Twin brothers, Donte and Dominic Morris, created HoopMaps due to their dilemma of having a difficult time finding pickup games of basketball. HoopMaps, available for IOS and Android users, is a mobile app that allows you to find pickup games in your area easily. HoopMaps shows you where the games are, what time they start, and who is playing. It is easy to join a game and share it with your friends, so you never have to drive from court to court searching for a game again. HoopMaps even shows you statistics on where most games are played and the best times to play in your area.
HoopMaps on Shark Tank
Shark Tank Season 9 Episode 9
Twins Donte and Dominic appeared on Shark Tank asking for $100,000 in exchange for 5% of their company, HoopMaps. They were hoping one of the Sharks would invest in their app so they could build an active street basketball community in every city across the United States.
The brothers started their app just a few months before appearing on the show, with Donte creating the program himself, after taking a three-month coding course. Because HoopMaps was so new, it had not been properly monetized. However, they came to the stage with the idea of showing the app’s ease of use and described the potential it had to affect how basketball players interact in their communities. They even offered up a basketball for a small pickup game between the Sharks. Mark and Alex accepted the offer with smiles and shot a few hoops on the stage.
After hearing their pitch, the Sharks all had various concerns. Lori Greiner suggested they needed a celebrity influencer to help spread awareness, especially if their premium service didn’t take off. The brothers agreed. Because of this, Lori did not make an offer. Kevin O’Leary and Barbara Corcoran were also out; they didn’t see it being a big enough business platform in which to invest. Guest Shark, Alex Rodriguez, echoed the same concerns. He thought the idea was good; it was just too small to become a large scale business worth investment.
Mark Cuban asked the brothers about their premium subscription model. Their plan was to monetize the app and offer a subscription service where users could see more than the limited amount of games offered in the free download. Mark didn’t see this as a robust business model. He and the rest of the Sharks agreed that the app was great for an initial meet up, but users would probably use another communication tool to get together with players for future games.
Donte and Dominic left the show without any financial offers from the Sharks. However, they did get some helpful advice on the next steps to take in the right direction.
HoopMaps after Shark Tank
Since launching HoopMaps, the app has gained over 90,000 users in 11 countries outside of the United States, and the brothers have made appearances on major outlets such as SportsCenter and Big3.
Exposure on the show helped secure an Angel investment for HoopMaps. Compared to other location-based sports apps, HoopMaps has more reach to potential users and is getting more traction as a business.
After the Shark Tank episode aired, Dominic reported that Mark Cuban from Shark Tank contacted Big 3, the three on three professional basketball league founded by rapper and actor Ice Cube. Dominic and Donte’s ended up collaborating on Big 3’s 4-point challenge, successfully marketing both brands. HoopMaps app users were able to win signed prizes such as Big3 game tickets, a Spalding Big3 ball autographed by Rashad McCants, and more by logging in and joining special 4-point challenge games listed on the app. Players were encouraged to take and upload videos of their 4-point shots during the games. Every week, a new city was able to join in on the fun, spreading awareness to both Big3 and the HoopMaps app.
HoopMaps is building a “Version 2” of the app that will be available on Android and web with even more features. They want to branch out beyond the basketball community and reach others who could benefit. For example, they want to give gym instructors a way to find new people to add to their groups, a team organizer to find new members or a community center to inform people of their open gym times. The brothers would like to offer group messaging and scheduling capabilities in the near future.
Years from now, Donte and Dominic hope their app will be known as a global platform where people can find and connect with others who enjoy the same hobbies and sports. It is possible that HoopMaps may go by a different name as it morphs into a universal way people connect with each other to share their interest in fitness. Business-wise, the brothers hope to build their company large enough to inherit other startups that will share their goals and complement their mission.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is strictly informational; SEO Insights is not affiliated with HoopMaps, SharkTank, or any of its subsidiaries.
