Puttshack is a premier tech-infused mini golf experience company. Joe Vrankin, CEO of Puttshack, joined Cheddar News to discuss the company's expansion plans after raising $150 million in funding

Puttshack Scores $150 Million in Funding

tech infused mini golf experience. Put Shock raising 100 and 50 million in a funding round from funds managed by Blackrock Shock says it offers an upscale, tech infused mini golf game along with high quality food and beverage, the company's patented trackball technology is integrated throughout the entire game, providing automated scoring, bonus points, opportunities and interactive games at each hole. So joining me now is joe Franken Ceo of pet shock, joe, thanks so much for coming on the show. How does this work? Where can people play? Thanks for having me. Um, well the way it works is we have managed to put technology inside the center of a golf ball. So essentially what we have now is a mini ipad in that golf ball. So there's a computer processor in there. There's a battery system that enables us to do micro GPS so you can throw away your pencil and paper because the ball keep score for you automatically. And that's allowed us to really reinvent the game that's been around for over 100 years. So our guests can be totally immersed within the game and and the people that they're playing with all of our holes are really designed for our core demographic, that 21 to 39 year old. So there's a beer pong hole, there's a roulette, whole true false trivia pursuit hole. And as you said, every hole is designed where you can score bonus points or you'll lose points. So on the trivia pursuit hole, you'll get a true false question and you put under a bridge that says true, if you think the answer is true or false, if you think it's false and if you get it right, you'll get bonus points. If you get it wrong, you'll lose points. Okay, So it seems like it's a big social event, right? All the imagery and video that we're showing people having fun. It looks like there's a DJ at some of these locations. That's what it's about, right. It's a social outing. It absolutely is, it is really trying to hit every sensory area for our guests. So it's not only playing the game as you said, you know, we have DJ um, most thursday friday, saturday nights, we have a high end casual dining, food and beverage experience. So it's really trying to hit all the senses from taste and smell and you know, sound and, and really create a fun, engaging experience for all of our guests. Yeah, it looks like a lot of fun. So where are the locations and what are the expansion plans? Sure. So we currently have four locations open in the US in Chicago and the suburbs in Atlanta and boston and Miami. Um, and then we will be opening in ST louis before the end of this year and then next year we will, will really begin a strong roll out with Dallas Denver, Houston, Nashville philadelphia, Pittsburgh Scottsdale, second Atlanta location as well. Um, and hopefully actually two more that we think we can get in next year and then we also have four locations in the greater London area. So I must admit as someone who is a bit intimidated by normal golf and this seems like the perfect social thing for me, right? I would imagine that it, it kind of is inviting for everyone, not too intimidating, it's absolutely the case. So I mean one of the great benefits about put shock is, you know, one, it's the only place in the world that you can play high tech miniature golf because of the technology, but the other is it's inviting for everybody, right? Um and so we're very inclusive. We get a lot of families during the day, we're 21 older after eight p.m. So the whole venue changes throughout the day and in the evening, it's a high Nightclub feel with a lot of energy and and the music that ties with that during the day, it's much more of a corporate event and um and family crowd that we get and then we're almost exactly a 50, 50 male female demographic. So for sport that typically is, is much more male dominated Shaq is really attractive to everybody. Yes, it may be a good date spot or a good group party space as well. What are some of the price points jo what can consumers expect to pay? Sure, so the average game, depending on the market is between 14 and $18 to play nine holes, we, we have four, typically four unique nine hole courses, uh, per venue. Um and then our food and beverage offering, the average person spends about $38 per visit. I'm in our average location. We'll do almost a half a million visitors per year. Amazing! Well, congratulations. Please let me know when you open a spot in new york city. I'll be the first one to arrive. That's job Rankin the ceo of put shack.