South Florida Tech HubSouth Florida Tech Hub

By Nikki Cabus

HADO Team USA joins the World Cup in Tokyo, Japan for the first time ever

Read Time 4 Minutes

The innovative sport of HADO, which blends augmented reality and esports, has taken a significant step towards global recognition. Team USA has been invited to participate in the HADO World Cup set to take place in Tokyo, Japan on October 21-22. This is a first for the United States!

HADO is the world’s first physical esport using Augmented Reality (AR) technology. Geared up with a head-mounted display and arm sensor in a physical skill-based competition, three-person teams leverage their skills by firing energy balls and placing shields to accumulate points in lightning-fast 80-second matches. Players literally experience being inside a real life computer game. It’s “Dodgeball meet Marvel!”

Hiroshi Fukuda, Founder of HADO, turned his childhood dreams into augmented reality, giving birth to HADO. Since then, millions have experienced this exhilarating sport in over 30 countries, both for fun and in fierce competition. Through an exclusive agreement with meleap Inc, Hiroshi Fukuda, gave HADO USA which is based in South Florida and the exclusive rights to all HADO related activities in the United States including building the team that will represent the country in the 2023 World Cup.

The theme “Evolved & Reborn,” expressing “Evolution” and “Rebirth,” has been chosen as the theme of the worldwide tournaments for the 2023 World Cup. Team USA will compete against the world’s finest teams from Japan, China, England, Turkey, France, and beyond.

 

“This is an incredible opportunity for our country to compete on the world stage and we are working tirelessly to assemble and train a competitive team,” Shane Vander Koi, Co-Founder & CEO of HADO USA, told South Florida Tech Hub.

“However, we need your support to make this endeavor a reality. Being a new event in the U. S. market, we are exploring various avenues to offset the substantial costs associated with training and sending the team to Japan on such short notice.”

 

Why Support Team USA in HADO?

HADO is not just a sport; it’s a fusion of technology and athleticism that has captured the hearts of many. Here’s why your support for Team USA in HADO is vital:

1. Exposure: Your logo prominently displayed on our competition uniforms and practice apparel including HADO staff which includes at local demonstrations in Palm Beach County schools, providing year-round exposure following the Tokyo World Cup.

2. Online Presence: Your logo featured on the HADO USA website as the official sponsor, across our social media channels, and marketing materials leading up to the competition in Japan and beyond, extending throughout the school and competition season.

3. Case Study Opportunity: Opportunity for interviews and quotes in an upcoming HADO Academy case study. This valuable asset will be used to market our programs to scholastic and collegiate audiences, providing a global perspective by incorporating insights from our international HADO counterparts.

4. Exclusive Benefits: An invitation for a representative to join us as an honored guest of TEAM USA in Japan (travel expenses not included), facilitating direct interactions with other international teams at the event.

5. Recorded Messages: Recorded or directly streamed messages that we will share during Team USA’s journey.

6. Special Demonstrations: HADO USA will conducting a special HADO demonstration for your staff and clients accompanied by a recognition award presentation.

7. Member Benefits: Special feature article in South Florida Tech Hub newsletter, on social media, and official Press Release out to all media outlets. South Florida Tech Hub has also agreed to give provide sponsorship of HADO’s interactive booth at this year’s TECHpalooza on December 14th in Ft. Lauderdale, as well as an exhibit table for the company.

 

This is a unique opportunity for exposure. The HADO World Cup is expected to receive substantial media coverage, and the HADO parent company, meleap, intends to leverage game footage and event videos for long-term promotion of HADO sales and global growth. Any logos and sponsorships associated with Team USA will have lasting visibility beyond the event itself. Supporting Team USA on this journey not only enables the US Team to participate in the HADO World Cup, but also contributes to the global growth of HADO, showcasing the innovative spirit of the South Florida Tech Hub community. Your support will help us make history and represent the United States at the HADO World Cup in Tokyo. Together, we can take HADO to new heights!

HADO USA has also created a GoFundMe page for any individual supporters and smaller donations from companies. The donations will help cover Professional Training, Tournament Participation (airfare, accommodation, and related expenses), Team Branding (team logo, jerseys, and marketing materials), and Community Engagement (underserved youth in South Florida).

“The HADO USA Team has made the promise to pursue the Techno Sport dreams with unwavering dedication, integrity, and sportsmanship. With your support, we aim to represent our community with pride and bring glory to our nation. Thank you for being a part of our journey,” said Vander Koi. “Donate today and become an integral part of Team HADO USA’s legacy as we aim for victory on the global stage!”

