Branded Realities announced it has raised $1.6 million in seed funding to complete final development of its Realities platform, positioning the company to expand the reach of its “Pose With” personalized fan experience across professional sports venues, college athletics, and universities. The company said it expects to begin a new funding round soon as it transitions from custom deployments to a broader, platform-based offering.
The Alexandria, Virginia-based company focuses on personalized fan engagement built on augmented reality and AI. Its flagship product, Pose With, enables fans to capture life-like photos alongside their favorite athletes using either kiosks or a mobile phone. Previously delivered as a custom-installed experience, Pose With is expected to be the first product offered through the Realities platform, which the company says is designed to make producing AR/AI fan experiences faster, more affordable, and easier to iterate through experimentation and A/B testing.
Branded Realities’ management team said it has worked in interactive technologies since 2008 and now brings additional expertise spanning holograms and AI. Founder and CEO Erik Muendel previously sold two interactive technology companies, including Brightline Interactive, which Glimpse Group acquired in 2022 for $32.5 million, according to the company.
Branded Realities also highlighted an existing footprint across sports, entertainment, and brand partners. It cited current and past uses involving AT&T/Wasserman with the Dallas Cowboys, TD Venue with the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins, and a multi-year test involving Disney and AT&T. The company also said Pose With has been used with additional teams and in more than 50 countries for FIFA World Cup-related activations, and cited sponsor performance data showing returns of up to 10x on advertising spend.
Looking ahead, Branded Realities said its platform includes a content management system, a GAAP- and NIL-compliant payment engine, and data-driven performance tracking. It also said it plans to launch its HaloVault platform later in 2026 and begin marketing the Realities platform for entertainment use cases.
KEY QUOTES:
“The magic of Pose With is bringing fans closer to the teams and the players that they love. Our platform makes it easy for all venues to create and innovate while the return on advertising spend (“ROAS”) to Sponsors is also magic!”
Erik Muendel, CEO and Founder
“First, it’s a great way to give back to the fans. But Sponsors, Stadiums, and team owners see the data that personalized fan engagements can be very effective advertising.”
Patrick Guise, Corporate Supporter of the Philadelphia Eagles, Owner/CEO of McCormick Taylor
“Leading schools know that taking care of the fans is equally important as the athletes. The Realities platform allows all student-athletes to create NIL revenue for themselves. Universities can use it as an athlete recruiting tool.”
Jack Richards, Booster at Texas Tech University
“As an NIL supporter, this platform will help college athletes and athletic departments. It’s a professional tool that satisfies a proven demand by the fans. It’s cool too as anyone can now be a Booster and support any athlete, big or small.”
Greg Darby, Booster at West Virginia University, CEO, Owner/CEO of Little General convenience stores and franchise restaurants
