December 16, 2024
According to Clayton, the investment will allow LIVV Audio to bring his vision to life.
Mark Clayton, a former NFL wide receiver who played the majority of his seven-year career with the Baltimore Ravens, has raised $1 million in funding for his LIVV Audio brand of high-performance headphones designed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
According to Afrotech, Clayton’s idea for the headphones came during pool-based rehab sessions for a knee injury shortly after he joined the then-St. Louis Rams in 2010. His over-ear headphones frequently fell off his ears, which was frustrating.
“And that’s when I started sketching the first concept,” Clayton said.
Over time, Clayton would refine those early sketches, creating the design for LIVV Pro Headphones.
“Our mission is to create audio products that allow people to move in any atmosphere, in any environment,” Clayton told Afrotech. “So whether you’re training or you’re on a train or traveling, that’s where LIVV allows you to live.
“Wanting it to be premium that just incorporated all the other tech that is standard in premium headphones, having an IR sensor that you know can detect when they’re on your head or not, which ultimately is awesome for your battery life,” he added. “Then having the active noise cancellation as well as the ambient mode that allows you to hear your surroundings and engage with what’s around you if you want to.”
According to a Dec. 5 press release, LIVV Audio has received $1 million of the $1.5 million goal for its initial seed round, backed by an “elite group of investors” that includes former professional tennis player Mark Knowles
“With this investment, LIVV Audio is stepping into a new league,” Clayton said in the press release. “We’re here to set the standard for what performance headphones should be.“
Currently, the headphones are available on LIVV Audio’s website for pre-order starting at $349.99, though the site currently lists a sale price of $299.99. Orders will be shipped out during the first quarter of 2025.
The headphones feature standard premium features, such as 40mm drivers, active noise cancellation, pass-through audio, a 50-hour battery life on a full charge, the capability to utilize the headphones as both wired and wireless.
And, of course, the headphones are splash-proof and sweat-resistant.
In addition, a companion app similar to other audio brands, like Skullcandy, is in the works that will allow users to further customize their listening experience.
According to USA Today, Clayton launched the headphone line in 2015 via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.
The space Clayton is entering is a crowded one, but as long as Clayton’s brand can deliver comfort and functionality, he might carve out space for himself.
“When you look at our headphones, it is like nothing you have ever seen before in your life,” Clayton told Sports Illustrated in 2018. “We are very confident in our design being put on display and people recognizing that of all the headphones they have ever seen, these are totally different.”
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