Virtual reality startup Sandbox VR has raised an $11 million funding round with the help of NBA superstar Kevin Durant and a group of celebrity investors. Durant made his investment through his company Thirty Five Ventures.
The round was led by David Sacks and the Andreessen Horowitz Cultural Leadership Fund led the round. It follows Sandbox’s $68 million Series A round announced earlier this year. The latest investors included celebrities Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Will Smith and Orlando Bloom, as well as former Walt Disney president Michael Ovitz and Japanese soccer player Honda Keisuke.
Sandbox VR currently has locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, and Macau. It is planning to expand to a total of 16 U.S. locations by the end of 2020, including openings in New York, Austin, Chicago and San Diego. Guests at its venues wear VR headsets to immerse themselves in games such as Star Trek: Discovery and the Unbound Fighting League.
"We believe that VR is finally ready to take off as a mass-market phenomenon in malls, where it can be optimized for a social experience," said Sacks, co-founder and general partner at Craft Ventures, in a press release.
