Michael Jordan and Son Reveal First Tech Venture, Heir Platform to Feature NFTs and Leverage Solana
The legendary former professional basketball player Michael Jordan and his son Jeffrey Jordan have revealed they are getting into blockchain and Web 3.0 technology, according to an announcement published on December 15. The father and son duo’s first tech venture is called Heir Inc., a platform that aims to connect loyal fans with popular athletes. Furthermore, Jordan’s tech platform aims to launch a token called “heir” built on the Solana blockchain.
Jordan Duo to Launch Heir Platform in 2022, Heir Token to be Built on Solana
Michael Jordan and his son Jeffrey Jordan have announced their first tech product called Heir and the startup recently closed the company’s first $10 million seed round led by Thrive Capital. Furthermore, the seed financing investments for Heir Inc. stemmed from Solana Ventures, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, William Wesley the executive vice president and senior basketball adviser for the New York Knicks, and the tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian.
The press announcement sent to Bitcoin.com News says Heir is a “next-generation holding company that will build culturally-inspired consumer brands rooted in tech and entertainment.” While Solana Ventures invested in Heir, the new tech platform crafted by the Jordans will also leverage the Solana blockchain network to issue an “heir” token.
The announcement notes that “[Heir] supporters will have the opportunity to purchase one-time digital assets or to join their ‘huddle,’ powered by blockchain technology, for exclusive drops, digital goods, immersive experiences, and more.” Basically, popular athletes will have VIP “seats” set aside exclusively for passionate fans who can leverage Heir tokens and access to “intimate first-person” non-fungible token (NFT) drops.
“What Heir Inc. is developing is purpose-built for a new era of athlete enterprise, opening the door for richer storytelling and deeper consumer engagement,” Jeffrey Jordan explained in a statement. “The Jordan name has cultivated a loyal community for more than 35 years; the focus now is passing that legacy on to the next generation. We hope to continue to build and invest in businesses that bring that same reverence to the media and tech space.”
Heir Aims to Target Generation Z and Millennial Fans
The announcement says the Heir platform will launch in 2022 and the project is designed for generation Z and millennial fans. Heir’s next-generation holding company will be led by Jeffrey Jordan, Jeron Smith, and Daniel George.
“We envision Heir becoming the platform that will help cultivate the future of athlete meta-brands,” Heir Inc. co-founders George and Smith explained. “Dedicated supporters are at the heart of the platform, and they’ll benefit from early adoption ownership and unmatched access to their favorite athletes.”
The co-founders added:
Through marketplace engagement and tech-enabled activations, our platform unlocks the underserved monetization of fandom. We are excited to offer creators a wider range of engagement tools to reach passionate supporters, especially Gen Z and millennials, in new ways.
Concepts like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and blockchain technology have been very attractive to sports-related firms in 2021 and during the last two weeks, Nike and Adidas have entered the NFT and metaverse space. The Flow blockchain-based NFT collectibles NBA Top Shot have seen $750.4 million in all-time sales and is the fourth largest NFT marketplace in terms of all-time sales, according to dappradar.com stats.
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