Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian's latest bet: A soccer scouting app
The Gloria app is in beta and debuted in Argentina
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian is a key backer for a Silicon Valley-based soccer scouting app that is aiming to revolutionize how teams find hidden talent around the world.
Ohanian’s investment fund, Initialized Capital, was a chief participant last month in a pre-seed funding round for the Gloria app. Founded by former sports agent Victoire Cogevina and former Facebook executive Matias Castello, the app allows rising soccer prospects to upload material, such as highlight videos, to showcase their abilities and get noticed by professional teams.
The Gloria app is in beta and debuted in Argentina with plans to launch in Germany and Spain in the coming months, Sport Techie reported. Superliga, Argentina’s top professional soccer league, is a strategic partner, granting users initial exposure to its 24 teams.
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“There’s a massive market for this app since over half of the world’s population is a fan of football,” Ohanian told Sport Techie. “While the app will of course cater to and entertain football fans, it will also help surface next generation of global talent in the sport — male or female — no matter their connections or economic conditions. If you have a smartphone, Gloria allows you to be your own talent scout.”
Verizon Media CEO Guru Gowrappan also invested in the pre-seed funding round. It’s unclear how much money Gloria raised.
Representatives for Ohanian did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
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Gloria’s founders tout the app as a cheaper alternative to the traditional pro soccer scouting pipeline, which is often reliant on high-priced academies. Soccer prospects will likely pay a small monthly subscription fee for access, Castello told TechCrunch.
Gloria is one of several apps or digital services that aim to provide a tech-based solution to the complicated process of pro sports scouting. For example, Perfect Game USA connects rising baseball prospects to scouts in the college and professional ranks by maintaining a database of scouting reports and holding showcase events.
Ohanian’s Initialized Capital has invested in several early-stage companies, including Coinbase and Instacart.