Sports Illustrated Invests in HS Sports Network TAKKLE

TAKKLE,
Inc. (www.takkle.com), the online social network for high school sports, announced
it has secured additional financing to help fund the company’s continued
expansion and growth. Sports Illustrated and the New York City Investment Fund,
a fund co-chaired by Henry R. Kravis and Russell L. Carson to invest in

New York City
entrepreneurs and start-up companies, joined TAKKLE’s original investors for
this new financing.

TAKKLE’s original investors include WMG Investments, the
investment arm of Wasserman Media Group LLC, Greycroft Partners, LLC (founded
by legendary venture capital investor Alan Patricof), IJ Smith Enterprises LLC,
and Jack Schneider, Managing Director at Allen & Company, Inc.

TAKKLE
takes high school athletics to the next level by allowing athletes across the
nation participating in over 25 sports to develop personal connections rooted
in their passion for sports. TAKKLE provides a platform and tools for these
athletes to create player and team profiles, upload videos and photos, track
and view statistics, check out opponents before games, and discover the best
athletes in the country.

SI’s
partnership with TAKKLE began with TAKKLE’s nationwide launch in December 2006.
TAKKLE is the exclusive online nomination engine for Sports Illustrated’s
long-running Faces in the Crowd feature. TAKKLE’s new Video Face in the Crowd
feature spotlights the video highlights of selected high school athletes who
are also featured in the Faces in the Crowd column in Sports Illustrated. In
addition, SI.com visitors can easily access and explore the depth of high
school sports content available on TAKKLE.com.

“Sports
Illustrated is the preeminent brand in sports media. We’re thrilled that Sports
Illustrated has decided to build on its current relationship with TAKKLE by
investing in our future growth and expansion,” said David Birnbaum, CEO and
co-founder of TAKKLE. “We’re excited that SI and the New York City Investment
Fund are joining our list of marquee investors.”

Since its
launch in early December, TAKKLE has partnered with many of the leading
companies in the high school sports market, including Five Star Basketball,
Baseball Factory, MSL Sports, Offense-Defense Football Camps,
Womenslacrosse.com, and Brine. TAKKLE has also secured sponsorships from leading
brands such as Procter & Gamble’s Tampax, Spalding, and Met-RX. In
addition, through its relationship with SI, TAKKLE has created sponsorship
programs with leading brands such as Gatorade and Finish Line.

TAKKLE has
also launched a unique, next-generation high school athletic competition via
online video BATTLES. The BATTLES on TAKKLE have featured online cheerleading,
bench press, and 3-Point basketball competitions with high school athletes
across the country competing via online video. In the weeks ahead, TAKKLE plans
to launch

BATTLE
competitions for additional sports.

“High
school athletes are passionate about their sports. TAKKLE has captured that and
created an engaging online destination for high school athletes to share their
passion for sports,” said Jeff Price, President of SI Digital. “Sports
Illustrated is working with TAKKLE to engage the next generation of SI readers.”