Exclusive: Arcturus raises $2.3M to reinvent sports replays
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Arcturus, led by veterans of Microsoft, Lucasfilm, Nvidia, Pixar and Unity, has raised $2.3 million for capturing and sharing immersive 3D experiences of live sports, CEO Steve Sullivan exclusively tells Axios.
Why it matters: The media tech platform seeks to transform how live games are covered and analyzed by making it possible to see plays from any angle.
Follow the money: LDV Capital led this seed round and was joined by Myelin VC, Vanderbilt University and angel investors.
- The funding is the first raise since the company was rebooted after the original Arcturus team merged in 2023 with a team that worked on Microsoft's HoloLens and volumetric video business.
- Arcturus previously raised a $12 million Series A from Epic Games, Autodesk, BITKRAFT and others, and was focused on tools for content creators.
How it works: Arcturus installs small synchronized sensors in sports venues to capture multiple viewpoints of live games.
- The system turns the footage into a high-definition 3D reconstruction that could be shown on TV broadcasts or viewed interactively on mobile, desktop and virtual reality devices.
- "The core asset is a 3D copy of the game," Sullivan says. "We can derive data from it for player safety, medical, performance, but the main one we're going after is highlights and replays."
- "We can do things that no physical camera could ever do. We can set you in the catcher's mitt," Sullivan adds.
Zoom in: Arcturus' 10-person team is based in San Francisco, where it has a stage, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
- The startup has run pilots with multiple teams and leagues, including a Major League Baseball team and UFC, and is currently working with a National Hockey League team.
The intrigue: Volumetric video is popular in gaming and film, where Sullivan has a long history. His PhD research in multi-view reconstruction helped with creating the holograms in "Minority Report."
- Sullivan led research and development across Industrial Light & Magic and Lucasfilm from 2002 to 2012, contributing to Star Wars, Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean and many other films. He then joined Microsoft to incubate volumetric video and later worked on HoloLens.
The big picture: Sports leagues and broadcasters are seeking to further engage with fans and monetize their media rights. Interactive viewing can differentiate broadcasts and appeal to younger audiences.
- The startup could also support smaller or mid-tier sports that "don't get the ESPN trucks rolling up every game" to improve their production quality, Sullivan says.
What's next: Sullivan says the funding is for running more pilots and investing in the core tech and production workflow, including shortening the turnaround time.
- While the current focus is sports, Arcturus plans to expand to concerts and other live events.
Editor's note: This story was corrected to reflect Arcturus ran a pilot with a MLB team (not the full league).
