How Shoot 360 Became One of the Nation’s Fastest-Growing Sports-Tech Franchises Via Video-Game-Powered Basketball Training

Small business takeaway:

• The success of sports-tech startup Shoot 360 highlights three key takeaways for businesses across industries: the power of blending technology with customer engagement, the scalability of community-driven franchising, and the importance of strategic talent acquisition. By fostering innovation, leveraging local connections, and cultivating a strong company culture, businesses can support sustainable growth and create lasting customer impact.

Craig Moody spent his career growing a family-owned equipment rental yard in Oregon into a regional chain and running construction and commercial real estate ventures. In his spare time, he coached college and then high school basketball.

One sunny day, he watched his oldest son and friends play a basketball video game instead of shoot baskets in the driveway. Traditional drills had lost their appeal. A light bulb went off. “I looked at my wife and I said, ‘If we could make training in a gym like playing basketball in a video game, we’d have it made.’” Moody knew about existing technology in sports that tested players’ abilities. But he wasn’t aware of any technologies that used video gamification for basketball training. “I told my wife, I think I want to build it.”

Moody was nearing 50 when he cashed out his 401(k) in 2012 to pursue his idea. Now, his franchise Shoot 360 is one of the fastest-growing sports-tech franchises in the United States. The sports technology company creates immersive, 360-degree video basketball experiences for athletes, coaches, and teams, helping athletes improve their skills and teams to train. Shoot 360’s motion-tracking cameras analyze every shot. Its proprietary “Splash Meter” analyses the arc, depth, and alignment of a basketball shot as it travels toward the hoop, comparing them against the platform’s ideal shooting profile, “The Splash Zone.” Players get instant feedback, helping them make real-time adjustments as they train.

Shoot 360 is the only sports-tech franchise brand listed on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 list. In the last two years, the startup has forged partnerships with major sports arenas and franchises including a fan experience at the Los Angeles Clippers stadium and a location across from New York’s Barclays Center in partnership with the Brooklyn Nets, and its technology is used in 29 NBA practice facilities. 

In 2025, Shoot 360 brought in more than $22 million, and it’s targeting an over-50% sales increase in 2026 for its 60-plus locations. Investor owners include former Atlanta Hawks Guard Trae Young and former Golden State Warriors Center Zaza Pachulia.

[Read more: 3 Scaling Startups Unpack Customer Acquisition and Retention Strategies Driving Growth]

Shoot 360 Founder: Turning a simple idea for his sons into a new basketball training concept with tech built from scratch 

Moody started by renting space in a local warehouse where he worked on his idea at night. He was joined by three friends who he convinced to leave their corporate jobs, Kirk Hendricks, Jurgen Achterbosch, and Steve Landis, all now Co-founders.

For a year, the four built the technology from the ground up. A year later, Shoot 360 opened its first location in Beaverton, Oregon, by the Nike campus. Customers came to practice basketball shooting and skill drills tracked by technology and work on the game’s fundamentals with guidance from certified trainers. “It took off,” said Moody.

Just over a year later, a second location opened in Vancouver, Washington, and in 2016, Shoot 360 debuted in Los Angeles, followed by Indianapolis in 2017. “With these first ones, we were really testing our model,” Moody said. “Our marketing with these locations was all grassroots, we didn’t do much advertising.”

To that end, he visited tournaments, coaching clinics, and high school and league games handing out free workout passes. “It grew by word of mouth,” said Moody.

The basketball training business grew, but then after a few years, began to level off, with some members getting restless. Moody knew he had to add content, and especially a competition component. “If we didn’t, I thought the business might not be sustainable,” he said. With the competition piece, including immersive team‑based shooting competitions, “that’s where we really started to take off.”

Tapping basketball connections and landing investor support to launch Shoot 360 franchises nationwide

Early on, Moody leaned on his connections in the basketball world to partner with big names in basketball and would-be strategic investors. Now, he also counts Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty, retired NBA Guard Jamal Crawford, and Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm as corporate investors.

Moody had a hunch early on that he wanted to pursue the franchise business model for Shoot 360. But he let the idea simmer for several years until it became crystal clear that franchising was the best business decision. 

“I was interested in recurring revenue models, like the fitness industry,” Moody said. “We really believe basketball at its best culturally belongs to people from their community. So, we wanted people who care about their community to help the game grow in their community.” Shoot 360 opened its first franchise at the end of 2019. 

Today, some 20,000 members play on 10-foot-by-8-foot screens. Another 80,000 to 100,000 customers engage with the business through basketball camps, clinics, and other events. “We’ve grown a lot in the last year,” Moody said. 

He’s aiming for 90 locations in the United States by the end of 2026, and more internationally. Shoot 360 has locations in the Philippines, Japan, and Canada. Moody’s long-term vision is 1,500 global locations. 

The brand is also actively working to grow its percentage of female customers from around 28% today to 50% by 2030.

[Read more: Franchises Leverage Diverse Revenue Streams to Rev Up Sales and Weather Ups and Downs]

For Shoot 360, a strong company culture, competitive niche, and strategic hires are key to sustaining growth

Moody said his success has been driven in part by pure passion for what he’s doing, a strong company culture, and strategic hires. The more than 30 patents he’s pursued have helped keep potential competitors at bay, he added.

“It’s a moat around our business,” said Moody. “I would not have started this business if I didn’t think there was some defensibility around it. We also have tons of collaboration, and people who are passionate about our mission to grow the game and to positively impact the people we serve. When everybody is excited to come to work and wants to make a difference—that’s how you grow a company. Our culture has been a multiplier.” 

Recent hires, for example, include a new COO and CMO with years of experience in the franchise industry. 

“You can’t underestimate how important [talent] is,” Moody said. “I learned that when I was coaching. That’s how you continue to elevate and improve execution across the board. At Shoot 360, we really want to grow the game worldwide.”

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