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Julie Uhrman

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Julie Uhrman
Born (1974-07-20) July 20, 1974 (age 50)
CitizenshipUnited States
EducationWashington University in St. Louis (BSBA 1996)
OccupationEntrepreneur
TitleFounder and CEO of Ouya; Co-founder and president of Angel City FC

Julie Uhrman is an American soccer executive and entrepreneur who is president of Angel City FC, a National Women's Soccer League team based in Los Angeles, California, that Uhrman also co-founded.[1] She was previously an executive at Playboy Enterprises, Lionsgate Entertainment, IGN, and Vivendi Entertainment, and founded the former video game console company Ouya.[2]

Personal life

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Uhrman and her twin sister Amy Longhi were born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She has two children, Charlie and Elle.[3][4]

Career

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Ouya

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Main article: Ouya

In 2012 Uhrman founded video gaming console maker Ouya, Inc., and was its CEO until 2015.[5][6][7] The platform was heralded to revolutionize the game industry with its microconsole. It had a successful Kickstarter campaign, having received $8,596,474 and garnered much hope and goodwill from the gaming community to try and get more games on the television.[8][9] Despite a loyal and hopeful fanbase, many critics became skeptical of Ouya's ability to deliver on its goals of getting more players to play games on the television, with each of Uhrman's subsequent public appearances and interviews to promote the company and get more games on the television. After launch, Ouya became a commercial failure. The console was critically panned and derided for its low quality, poor design, and lack of proper gaming content.[10][11][12][13] After the controversy, Ouya failed to re-negotiate its debt with investors and its content library was sold to Razer Inc., where the console's hardware was soon discontinued.[14][15][16]

Angel City FC

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Main article: Angel City FC

In 2020 Uhrman co-founded Angel City FC with venture capitalist Kara Nortman of Upfront Ventures, and actress Natalie Portman. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club signed 21 sponsors and sold 14,300 season tickets before its first season of play, and attracted a $14 million investment round from numerous celebrities, including lead investor Alexis Ohanian.[17] Nortman recruited Uhrman in 2019 from the pickup basketball league both women competed in and tasked her with building the team's business plan, despite Uhrman not previously knowing that the NWSL existed.[17][18] The NWSL granted Uhrman's group an expansion team on July 21, 2020, for play in the 2022 NWSL season.[17]

References

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  1. ^ Kevin Baxter (April 29, 2022). "Angel City FC ready to celebrate its debut regular-season match after bumpy ride". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  2. ^ "Digital Media Veteran Julie Uhrman Named President of Media at Playboy Enterprises, Inc". PRNewswire. September 11, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "Julie Uhrman". Angel City FC. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  4. ^ "Growing up Geek: Julie Uhrman". Engadget. October 17, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  5. ^ Dredge, Stuart (10 July 2012). "Ouya seeks $950k on Kickstarter for $99 Android games console". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  6. ^ Stastna, Kazi (9 August 2012). "Ouya raises $8.6M on Kickstarter for open-source gaming console". Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  7. ^ Cooper, Daniel (27 July 2015). "OUYA CEO Julie Uhrman leaves the company she co-founded". Engadget. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Julie Uhrman, OUYA". CNBC. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  9. ^ Moodie, Alison (2015-05-17). "Game on: what happens to video startups that make millions on Kickstarter?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  10. ^ Lowe, Scott (2013-07-26). "Ouya Review". IGN. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  11. ^ Kain, Erik. "The Ouya Is Basically Dead". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  12. ^ "Ouya Review". PCMAG. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  13. ^ "So Long Ouya, We Hardly Knew Ye". Nintendo Life. 2019-05-24. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  14. ^ "Razer's Ouya acquisition confirmed". Trusted Reviews. 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  15. ^ "Ouya isn't honouring its funding commitments following Razer's acquisition - report". Eurogamer.net. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  16. ^ "Razer to settle Ouya debts". VG247. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  17. ^ a b c Hannah Hall (March 8, 2022). "How This Founder Won Over Fans, Investors, and Sponsors to Bring Professional Women's Soccer to Los Angeles". Inc. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  18. ^ Julia Herbst (April 29, 2022). "How Natalie Portman and her Angel City FC cofounders are changing the game for women's soccer". Fast Company Middle East. Retrieved July 12, 2022.


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