A new baseball-themed eatertainment concept from Mexico has closed on a $7.3 million Series A funding round with plans for expansion across the U.S.
Batbox debuted in Mexico in 2019 and has about 14 units there, some of which are co-branded with a golf-themed eatertainment concept called Mulligan’s. Batbox features a proprietary baseball simulator called Strikezon, which allows groups of up to 18 per bay to compete in a three-, six- or nine-inning game, or they can choose a Home Run Derby or pitching contest.
It’s designed to be fully immersive, simulating the experience of playing in a real stadium. The bat and ball are real—though the ball is a bit spongier for safety purposes within the 38-foot cages—and there’s no need to run the bases.
The funding round to expand the concept to the U.S. was led by the Chicago-based Emerging Fund launched last year by a group of veteran operators, including FB Society founder and CEO Randy DeWitt; and Puttshack and Flight Club co-founder Adam Breeden; along with tech executives Sterling Douglass, CEO and founder of Chowly; and Damian Mogavero, founder and former CEO of Avero.
In the rapidly expanding world of eatertainment, tech-focused concepts has emerged around golf, soccer and even cricket, but baseball hasn’t gotten the same attention, despite the deep love for the sport as America’s favorite pastime.
Batbox COO Craig Winning said the Monterrey, Mexico-based concept had planned to come to the U.S. sooner, but funding dried up when Covid hit and many were predicting the death of eatertainment.
The niche, however, has revived post-Covid and Batbox strategically reached out to Emerging Fund to tap their collective experience, real estate muscle—and network of investors, Winning said.
Among those supporting this first round is the Mexico-based venture fund MG Partners, which is also a backer of the auto-racing-themed eatertainment concept F1 Arcade, which opened in Boston earlier this year. Emerging Fund is also an investor in F1 Arcade.
Winning said sports simulators are hugely popular across Asia, and often found in casual restaurants and bars, though typically in a private room.
At Batbox, the simulator bays are integrated into the dining space to create a more social atmosphere, where guests can eat and drink as they play, or watch sports on TVs around the bar.
“We’re trying to make this not only about baseball, but a place where you’d congregate, hang out with friends or go on a date night,” Winning said.
A rendering of the Batbox interior. | Rendering courtesy of Batbox.
The menu is still under development, but it will feature elevated ballpark fare. Winning said Batbox has brought in U.K.-based menu consultants Ross Clarke Creative Collective, founded by Ross Clarke, an alum of the famed restaurant Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen.
Batbox’s first U.S. outlet is scheduled to open in Addison, Texas, in early 2025. The 13,000-square-foot sports bar will feature 10 baseball simulators, but Winning said future locations could be as big as 25,000-square feet with up to 15 simulator bays.
The funding is expected to help Batbox expand across the U.S. The goal is to open more than 25 units by 2030, including cities like Dallas, Houston and Boston, as well as other Major League Baseball markets.
Initially, growth will focus on company-owned units, but Winning said franchising could be in the cards down the road.
Batbox began as a simulator technology company. It’s the exclusive distributor in Mexico and Latin America of the Golfzon simulators used in Mulligan’s, which Winning described as “like Five Iron, but in Mexico.” In the U.S., they’re the exclusive distributor of Strikezon, the baseball version of the same technology, developed in Korea.
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