Six-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook waited little time after the conclusion of the NBA Playoffs to do some work off the court..
Today, he is announcing an investment in Blend, a company focused on creating consumable news for generations Y & Z, which has plans to launch a new app called Genies in the near future.
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The Genies app, which will allow users to create mini digital clones that look, act and think just like them as they react to news, has already curated a wait list of 235,000 individuals. It is currently planned to become available for download in mid-July.
"I don't like to speak publicly about what I invest in, but I'm really excited about what Genies will do for the way we all share and read about news," said Westbrook. "It's something I've seen change various times throughout my career and expect it will continue to evolve."
Westbrook was not willing to disclose the amount of his investment. However, Blend did share that it has raised over $10 million in capital to date from investors such as NEA, CAA, Foundation Capital, and former Legendary Entertainment CEO, Thomas Tull.
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The investment made sense to Westbrook based on his belief in Blend's success to date as well as a desire to put money into a product he can see himself using in the future.
"I'm always on the lookout for things that can change my personal day-to-day life, and with social and news being a big part of almost everyone's life, I saw an opportunity to be a part of something that is intertwining the two," added Westbrook.
Westbrook also indicated that he currently gets almost all of his news from social media.
"I see myself having a very hands on approach with the team at Genies," said Westbrook. "I respect their mission am excited to aid however I can. I partnered with their team because of the quality product they will offer to their users and will continue to voice my opinion on features that I'm personally attracted to."
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Westbrook also thinks that other active NBA players should follow his lead by making smart investments before retirement.
"All players should prepare for life after basketball," said Westbrook. "Whether it's investing or just doing whatever you love, you should start preparing for that in advance.
Guest Authored By Darren Heitner. Darren is the Founder of HEITNER LEGAL, Founder/CEO of Dynasty Dealings, LLC, Professor of Sports Law at the University of Florida and University of Florida Levin College of Law and Founder/Chief Editor of Sports Agent Blog, a leading niche industry publication. He is an attorney licensed to practice on the state and federal level, and focuses on sports, entertainment, and intellectual property litigation and transactional work. Darren is the author of How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know (published by the American Bar Association), Contributing Writer of An Athlete’s Guide to Agents, 5th Edition, and has authored many sports, entertainment and intellectual property-related Law Journal articles. Darren has a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the same institution. Follow Darren on Twitter.
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"Blend, a company focused on creating consumable news for generations Y & Z, which has plans to launch a new app called Genies in the near future.."
Authored by:Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, Colorado. I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends. My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)
