Recently retired Lakers icon Kobe Bryant has announced he is starting a $100 million investment fund that has a solid tech focus, according to ESPN. The fund is already active and is getting guidance from Dun and Bradstreet vice chairman Jeff Stibel, who was also the president of Web.com for a while. Stibel is also involved with BrainGate, a tech company that makes cybernetic brain implants that helps the disabled control movement. It’s cool stuff.
The Wall Street Journal says the fund has already invested in over a dozen companies, many of them tech-related, and Kobe isn’t the first NBA player to go on a financial adventure. Magic, David Robinson and Carmelo Anthony also started investment projects, with varying degrees of success. Unfortunately, the fund isn’t open for just anyone to jump on board, but we’ll keep an eye on how it does going forward.
That would buy a whole lotta iMacs
Speaking of investments, we’ll bet there are a few tech-obsessed NBA alums out there that might take an interest in this: the latest auction for an Apple 1 computer. In 2014, the Ford company ponied up over $900,000 for a complete, working example of the logic board kit that helped launch Apple’s fortunes in the mid-1970s. The first examples of Apple 1 computers were produced by hand under Steve Wozniac’s supervision and only 200 were made.
This particular Apple 1 unit, thought to be the very first unit produced and one of only 60 or 70 that remain, is now up for bid on the charity website Charitybuzz, and it just crossed half a million dollars with three days to go. Known as the “Celebration” Apple 1, it’s thought this particular unit might even be a pre-production mule, as it has some unique tech not found on any other Apple 1 computer, making it a so-called “unicorn.”
Target price: $1,000,000. Hit this link for more details on this unique piece of Apple history and start clearing space on your Plutonium American Express card.
Sony’s PS4 weight loss plan
Sony’s latest Playstation, the PS4 “Slim,” is about to drop, if images and video that just popped up are any indication.
The Wall Street Journal says leaked details point to an announcement September 7th, and video posted online by Eurogamer [editor’s note: since removed] of the Playstation 4 “Slim” booting up appear to be the real deal.
It’s slightly possible we’re seeing the Playstation Neo, but so far all the chatter seems to be that this machine is called the “Slim.” No pricing or tech details have been announced as of yet, we’re sure we’ll know more in a couple of weeks.
