Welcome back to Club Level, your inside look at Elysian Park. The Sports+ ecosystem is constantly evolving—where competition fuels innovation, culture shapes opportunity, and technology drives the next frontier. This month, we’re spotlighting bold moves from our portfolio, key trends shaping the industry, and the intersection of sport, media, and style. From Evenplay’s leap into skill-based real-money gaming to FCTRY LAb’s athlete-first approach to footwear, and the evolution of women’s sports infrastructure, the landscape is shifting fast. Let’s dive in.
Welcome New Portfolio Companies
Please join us in welcoming Evenplay to the Elysian Park portfolio!
Evenplay is a real-money gaming platform designed to bring exciting, skill-based challenges to every commercial golf simulator and bowling alley in the U.S. Using patented AI technology, Evenplay generates fair and dynamic challenges tailored to each player’s individual skill level. We're thrilled to have them as the newest addition to our EP Golf Ventures portfolio. (Read more)
Portfolio Company News
–Sports+ Culture–
Eastside Golf's founders Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper joined the PGA Show to discuss the vision behind their clothing brand. (Watch here)
League One Volleyball plans to add at least two teams by 2027 as it builds a “major league” at the pinnacle of a growing sport. Backed by a pipeline of 18,000 athletes, LOVB is betting on its player development, fan base, and infrastructure to drive its shift to a team owner model. (Read more)
Pro Shop Studios, the newly launched entertainment arm of golf media company Pro Shop, will co-produce Happy Gilmore 2 as it expands into scripted and unscripted content. Led by co-founder Mark Olsen, the studio will also produce a reboot of the PGA Tour’s ‘Skins Game’ and a third season of Netflix’s Full Swing. (Read more)
Religion of Sports is leading production on Next Is Now, a new women’s sports programming slate, in partnership with Issa Rae’s Ensemble and Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment. With women’s sports receiving less than 20% of media coverage, the project aims to close the gap. (Read more)
FCTRY LAb, the Black-owned sneaker brand founded in 2022, is redefining athlete partnerships with a custom-first approach. NFL star Jalen Ramsey, drawn to its innovation and Black-led leadership, collaborated with co-founder Omar Bailey to develop the JR 1s—cleats molded to his foot for peak performance. With a roster that now includes other top athletes, FCTRY LAb is pushing the boundaries of sports footwear while inspiring the next generation of sneaker innovators. (Read more)
–Sports+ Health–
Oura is launching AI-driven health insights while keeping data private. Partnering with WebAI, it will run AI directly on users' smartphones instead of the cloud, enhancing security and control. The rollout starts soon, with a focus on sensitive areas like women’s health. (Read more)
BreakAway Data is powering the NBA’s new league-wide biomechanics program, helping teams analyze player movement and injury risk with cutting-edge data visualization. Partnering with the NBA, NBPA, and top tech firms, BreakAway aims to standardize performance insights across all 30 teams—giving players, coaches, and researchers a deeper understanding of movement and injury prevention. (Read more)
–Sports+ Commerce–
Canopy Team will be involved in the big innovations happening at Chesapeake Baysox for the 2025 season. The strategy and design firm is set to handle the building and design planning. (Read more)
Fanaply, the fan engagement and rewards platform, has reintroduced itself with a brand-new website and is seeking select pilot partners. Fanaply delivers real value for fans and drives new revenue for organizers by seamlessly blending technology and live music. Festival owners looking to elevate their events—now’s the time to reach out! (Read more)
Guidesly raised a $9.5 million Series A funding round, led by Aspen Capital Group, with participation from YETI Capital and existing investors, including Elysian Park Ventures and Marquee Ventures. We’re excited to continue supporting Guidesly as they expand their platform and enhance guided outdoor recreational experiences. (Read more)
Jackpot, the online lottery courier service, was included in Built In’s 2025 best places to work for Boston, New York City, San Francisco, Colorado and remote. (Read more)
Joopiter partnered with Louis Vuitton to celebrate 25 years of groundbreaking creativity from NIGO and Pharrell at the Louis Vuitton Men’s Fall-Winter 2025 Show. Joopiter offered some of these extraordinary pieces at their dual auctions. (Read more)
Snap! Mobile, the leader in digital fundraising, has partnered with Varsity Brands to supercharge fundraising efforts for sports, cheer, dance, and band programs nationwide. By leveraging Snap! Raise's innovative platform, Varsity Brands can provide over 75,000 customers with secure, tech-driven solutions to overcome financial challenges and support student-athletes and their teams. (Read more)
–Sports+ Technology–
Diamond Kinetics, MLB’s Trusted Youth Development Platform, continues to revolutionize youth baseball and softball training. In the second year of its long-term partnership with MLB, the DK app drove over 632,000 swings through in-app MLB content, leveraging SmartMotion technology to deliver real-time feedback and interactive challenges. (Read more)
