In this episode of "The Athlete Entrepreneur," we sat down with Paul Anton and Lyth Saeed, the dynamic duo behind Huupe, a game-changing startup that's innovating basketball training. Sharing a lifelong passion for the sport, these childhood friends envisioned a way to play together remotely and enhance their skills despite living in different cities. Their solution? A smart basketball hoop that allows for remote play and provides interactive training videos.
Huupe is not just a hardware product but a blend of physical components, software, and media streaming. Its innovative design features sensors that monitor the balls' performance and a video screen on the backboard, providing users with real-time feedback and training videos during play.
Fuelled by $11 million in funding from multiple investors, including Protagonist VC and Marvan Ventures, Huupe is set to bring its unique product to a market hungry for innovation. While the initial offering, including the smart hoop and video content access, comes at a premium price, plans are in place to make it more affordable as production scales up.
The founders see vast potential for their product beyond individual consumers. They envision Huupe transforming basketball training in gyms, fitness centers, community courts, and schools. And while their current focus is solely on basketball, the concept of Huupe could very well expand into sports like lacrosse, soccer, and hockey in the future.
Join us as Paul and Lyth share their entrepreneurial journey, which started as a side project in 2015 and has now attracted significant investment due to their hard-working approach and the potential for community building and gamification in their product. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, sports, and entrepreneurship.