• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechConnected Logistics

This Startup Led By Ex-Googlers Just Got Millions From Major League Baseball and the LA Dodgers

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 11, 2016, 7:30 AM ET
adrian gonzalez
Photograph by John W. McDonough — Sports Illustrated

It’s not everyday that a group of investors like Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems, and Google’s cloud chief ban together to back a new startup.

Xperiel, a startup led by former Google (GOOG) engineers, said Thursday that it received $7 million from the high-profile investor group as it attempts to build a sort-of all-in-one mobile app development tool that works with Internet-connected equipment in sports stadiums and other facilities.

The idea is that if sports teams and stadium owners build apps that can connect to different equipment in their facilities, like point-of-sales systems and scoreboards, they can create more compelling apps for their fans.

Among the pack of investors backing the company are Sun Microsystems’ co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim, Google’s head of cloud computing Diane Greene, outgoing Stanford University president John Henness, Uber and StumbleUpon co-founder Garrett Camp, and co-founder of accounting software company Intuit (INTU) Scott Cook.

See also: Bill Maris Steps Down as CEO of Google Ventures

The startup’s founders are CEO Alex Hertel and CTO Philipp Hertel, brothers who sold their prior company, Zetawire, to Google in 2010. The brothers said Google incorporated the payment technology they created at Zetawire into its own Google Wallet payment service.

For Xperiel’s software to properly work, various equipment throughout a stadium needs to be connected to the internet. However, the company doesn’t actually do the infrastructure legwork required to tether the machinery together.

For example, at Dodger Stadium where the L.A. Dodgers are testing the software, Xperiel hooks into an IT management tool built by UK company FortressGB that helps stadium operators keep track of ticketing transactions, vendor sales, and parking services, explained Philipp Hertel.

Once the Xperiel development tool is plugged into the IT system, customers can then build apps using a specialized graphical programming language developed by the brothers.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The graphical language is supposedly easy enough for non-coders to build apps with, and includes a so-called interpreter that converts the graphics into the more common C++ coding language, which lets the apps run on multiple different smartphones like Android or iOS devices.

Xperiel’s app-development tool also lets stadium owners and sports teams create mobile apps that use a smartphone’s sensors in conjunction with so-called beacons that stadium operators can place throughout the facility. These beacons transmit wireless signals that can be picked up by a fan’s smartphone and can trigger certain events within a mobile app to make a more compelling experience for fans. For example, a sports team could create a mobile app in which each time familiar fans enter the stadium and walk by a certain big screen, a nearby beacon would sense that they are near and trigger the fans’ faces to come on screen.

“It welcomes you,” said Alex Hertel. “It provides that level of personalization.”

Many of the possible apps the two co-founder brothers described during a press briefing seemed to focus on interactive mobile games like scavenger hunts, in which fans can get rewards for performing certain actions during a sporting event, like buying some food or tickets.

Bechtolsheim said he became interested in the startup because the development tool lets people “modify things very quickly” without having to futz with the underlying software that can slow things down.

See also: Fortune Just Launched a Startup Edition of Its Tech Newsletter

Creators of the high-profile augmented reality game Pokémon Go “have done a fantastic job tapping into millennial energy,” he added, saying that he believes the tool can perhaps lead to more people creating similar popular apps.

The L.A. Dodgers are currently testing Xperiel’s software at their stadium for some season ticket holders, said the team’s CFO, Tucker Kain.

Xperiel CTO Philipp Hertel said that these season ticket holders can use their phones to check in at certain kiosks in Dodger Stadium for the chance to win prizes.

Kain explained that he wants the technology to create apps leaving Dodgers fans happier and more likely to keep attending games.

“I have to iterate with fans and get feedback from them,” he said.

Still, the startup and its technology are so new, Xperiel is “not promising the first thing we launch is going to be awesome,” cautioned CEO Alex Hertel.

That’s why the company’s co-founders are working with sports organizations and stadium operators to hone the technology and learn what its partners want out of the development tool.

For more about sports, watch Fortune’s video:

If it catches on with sports teams, Alex Hertel hopes to eventually start targeting other industries, like the retail sector.

The brothers insist that they don’t want Xperiel to be a marketing company that builds custom apps for its clientele. It just wants to make the underlying technology so others can build the apps on their own, they said.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Young man working on laptop with headphones in modern coffeeshop
Future of Workskills gap
AI generated identical résumés for a man and a woman: Hers was more likely to be labeled ‘weak,’ while his got a 97% approval rating
By Eleanor PringleMay 10, 2026
1 hour ago
UFO files show Buzz Aldrin saw a ‘sizeable’ object close to the moon and a ‘fairly bright light source’ that the Apollo 11 crew felt could be a laser
Innovationspace
UFO files show Buzz Aldrin saw a ‘sizeable’ object close to the moon and a ‘fairly bright light source’ that the Apollo 11 crew felt could be a laser
By Seung Min Kim, Collin Binkley and The Associated PressMay 9, 2026
19 hours ago
joaquin
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
Johnson & Johnson CEO: America’s innovation advantage starts with health 
By Joaquin DuatoMay 9, 2026
22 hours ago
Qualcomm’s CEO is working with ‘pretty much all’ major AI players on top-secret devices—and powering OpenAI’s first push into hardware
AIQualcomm
Qualcomm’s CEO is working with ‘pretty much all’ major AI players on top-secret devices—and powering OpenAI’s first push into hardware
By Eva RoytburgMay 9, 2026
23 hours ago
reed
CommentaryRetirement
Tim Cook and Reed Hastings just showed every CEO how to leave gracefully
By Paul HardartMay 9, 2026
1 day ago
Companies are abandoning ‘peanut butter’ raises as pay-for-performance takes over the workplace in the AI era
Future of WorkTech
Companies are abandoning ‘peanut butter’ raises as pay-for-performance takes over the workplace in the AI era
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 9, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

'Employers are increasingly turning to degree and GPA' in hiring: Recruiters retreat from ‘talent is everywhere,’ double down on top colleges
Future of Work
'Employers are increasingly turning to degree and GPA' in hiring: Recruiters retreat from ‘talent is everywhere,’ double down on top colleges
By Jake AngeloMay 9, 2026
20 hours ago
Ted Cruz says the quiet part out loud: Trump accounts are Social Security personal accounts as GOP senator reveals 'dirty little secret'
Politics
Ted Cruz says the quiet part out loud: Trump accounts are Social Security personal accounts as GOP senator reveals 'dirty little secret'
By Jason MaMay 9, 2026
16 hours ago
You're probably safe from the Hantavirus outbreak, but here's what you absolutely must not do, experts say
Politics
You're probably safe from the Hantavirus outbreak, but here's what you absolutely must not do, experts say
By Catherina GioinoMay 8, 2026
2 days ago
Red flag test: former CEO explains why he rejects job candidates who say they can start right away
Success
Red flag test: former CEO explains why he rejects job candidates who say they can start right away
By Orianna Rosa RoyleMay 9, 2026
21 hours ago
Companies are abandoning 'peanut butter' raises as pay-for-performance takes over the workplace in the AI era
Future of Work
Companies are abandoning 'peanut butter' raises as pay-for-performance takes over the workplace in the AI era
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 9, 2026
1 day ago
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
Magazine
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
By Sharon GoldmanMay 6, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.