Michael Jordan leaps into metaverse with HEIR, raising $10M in seed funding

Widely considered as the greatest basketball player to ever grace the game, Michael Jordan is now making noise in the sports industry with his latest involvement in the metaverse. Jordan, 58, recently announced the launch of an athlete-focused NFT platform called HEIR that will aim to connect athletes and fans in 2022.

The blockchain venture, which is co-founded by Michael Jordan’s son Jeffrey, has raised $10 million in seed funding round led by Thrive Capital. Other notable mentions who have invested in HEIR are Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and Solana Ventures.

Marketing executives Daniel George and Jeron Smith, who previously worked with Steph Curry to built Unanimous Media, are also the founders of HEIR, a digital blockchain platform that will offer selective athletes to launch their own “huddles,” accessible only to fans who buy a digital token associated with that space.

In a joint statement, George and Smith said: “We envision HEIR becoming the platform that will help cultivate the future of athlete meta-brands. Dedicated supporters are at the heart of the platform, and they’ll benefit from early adoption ownership and unmatched access to their favorite athletes.”

While HEIR is poised to upsurge the buzz around metaverse and NFTs in sports after the turn of the year, the platform’s parent company HEIR Inc. are further exploring business opportunities to launch content-studio and immersive experiences targeted at younger consumers.

In a latest statement, Jeffrey Jordan said: “The Jordan name has cultivated a loyal community for more than 35 years; the focus now is passing that legacy on to the next generation. We hope to continue to build and invest in businesses that bring that same reverence to the media and tech space.”

With Michael Jordan in the helm of affairs, HEIR is expected to target elite NBA stars among its first class of huddle creators.