Retired Israeli tennis doubles star Andy Ram's startup, Pulse Play, has raised $75,000 in a crowdfunding campaign on the Indiegogo website. The campaign will end in three more days, but the company reached its target before the deadline, after receiving contributions from 614 contributors. The largest contribution, $20,000, was from an anonymous contributor who acquired the biggest item available - a VIP tour with Ram behind the scenes of the US Open Tennis Championship.
Ram has been working for the past year with the Small Factory Big Ideas (sFBI) startup studio on the development of a special sports wristwatch for racquet sports, especially tennis. The watch, which includes various features, such as a table of results during the game, a games history, and social and global rankings, is the first of its kind.
Following the successful crowdfunding round, the contributors are expected to receive the first watches in early October. The watches will be offered for sales online and in chain stores around the world in early 2016. In the campaign, a first version was offered for $50, with the price slated to rise to $80. Ram said in response, "I'm very excited about achieving the target of our crowdfunding campaign. This was an amazing experience. We reached thousands of players, trainers, leagues, clubs, and journalists, and we got a lot of positive feedback and enthusiasm. Thanks to all these people, Pulse Play is a reality, and we're going to change the world of racquet sports for amateur players."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 25, 2015
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