New technology from startup ventures is transforming the global sports industry. The mission of this series is to introduce startup companies in the sports technology space to a broader audience and allow Founders of promising new ventures to tell their story and pitch their idea. Feel free to submit your startup’s answers to the below questions or contact us if you know of a startup that should be considered for inclusion in this series.
Company name: Laduma
Founder(s): Wayne Scholes, Ben Smith, Alex Kunawicz
Headquarters: Salt Lake City, UT & Liverpool, England (With offices in Los Angeles & Cape Town, South Africa)
1. What is your elevator pitch?
Laduma is a game-changing VR company that harnesses the power of visual storytelling to transport you to faraway lands and put you in places you have dreamt about.
We produce stunning content, primarily for sport and entertainment brands, to bring you face-to-face with your heroes. Using our cutting-edge, proprietary camera system and ground-breaking technology, we deliver powerful, emotional experiences that help brands drive unparalleled engagement and loyalty. Our promise to clients is that we will bring something different to the party and that our work will always speak for itself.
2. Problem & Solution
Not all VR is created equal.
Our bespoke camera system is at the cutting edge of cinematic 3D Virtual Reality, and currently shoots in 10k stereo.
We are continually investing and innovating, which is why we are already on V4 of our rig (which is 3D Printed) this year alone.
Getting close to the action is important but knowing what works and what doesn’t is too. We take people to places they can’t otherwise go. We can attach our rigs to drones, surfboards or a whole lot more. We can film underwater or make you feel like you are flying.
Content is one thing, but you have to know how to deliver it. Our white label VR app can either be attached to existing platforms or be built as a new place to curate your own VR and stop it getting lost in the crowd. We also design and deliver branded headsets.
Sublime VR content isn’t enough. Without a smart strategy that covers all the bases and takes you from concept to delivery, your project will lack impact.
At Laduma, we provide an end-to-end, wire-to-wire solution: strategy to delivery, which includes groundbreaking technology to socialise content and promote our clients’ message. We know the VR space as well as anyone but we get the business realities too. So we can create a strategy for every aspect of a project – from monetisation to marketing – and set out targets and costs which work.
3. Market – your target market and the overall market
The worlds of sports and entertainment are our main focus. We are very selective when it comes to who we partner with, and have been lucky enough to work with the likes of LA Galaxy and Wimbledon. We’ve also done some recent filming with the Jacksonville Jaguars, The Blues Brothers and five star safari resorts in South Africa. We also have many more projects we are working on – across four continents – which we can hopefully share with others soon.
4. Business Model – how do you make money?
There are four main areas where we look to create revenue. Which one(s) suit our clients and partners depends entirely on their goals, aims and KPIs.
- Branding of headsets and content
- Product placement within VR content
- Selling premium content and branded headsets
- Showcasing services – such as corporate facilities at stadiums
5. Management Team – with titles
Wayne Scholes – Executive Chairman
Ben Smith – CEO
Alex Kunawicz – VP Strategy
Mike Santiago – VP Biz Dev
Lauren Reynolds – VP Marketing
Skyler Baird – Lead Producer
6. What else do you want the audience to know about your venture?
Storytelling is at the heart of everything we do. Of course we have invested heavily in having market-leading technology, but clients almost expect that as a given. Our team has a deep and rich history of working for the likes of BBC Sport, The Times of London, Liverpool FC and Abu Dhabi Media Company. Great content is as the heart of everything we do.
It’s also important to add that we help clients with marketing and monetization strategy. We don’t simply make great content and then walk off into the sunset. This is why we prefer to create meaningful and long-lasting relationships with teams and organizations, from concept to delivery.
We are a bespoke brand, privately-owned and fully in control of our future direction.
We like showing people that places like Salt Lake City and Liverpool are great creative hubs, too, and that you don’t have to be based solely out of California or London be a success and have a great impact.