Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors drives against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Dec. 3, 2018. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Steph Curry has invested in SnapTravel, a machine learning digital travel service that allows users to book hotels via messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. Curry’s investment comes on behalf of his company SC30, which manages his investments, brand partnership, media, and philanthropic pursuits.
The Golden State Warriors guard was joined by Telstra Ventures, the investment arm of Australian telecom network Telstra Corp, in SnapTravel’s $21.2 million, Series A fundraising round, according to a Tuesday press release. Founded in 2016, SnapTravel is based in Toronto and uses AI-based algorithms to help curate personalized hotel deals accessible immediately through platforms including Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS, iMessage, Slack, and Alexa.
“I’ll call it, ruining the game on the court, being disruptive, playing the game my way my style, I wanna bring that same mentality to how we make sound judgments and investments,” Curry said in an interview with Bloomberg while explaining how his investment style parallels his on-court play.
SnapTravel has engaged with more than two million customers across 150 countries since 2016. The company has led to more than $50 million in hotel sales this year—450 percent more than last year—according to Bloomberg. Bryant Barr serves as the president of SC30 and was a college teammate of Curry at Davidson. Barr told Bloomberg that SC30 aims to make about eight to 12 investments each year.
“My biggest goal for Stephen is to build credibility and a good reputation for him as an investor,” Barr said. “It’s less about trying to find that next 100x return right now, and how do we just make sound, thoughtful investments.”
SportTechie Takeaway
Curry has previously invested in social media company Pinterest and Palm, a smartphone the size of a credit card. The tech-savvy athlete also invested in a League of Legends esports team in July. Playing in the backyard of Silicon Valley has undoubtedly helped expose Curry to the world of venture capital.
Pro athletes are increasingly becoming invested in startups. SportTechie recently hosted a webinar about athletes investing in tech startups that featured New York Jets tackle Kelvin Beachum and Ricky Medina, senior manager of business development at the NFLPA.
