The ownership group for the newly formed Houston Hyenas will also include Sara Hood and Edward Madongorere. Other owners in the league include Magic Johnson, Jerry Rice, and LaMelo Ball.
SimWin Sports, a virtual reality sports league that plays football and basketball, is adding a new team and ownership group to its already stacked investor roster. The trio of Emmanuel Acho, Sara “Lovestyle” Hood, and Edward Madongorere have joined together to form the Houston Hyenas.
SimWin was founded by David J. Ortiz, who is a former senior producer at EA Sports, creative director at Sony’s sports studio, and executive producer for Warner Bros.
“Our new ownership group’s outstanding professional accolades in the tech and media industries and newfound commitment to our vision speak volumes about SimWin’s long-term vision in the metaverse,” Ortiz said in a release. “The addition of the Houston Hyenas also highlights our efforts to promote an inclusive, diverse, and equitable ownership base.”
The new league is powered by blockchain technology through Horizen Labs. SimWin’s games run on a player performance model, where each player can grow and have hot and cold streaks just like in real life.
The players within the games are NFT athletes. Users can buy, sell, trade, and train their selections. Owners within the league include Magic Johnson, Jerry Rice, Marshall Faulk, Mike Singletary, Tracy McGrady, Jen Welter, Penny Hardaway, and LaMelo Ball. Some of the many investors within the league are Animoca Brands, Bron Studios, Kingsway Capital, YOLO Investments, and 1UP Ventures.
“I’m a big fan of David Ortiz’s leadership and his team’s innovative approach to emerging technologies in gaming and sports betting. He has played a pivotal role in ensuring that ownership opportunities have been accessible to black and brown investors, which I’m deeply passionate about increasing representation for black women in sports,” Hood said in a statement. “It’s especially meaningful to me to be a partner in the Houston Hyenas alongside Ed and Emmanuel, one of our first investments as a group.”
Hood also invested with Malcolm Jenkins’ Broad Street Ventures earlier this year. Acho, a former NFLer turned analyst, is a Dallas native and University of Texas graduate, so buying into a Houston team matches up perfectly. Madongorere is the CEO of Moon Ultra and the inventor of Moon UltraLight, a clip-on attachment that casts light on things like laptops or phones. Madongorere built his career working for media and tech companies like Comcast, Affectiva, and Cisco.
“We are thrilled to be an inaugural partner in SimWin Sports, as they are the premier digital sports league to debut online sports franchising at an unprecedented level. As a Texas-based tech founder and investor, it’s an honor to join Emmanuel and Sara as owners of the Houston team,” said Madongorere in a statement.
Read More:
- Austin Ekeler: Workhorse Entrepreneur Always in Command
- How Verizon Tackles Connectivity in Detroit During the 2024 NFL Draft
- The Digital Athlete: How the NFL & AWS Leverage Data to Keep Players Safe
- Microsoft Gambles Big With $1.5B Investment in Foreign AI Firm
- The Jordan Luka 3: A Design Driven by Dončić
Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.
