Virtual Repetitions (VReps) began out of the University of Michigan when founder Shawn Cooper saw a problem and sought to leverage technology to create a solution. It provides a platform where coaches and their players can simulate the action on the court in a 3D video game configuration, which improves training and practicing plays using technology. Business+Tech had the chance to speak with him and ask questions about how his time at Michigan studying in the College of Engineering and as a Women’s Basketball scout player led to him starting VReps.
Q: How did VReps come about?
A: As a scout player for the women’s basketball team at Michigan, Shawn observed that players were learning plays from paper handouts. In our tech-driven world today, he saw an opportunity to transform this space and provide a better solution for coaches and players to communicate, and for players to more effectively learn plays through a digital platform.
Q: How did you go about choosing the right team?
A: Shawn said his team consists largely of people that he met during his time at Michigan. They were friends first, employees second, and nobody has left VReps yet. One notable player who worked as an intern at VReps has pursued a different path: Duncan Robinson from the Miami Heat, who also played basketball at Michigan. Now, Shawn has these relationships with these athletes, which helps him chase new investors and expand into professional leagues such as the semi-pro German league.
Q: Did you bootstrap VReps or seek out venture capital funding?
A: VReps initially raised $1.5M in angel funding, so they did not bootstrap. Now that VReps has a much broader leg to stand on, Shawn realized that VReps is not a traditional tech startup. VReps entered the VC world briefly, but it is a sports tech startup, and VC funding is not always a good fit for every startup. VCs oftentimes want a billion-dollar market and a successful exit in 5 years after the founders have put in blood, sweat, and tears into their startup. For him, the opportunity cost of pursuing VReps is a career as a software developer, but well worth it. He reflected and realized that he wanted to travel with the world’s best athletes and build revolutionary software for them. This is what he wants to do in life, and he is enjoying every minute of it.
Q: Tell us more about the partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers and how this opportunity can be expanded to potentially all of the NBA.
A: VReps has experienced success over the past years by focusing on basketball teams and building out the platform for coaches and players alike. First, they partnered with the Cleveland Cavaliers and then expanded to service six more teams. However, when the pandemic began,
the pricing structure drastically changed. NBA team budgets were tighter, but they still wanted to use VReps’ services. VReps also expanded to the women’s basketball team at MSU, which is part of the NCAA. Additionally, they have been able to gain traction with new NBA teams in the pipeline due to their partnership with the Cleveland Cavaliers, announced in September 2020.
Q: How did VReps decide to expand to Ultimate Frisbee, compared to other sports? A: VReps expanded its platform to Ultimate, a move that the company made after learning from a previous mistake of chasing a sport with no connections. Rather than pivoting to a B2C platform, continuing its partnerships with teams has worked well for VReps and created an attainable market for their specific strategy and value proposition (see 50 terms). Shawn’s girlfriend plays for an Ultimate club team, and he was able to meet people through her, so it was natural to expand to where the network already exists.
Q: Any advice for aspiring student founders?
A: Shawn found community with other founders at various stages of the entrepreneurial journey, in ways such as having a booth at the Final Four and walking around to socialize with other booths while his CTOstaffss the VReps booth. He also recommends finding other founders with whom to surround oneself and understanding the legal aspect of VC funding. The funding strategy a startup decides to pursue ultimately must be a match for both parties involved, and sometimes the paths do not align, which works out in the best interest of both the VCs and founders in the long run. Lastly, truly understanding the space that a founder is pursuing is essential. Shawn had much experience and knowledge in the sports space with a long-time interest and the technical side with his degree and previous professional experience. This deep understanding significantly contributed to the success of VReps.
Business+Tech is grateful for the opportunity to speak to Shawn. It is incredible to see each entrepreneur’s vastly different journeys, the failures that lead to learning, and the grit and drive it takes to run a successful startup.