply with quote
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic    LakersGround.net Forum Index -> General Basketball Discussion All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Page 1 of 1
Jump to:  

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum






Graphics by uberzev
© 1995-2018 LakersGround.net. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Terms of Use.
LakersGround is an unofficial news source serving the fan community since 1995.
We are in no way associated with the Los Angeles Lakers or the National Basketball Association.


Powered by phpBB