Any companies interested in sponsorship, please email team@techhubsouthflorida.org or contact HADO USA directly

 

By Nikki Cabus

World’s first AR techno sport HADO celebrates agreement with Japan’s meleap

Read Time 4 Minutes

HADO USA Technology Sports Inc. is celebrating an exclusive agreement with Meleap Inc. that will accelerate the future of sports in the USA.

HADO is the first-ever physical esport in the world using Augmented Reality (AR) technology. Unlike Virtual Reality (VR), HADO players aren’t restricted by the cumbersome cables, controllers, and screens required to navigate virtual environments. The more well-known Virtual Reality (VR) takes you into the digital world while Augmented Reality (AR) brings digital elements into your world. HADO players run freely within real-world arena battles, wearing wireless head mounted displays and wrist motion sensors, using only gestures to unleash super powered projectiles on opponents.

Meleap Inc. CEO, Hiroshi Fukuda and the founder of the leading-edge AR technology sport HADO, dreamed of throwing “hadoken” or a special attack fireball, like in the comics, on TV, and in the popular arcade game Street Fighter. This passion burned inside until HADO was realized as a sport in 2014. Today, players can strap on head-mounted displays and armband sensors to wield energy balls and shields on a real-world court as if by magic.

Fukuda proudly held an offline ceremony celebrating the partnership agreement with HADO USA Technology Sports Inc. and its founder and CEO, Shane Vander Kooi.

“It was such an honor to be hosted at the brand new Meleap world headquarters and flagship HADO Arena in Tokyo. To finally meet the creator and visionary behind the worlds first AR physical techno sport, CEO Hiroshi Fukuda, along with the Board of Directors was an event I’ve really been looking forward to,” posted Vander Koi in a recent social media post.

“I especially appreciated the warm hospitality of CBO, Kent Lim, and Sales Director Jocelyn Bouchet. We have lots of exciting HADO news to share with America so stay tuned!”

The two companies started the negotiation online two years ago during the pandemic to search for the best opportunities to work together to lay the foundation for HADO in the US market, concluding an agreement in November 2021.

“We feel very honored that the team at meleap has placed their trust in us with this exclusive partnership,” shared Vander Kooi, HADO USA CEO. “HADO is ideally positioned to capitalize on the extraordinary growth trends fueled by GenZ engagement in esports, gaming, sport and immersive entertainment as well as the convergence of the new economies embodied by the metaverse, blockchain and creator communities,” Vander Kooi continued.

HADO has already been experienced by over 2.5M people and rapidly expanded to dozens of countries through a global community of arenas and teams.  Sports, fitness, entertainment and community are the four main elements of HADO.  Crossing the boundaries between sports and gaming in the 5G era, HADO is positioned to bring the metaverse into the real world.

“What was especially worth noting about this competition is that meleap has taken the innovative step by making fans a part of the game via their proprietary Wow Live app.  This entertainment platform app is used to not only view a live-stream of these celebrity HADO matchups, but is used as a tipping platform empowering fans with the ability to  sway the game in favor of their favorite players and teams,” Vander Kooi told South Florida Tech Hub. “HADO is already the world’s first physical augmented reality sport and is pioneering a transformation of both sports and the spectator experience,” he continued.

The AR techno sport is played 3-on-3 within a real-life court or arena with individual fast-paced, highly physical games lasting 80 seconds each. (See video below.) “HADO allows players to literally, Get in the Game! We look forward to expanding the HADO community throughout the US and joining the international HADO community”, said Vander Koi.

Based on this exclusive partnership, both companies are eager to put more resources in one of the biggest markets in the world to establish a strong footing for the location-based-entertainment (LBE) business, as well as to explore the potential online entertainment business opportunities.

“In the immediate future we look forward to announcing a number of exciting new HADO activations, including one opening in Las Vegas next month.  We are also in discussions with multiple collegiate and scholastic partners and hope to begin piloting league play shortly,” Vander Kooi told South Florida Tech Hub. “As a start-up here in the US, we are raising capital to support our aggressive expansion plans and welcome interest from potential strategic and investment partners.  We’re looking forward to developing and supporting a HADO community across the country and furthering our partnership with meleap in Japan!”

The perfect integration of AR technologies and physical sport continues to evolve, bringing a whole new level of excitement to all demographics in the market! Now is the time to join HADO USA and Get in the Game by visiting hado-usa.com .

 

 

HADO Team USA joins the World Cup in Tokyo, Japan for the first time ever
World’s first AR techno sport HADO celebrates agreement with Japan’s meleap