RALEIGH –A business idea scrawled on a cocktail napkin six years ago led two former North Carolina State University Wolfpack football players to start Gryppers, a sports technology company that has raised $165,000 of a $200,000 equity raise, according to a regulatory filing.
Jamelle Eugene, a record-setting running back at NC State, and his partner DaJuan Morgan, who spent some time in the NFL, created their startup to make a product halfway between athletic tape and a football glove. The current patented model, in addition to tactile sensation, compression, and grip-enhancing features, includes FDA approved thermo-reactive technology to recycle heat and wick moisture.
The entrepreneurs landed a $50,000 NC IDEA grant in 2016 and worked their idea out at the NC State N.C. State’s College of Textiles and the Poole Entrepreneurship Clinic. They raised $150,000 in equity in 2016 and $134,600 in debt earlier in 2019.
Grypper’s web site includes testimonials from players in basketball, golf, rugby, football and workouts.
NC IDEA WINNER: Once NC State Football Stars Reinvent Athletic Gloves With Gryppers
