The Palestinian-American co-founder of a US-based sports technology start-up is hoping to capitalise on the growing passion for basketball in the Middle East.
Huupe, the maker of smart-basketball hoop products is expanding its footprint in the region.
“It's great to be a part of this,” Lyth Saeed told The National.
The company is teaming with Virgin Megastores in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Egypt, to make its Huupe Mini products available for purchase.
“We have a lot of investors and backers in the Middle East and it means a lot to have our products make an impact in the region,” Mr Saeed said.
Mr Saeed, who also serves as Huupe's chief operating officer, founded the company with his long-time friend, Paul Anton, in 2019.
In 2022, the co-founders, who are both originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, introduced what they describe as the world's first smart basketball hoop, Huupe Pro, which uses a display and apps to enhance the basketball experience.
Two years later, Huupe introduced a smaller version of the product, Huupe Mini, which can be installed inside homes.
The Mini, like the Huupe Pro, can track and analyse shooting performances through the use of advanced radar as well as light detection and ranging (lidar) technology.
“We built 10,000 units and we sold all 10,000 units directly on our website, all in one quarter, right out of the gate,” Mr Saeed said, indicating he is highly optimistic that the product will catch on and have appeal outside of the US.
He anticipates selling 38,000 to 40,000 units in total by the end of this year.
Huupe Mini allows users to play with other owners around the world and, with an HDMI port and built-in Wi-Fi, it can also be used to connect to streaming services such as YouTube or Netflix.
Mr Saeed's company also recently introduced Huupe Arcade, a rebounding system designed to be used with the Huupe Mini that allows the ball to return right to whomever is taking the shot.
Huupe has attracted the attention of several NBA players, intrigued by the company's goals of enhancing the game.
In October, the start-up announced that retired NBA all-star Tracy McGrady would be joining in the capacity of chief innovation officer, and that hall-of-famer Vince Carter would be coming on board as a strategic adviser.
“We're adding NBA talent to take us to the next level,” Mr Saeed explained.
He also hinted that Huupe has plans to venture outside the basketball space, and is working on a football product.
The idea for Huupe, according to Mr Saeed, came from his love of basketball, which he and Mr Anton would often play together, recording their shots on Snapchat.
“We figured that there has to be a better way for us to play real, live sports,” Mr Saeed said.
Besides the forthcoming products, he added that he's incredibly proud to increase the company's visibility in the Middle East, which he hopes will help compliment basketball's growing popularity.
“I want to be a successful entrepreneur first and foremost, and that's what helps drive me every single day to be a successful Palestinian-American,” he said, pointing to the NBA's long-term partnership with Abu Dhabi and the 2027 Fifa Basketball World Cup in Qatar.
As a result, he said, Huupe is continuing to see great demand and interest.
“Everything's on the table for us,” Mr Saeed said, when asked about the company's ultimate goals.
“We're just want to continue to grow the brand and more importantly, grow it sustainably.”
