Dude Perfect's latest trick — sinking up to $300 million in venture money
CBSN
It started with a YouTube video of several young dudes hitting absurdly difficult trick shots on a backyard basketball hoop. Some 15 years later, those pals — now with more than 60 million subscribers on the platform and known as Dude Perfect — can celebrate an investment ranging from $100 million to $300 million from one of the country's premier venture capital firm.
Highland Capital said Tuesday it is investing "9 figures" in Dude Perfect, a creator of online content formed in 2009 by five friends who met at Texas A&M. Over that time, the Frisco, Texas-based startup — led by twins Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones and Tyler Toney — has grown into a social media and brand powerhouse with more than two dozen employees.
Dude Perfect ia "media juggernaut at the intersection of sports and comedy" whose videos draw billions of views, Highland Capital CEO Jason Illian said in a post. The firm didn't disclose more financial details about the investment, but Illian said the capital will be used in part to expand Dude Perfect's management team.
An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night while coming in for a landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington. The Black Hawk helicopter was carrying a crew of three. Officials said early Thursday that everyone on board both aircraft is believed dead, which would make it the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly a quarter century.