EON Sports VR
Helping athletes unlock their true potential with Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Acquisition | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
EON Sports VR operates as a specialized developer of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) training software for athletes, functioning as a subdivision of the multinational VR/AR software developer, EON Reality. The company was co-founded in the summer of 2013 by Brendan Reilly, who also serves as CEO. Reilly, a former basketball coach at the University of Kansas and a graduate of Illinois State's sport management program, identified the potential for VR to enhance athletic training, inspired by its application in fields like aviation and surgery. He approached EON Reality in 2010 with his vision, leading to the eventual formation of the company.
The firm's business model centers on creating and licensing VR training simulations for various sports, primarily targeting educational institutions and professional sports teams. Its first product, the SIDEKIQ football simulator, launched in February 2014. This platform allows coaches to create and customize gameplay scenarios, which athletes can then experience immersively using VR headsets like the Oculus Rift or more accessible smartphone-based viewers. The software is designed to improve mental-physical connection and reaction time by enabling repeated practice of in-game situations without the physical strain, a concept supported by the principle of neuroplasticity. Coaches can send game film to EON Sports VR, which is then rendered into a virtual simulation for their teams. For baseball, the company developed Project OPS in partnership with former player Jason Giambi, offering a realistic batting practice simulator used by MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball teams to analyze pitchers and improve strike zone awareness.
EON Sports VR serves a client base that includes high schools, prominent universities such as UCLA, Syracuse, and Penn State, and professional NFL teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers. Beyond player training, the company has expanded its offerings to fan engagement. In 2016, it partnered with the University of Miami and Penn State to create dedicated VR channels, providing fans with behind-the-scenes access to practices, huddles, and other exclusive content for a subscription fee.
Keywords: virtual reality training, sports simulation, athlete development, football simulator, baseball training, VR coaching, player performance, EON Reality, SIDEKIQ, Project OPS, NCAA VR, NFL VR, MLB VR, fan engagement, immersive sports, athletic tech, Brendan Reilly, mental practice, game preparation, sports technology