Evan Wimer co-founded C360 back in 2009. He didn’t invent the pylon-cam, and C360 wasn’t the first to put cameras in helmets and cars. However, back then, the level of technology was a roadblock, not an enabler, so Evan focused less on the technology and more on the applications and the users. C360 spent years getting to know the networks and the leagues. They talked to the production teams and learned how they used the technology, and they developed a vision of how “immersive video” could work and enhance the viewing experience.

It was around 2017 that the technology finally started to catch up. Very small, very high definition cameras and the capture and transmission of massive amounts of data became feasible. All the pieces were in place, so Evan and C360 went out and raised money in a Series A round, with Pasadena Angels and Boeing Horizon X participating.

From there, things took off. C360 won contracts with leagues networks, and their technology started to show up on Monday Night Football and NASCAR races, among others. Then, COVID hit. There was one unforgettable day in March 2020 when it seemed like a switch flipped. Sports shut down, Tom Hanks revealed that he had COVID and everything changed. On that day, Evan got a call from ESPN. They told him that they were shutting down the broadcast, and Evan had to get his people and technology out of there within the hour. 

At that moment, sports made up 100% of C360’s revenue. There was a high likelihood that they would have zero revenue for an indefinite period of time. That is, until Evan learned on that same exact day that C360 had been awarded a seven-figure SBIR grant from the Air Force. Suddenly, aerospace and defense was a significant source of revenue, and the company’s engineers pivoted immediately and for the next 18 months. When one door closes, another opens… 

Aerospace and defense now makes up 25% of the company’s revenue, and since raising funding, C360 has been growing 2-3x per year. With only 18 full time employees (and 30-40 contractors), C360 has won multi-year contracts for the vast majority of the pylon applications. 

The applications in sports are growing and evolving rapidly, and C360 is leading the charge. They hold 17 different patents around immersive video. They can now capture video at 25 times HD video at a 200 degree angle. Using software, they can push in, tilt, correct for warping and pull HD-quality video out of different parts of a video. They can display a player’s foot near the out-of-bounds line and also show the ball at the same moment as it crosses the goal line. 

When I first heard “immersive,” I thought it meant putting cameras in interesting places, like cockpits, helmets and pylons. It’s way more than that. They now capture the coordinates in space for the ball (or puck) and all the players. They can point cameras at them all and follow them in space. And, Evan assures me, before the end of the NHL season, fans will be able to follow individual players during a game, and view the puck from multiple cameras as it touches sticks and crosses lines. “Immersive” means being able to view right into the action, as if you were on the field. Before C360, pylon cameras were stationary views. Now they can track the ball, zoom in and see significantly more. 

Evan sees sports moving away from the traditional broadcast and towards an interactive viewing experience, with Direct to Consumer applications that will transform the experience. C360 is leading the way. They’ve already covered all the domestic leagues and are just starting to explore international markets. Right now, C360 is a familiar player within the broadcast industry, but in the near future, Evan expects them to be a household term. Sports will never be the same.