“Sports is about being part of a community and connecting with the athletes and influencers that drive the passion and magic that binds it together,” said Erik Muendel, CEO and Founder of Branded Realities. “Branded Realities is honouring that connection and evolving it – giving fans new ways to engage with the athletes they love, democratising opportunity for all levels of athletics, and giving teams and players a way to turn shared passion into shared value. We're creating moments that become generators of continuous, compliant, controlled revenue – and also of unforgettable experiences, lasting connection, and deeper community.”

With strong early traction and inbound investor interest, Branded Realities is expanding its seed financing, opening an additional seed round of $800,000. The extension reflects the company’s accelerating market momentum as it scales partnerships with professional franchises, universities, athletes, and brand sponsors.

“Whether it’s a first-round Heisman quarterback or a little girl in Lubbock with Olympic dreams, the payoff is the same: connection, excitement, and real rewards,” said Sara Allen, Co-Founder and CRO of Branded Realities. “We’re building a company that’s equity-first and opening up a whole new horizon of opportunity in the NIL era. Recognising every kind of athlete and giving every fan a way to be part of the story – that’s what drives us.”

Branded Realities builds personalised holographic and AI-powered experiences that transform athletes and environments into shareable, monetisable digital content – unlocking year-round value for professional sports franchises, universities, athletes, and brands. From mobile experiences to large-scale fan engagements at marquee sports events, Branded Realities is setting a new standard for emotional connection and commercial return.

Among the company’s flagship successes is its ‘Pose With’ experience, which allows fans to instantly generate life-like photo composites with holograms of their favourite players. The patented activation technology has been making an impact since 2019 with AT&T and the Dallas Cowboys – sparking excitement, sponsor engagement, and clear proof of concept. Other clients include media partners for the Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins, and Disney.

Greg Darby and Jack Richards were the largest investors in the seed round. Darby is President and Co-Owner of Little General Stores, operating 115 convenience stores and 80 branded franchise restaurants across West Virginia, Virginia, and Ohio. Richards is a notable entrepreneur and investor across agriculture, commodity trading, sports marketing, oil and gas, and financial technology. Both are major boosters for college athletics.

Jack Richards, Branded Realities investor, said: “As some schools are setting the new standard for engaging with college athletes, many of them know taking care of the fans is equally important. The Realities™ fan engagement platform can help schools, athletes in all sports, and advertisers. This platform gives all student-athletes a way to enjoy hard-earned NIL revenue opportunities. It also gives universities a way to grow their brand with all fans near and far, as well as helping with recruiting athletes.”

Greg Darby, Branded Realities investor, said: “This company just gets it. Branded Realities is already showing up where the action is, from WVU to the NFL. With Branded Realities’ offerings and inventions rolling out now – and with what I see them developing to take this vision even further, where it can help all athletes better connect with fans – we’re looking at the next-level future of fan engagement all over the world.”

Branded Realities partners with agencies, brands, content studios, and experience architects to deliver immersive, tech-powered fan activations across stadiums, live events, and flagship retail. Using tools like augmented reality, AI-generated avatars, and interactive holograms, Branded Realities turns athlete-driven moments and major brand stories into unforgettable, monetisable experiences.

Branded Realities has launched a scalable system for continuous, NIL-compliant revenue generation. Through a centralized Content Management System (CMS) and integrated payment engine, every activation initiated by a school, athlete, or sponsor can automatically and transparently distribute value across all parties.

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