On Monday, WHOOP announced it had raised a $200 million Series F at a $3.6 billion valuation, with the funds earmarked for research and development, expanding into new markets, and acquiring technology companies.

The company wasted no time on the latter, announcing Thursday that they had acquired PUSH, a technology company focused on the science of velocity-based training.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal will be made through a cash and stock transaction.

Founded in 2013, PUSH uses a sensor that has the ability to live in multiple locations on the body and focuses on quantifying weightlifting performance. Just this year, PUSH has managed to assemble a list of some notable partners: 

• Volleyball Canada, the country’s national volleyball organization, announced PUSH as its official strength training wearable in May.
• Sports and performance institution IMG Academy began using PUSH’s technology in April.
• PUSH announced a partnership with PLAE Academy in March, an on-demand suite for performance education.
• Catapult, an on-field performance analysis solution, began its partnership with PUSH in February.

PUSH says it works with sports teams worldwide, Olympic athletes, and military teams. 

Along with the PUSH band, the system also includes Portal, a training management program that carries workout routines, and an app.

The fitness tracker market is estimated to reach $114.36 billion by 2028.

ProbablyMonsters Inc., a startup video game developer, raised a $200 million Series A on Thursday. 

The round, led by LKCM Headwater Investments, will allow ProbablyMonsters to accelerate growth while continuing to invest in its employees. 

The company previously raised a $18.8 million seed round in 2019, with participation from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former Activision Blizzard executive VP David Oxford.

Now, ProbablyMonsters is leveling up.

“People tell me it’s the biggest Series A raise in gaming ever,” CEO and Founder Harold Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz. “It really is a sweet-spot number that lets us hold to our focus.”

ProbablyMonsters has been busy expanding its offerings. 

• Its FireWalk Studios agreed to an exclusive publishing partnership in April with Sony Interactive Entertainment to deliver its inaugural multiplayer title.
• The company’s Cauldron Studios is creating a single-player adventure title.
• Its third yet-to-be-named studio is working on a role-playing title that will create a community of players. 

Since 2019, ProbablyMonsters has seen average annual growth of 50%.

The Washington-based company expects to increase its number of employees from 230 to 300 by the end of 2021.

Sports Illustrated, which has been in circulation for 67 years, is starting a new chapter with the launch of its sportsbook in Colorado.

SI Sportsbook will be live in New Jersey, Iowa, and Indiana in the coming months.

The move was foretold in June when Sports Illustrated and online gambling company 888 Holdings announced a partnership in which 888 acquired rights for up to 20 years to use SI’s name and brand in betting, igaming, and brick-and-mortar locations. SI Sportsbook is the first major result of that tie-up.

Sports Illustrated’s parent company, Authentic Brands Group, gained a 4.9% stake in 888’s U.S. business, which it can eventually increase to 19.9%, as part of the deal. 

The launch of its betting app caps a period of transition for Sports Illustrated.

• The publication’s brand and intellectual property were purchased in May 2019 by Authentic Brands for $110 million. 
• The new parent company aggressively leveraged the brands cache, doubling its EBITDA by Oct. 2020 through at least 15 licensing deals signed after the acquisition.
• In June, Sports Illustrated launched a global ticketing platform, SI Tix, providing tickets to over 100,000 concerts, theatre, and sporting events.

The launch of the sportsbook is well-timed with the start of the NFL season, which, combined with college football, is expected to see $20 billion in bets placed and $1.5 billion in revenue for sportsbooks.

Sports Illustrated isn’t the only sports media brand looking to leverage its name in sports betting: ESPN has reportedly sought to license its name to a sports betting operator for at least $3 billion.