New York, NY (January 26, 2023) — Gipper Media, Inc. (Gipper) is helping amateur sports organizations create and share custom-branded social media content like the pros. Today, the company announced it raised an $8.6M Series A round led by Telescope Partners, whose portfolio includes the likes of Brandfolder (acquired by SmartSheet), HotelEngine, and Topbox (acquired by Khoros). This round will accelerate Gipper's efforts to level the playing field for amateur sports organizations, helping them create social media content like pro teams.
During his time on the soccer team at Colgate University, Gipper Founder & CEO, Matthew Glick, recognized the opportunity for amateur sports organizations to use social media to promote their programs but also witnessed the lack of time and design resources available to such programs. Gipper empowers athletic administrators to leverage social media to highlight their athletes, engage their fans, and strengthen their communities, by making professional-quality graphics creation simple and easy for the non-designer.
"Every organization, from youth clubs to D1 athletic departments, have important stories to tell, athletes to highlight, and information to share," said Glick. "However, admins rarely, if ever, have the tools or time to keep up. We're excited to continue building best-in-class products designed to help athletic admins more easily create, manage, and share content across social media and other digital channels."
Gipper is helping amateur sports organizations respond to the massive digital shift in fan engagement and sports viewership. As 50% of sports fans turn to social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram to consume sports content, Gipper is helping administrators meet their audiences where they are in ways they've never had the resources to do before.
"Raising this round, led by Telescope Partners and with follow-on investment from TIA Ventures, is a testament to the quality of our product, team, and the larger market opportunity," added Glick. "At a time when many startups are shutting down or laying off - we are continuing to bring in A+ talent, increasing our investment in building world-class products, and above all else - maintaining our unwavering commitment to our customers."
"High-quality content is a critical component of telling stories through social channels," said Amit Parekh, Principal at Telescope Partners. "Gipper makes it easy for teams to highlight athletes and drive meaningful engagement with their communities. It really speaks to Matthew and his team's hustle that they've built a killer product while staying capital efficient and we're thrilled to be their partner."
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