Greenfly powered fan-driven storytelling at the Big Ten Championship with its UGC tool, +Engage. Fans submitted videos and photos via QR codes and social media, fueling real-time content and a 60-90 second recap. A seamless, next-level way to engage. (Read more)
LiveLike is bringing its cutting-edge gamification tech to stc tv, transforming the streaming experience with rewards, watch parties, and leaderboards. By enhancing interactivity and personalization, LiveLike is driving deeper audience engagement and new revenue opportunities. (Read more)
Repurpose, a leader in plant-based alternatives to single-use plastics, was highlighted by Fast Company as one of five companies heading into growth mode in 2025. (Read more)
Sensible Weather is collaborating with Leap Event Technologies, allowing guests to have the option to secure a weather guarantee when purchasing tickets for outdoor experiences and events. (Read more)
ShotTracker's partnership with three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman weaves performance tech into his Lights Out apparel brand. Launching this year, athletes can see where punches land, as well as speed, g-force, strength and power. (Read more)
Top Industry Headlines
A federal judge’s ruling against AI-powered legal research tool Ross Intelligence in a copyright case could have ripple effects in sports. The decision signals that AI models using proprietary data—like player analytics or game footage—may face legal challenges, reshaping how teams and leagues leverage AI. (Read more)
The next 18 months could redefine U.S. soccer—not just on the field but in culture, business, and style. With the 2026 World Cup, Club World Cup, and NWSL expansion ahead, the sport’s influence is set to grow. The question is: will it leave a lasting legacy or just a fleeting moment? (Read more)
Women’s pro teams are finally getting the elite training facilities they deserve, with eight new centers announced or built in the past year. Investors are putting real money behind women’s sports, raising the bar for player development and competition. (Read more)
Super Bowl LIX wasn’t just a game—it was a record-breaking spectacle, drawing 127.7 million viewers, the biggest TV audience in history. Even bigger? Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show, which peaked at 133.5 million, proving once again that the Super Bowl is as much about culture as it is about football. (Read more)
FanDuel and DraftKings have solidified a near-duopoly in U.S. sports betting, commanding 80% of a market projected to hit $39 billion by 2030. Years of aggressive marketing and tech investment are finally yielding profits, but regulatory scrutiny looms as lawmakers eye potential antitrust concerns and gambling addiction risks. (Read more)
Opportunities in Our Network
Arena Club is hiring across its engineering department.
Canopy Team is hiring for a management role.
Demand Analytics is hiring a data analyst.
Diamond Kinetics is hiring a traffic manager.
Draftkings is hiring across analytics, brand and creative, channel marketing, customer experience, engineering, finance, HR, and information technology.
EL1 is hiring across its baseball operations, baseball/softball operations, contract, football operations, human resources, operations, performance instruction and quickball operations departments.
Freeletics is hiring across its engineering and product engineering.
Gamurs is hiring across its Audience development, Destructoid, Dot Esports, Editorial, Operation Sports, Siliconera, The Escapist, and Mary Sue Departments.
Geocomply is hiring across its executive, finance, revenue, product, legal, growth, design and marketing, engineering, InfoSec, and general teams.
The Gist is hiring across its account and writer departments.
Greenfly is hiring across its sales, engineering, customer success, and product teams.
Jackpot is hiring across its marketing and operations departments.
LeagueApps is hiring across its community, customer success, finance, product, and sales.
League One Volleyball is hiring across its sales, marketing, customer service, legal, and partnerships departments.
Movella is hiring across its customer support, engineering, intern, marketing, and sales departments.
Oura is hiring across its business operations, finance, customer experience, hardware, IT, marketing, operations, product, retail, science, and software engineering.
PFL is hiring across its marketing department.
Pro Shop is hiring across its development and operational departments.
Protecht is hiring across its marketing department.
ShotTracker is hiring across its sales department.
Snap! Mobile is hiring across the outside sales department.
Splash Sports is hiring across its growth team.
SpotOn is hiring across its corporate, sales, and product & engineering teams.
Swish Analytics is hiring across its business development, data science, general & administrative, trading, trading analytics, and software engineering departments.
Tappp is hiring across its engineering department.
Till Financial is hiring across its customer service department.
Upright Citizens Brigade is hiring across its instructor, sales, and tech departments.
WSC Sports is hiring across its Israel, London, and New York teams.
Want to learn more about our work? Check out our website or reach out to hello@elysianpark.ventures.