An Austin, Texas, tech entrepreneur with extensive ties to Charlotte has signed on as a sponsor of the Jumpman Invitational college basketball event that is set to debut in December at Spectrum Center uptown.
Invzbl, a company that offers equipment and services for improving indoor air quality, disinfecting surfaces and protecting and repairing laptops for companies and schools, has landed the two-day basketball event’s fourth and final partnership. In May, organizers named Novant Health as the presenting sponsor. At that time two associate partners were announced, too: Lowe’s Cos. Inc. (NYSE: LOW) and Truist Financial Corp. (NYSE: TFC).
Event organizers have said they want to have only a handful of corporate partners to increase the value of each sponsorship while presenting an uncluttered environment for the games.
The Charlotte Hornets, Nike Inc.’s (NYSE: NKE) Jordan Brand, the Charlotte Sports Foundation and ESPN Events teamed up to create the Jumpman Invitational. Its name comes from the Nike-owned shoe and apparel division dedicated to the popular line started by Hornets owner Michael Jordan.
The four schools that will participate in the event are the first four schools that outfitted their teams in Jordan Brand uniforms: UNC Chapel Hill (Jordan’s alma mater), the University of Florida, the University of Michigan and the University of Oklahoma. Men’s and women’s teams from all four schools will participate in doubleheaders each night; ESPN will televise the games.
Chuck Morrison, whose previous ventures include NASCAR collectibles and a record company, both of which were based in Charlotte, founded Invzbl in 2019. As the company has gained momentum, he began considering how to raise its profile.
“It’s time to really take a look at how we can do some things differently to elevate our brand,” Morrison told me. “Get us more in front of some enterprise customers and so forth. … I feel pretty lucky for us to be the final sponsor here and to be associated with such a cool event.”
Morrison stumbled into the sponsorship through his brother, Danny Morrison, the former Carolina Panthers president and current sports foundation executive director.
They were casually discussing Invzbl’s growth one day, as well as Chuck Morrison’s interest in promoting the company, when Danny Morrison mentioned the possibility of signing on with the Jumpman Invitational.
Chuck Morrison is an avid sports fan and a dedicated wearer of Nike’s Air Jordan sneakers, which made his decision easier. Combined with a chance to work on something with his brother, he said the deal made sense in every way.
“It’s the cherry on top,” he said.
Bespoke Sports & Entertainment, a locally based marketing agency, is representing Invzbl, including promotional plans for the company tied to the Jumpman Invitational. Bespoke played a lead role in the sports foundation’s sponsorship search in 2020 that culminated in a multi-year agreement with Duke’s Mayonnaise to put its name on two annual college football games played at Bank of America Stadium.
Tickets for the Jumpman Invitational will go on sale at the end of September, though no specific date has been set. Fans interested in pre-sale registration can sign up on the event website.
Chuck Morrison sees not only awareness benefits from the sponsorship, but also a chance to make inroads with college and high school sports teams and programs interested in improving air quality and ensuring cleaner surfaces in locker rooms and other facilities.
Invzbl recently formed a partnership with FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) for an express repair and protection program for schools’ laptops, tablets and other electronic devices. In Austin, the company recently moved to its own office space from a WeWork location.
The privately owned company has grown to 20 employees, Chuck Morrison said.
The Jumpman Invitational is committed for at least three years at Spectrum Center. All the sponors, including Invzbl, are committed for three years. Financial terms have not been disclosed.
Danny Morrison, the sports foundation executive, told CBJ previously that the goal is to make the basketball invitational an ongoing annual event and, eventually, bring in different schools to participate.
