Julie Uhrman

{{short description|American businesswoman}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Julie Uhrman

| image = Julie Uhrman OUYA XOXO 2013.jpg

| caption = Uhrman in 2013

| birth_date =

| birth_place = Los Angeles, California

| citizenship = United States

| education = Washington University in St. Louis (BSBA 1996)

| occupation = Entrepreneur

| title = Founder and CEO of Ouya; Co-founder and president of Angel City FC

}}

Julie Uhrman is an American businesswoman who is president and co-founder of Angel City FC, a National Women's Soccer League team based in Los Angeles, California.{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/story/2022-04-29/angel-city-fc-ready-debut-bumpy-ride|title=Angel City FC ready to celebrate its debut regular-season match after bumpy ride|date=April 29, 2022|access-date=July 12, 2022|work=Los Angeles Times|author=Kevin Baxter}} She was previously an executive at Playboy Enterprises, Lionsgate Entertainment, IGN, and Vivendi Entertainment, and founded the now-defunct video game console company Ouya.{{Cite web|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/digital-media-veteran-julie-uhrman-named-president-of-media-at-playboy-enterprises-inc-300709861.html|title=Digital Media Veteran Julie Uhrman Named President of Media at Playboy Enterprises, Inc.|date=September 11, 2018|access-date=July 12, 2022|publisher=PRNewswire}}

Personal life

Uhrman and her twin sister Amy Longhi were born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She has two children, Charlie and Elle.{{Cite web|url=https://www.angelcity.com/blogs/founders/julie-uhrman|title=Julie Uhrman|publisher=Angel City FC|access-date=July 12, 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2013-10-17-growing-up-geek-julie-uhrman.html|title=Growing up Geek: Julie Uhrman|date=October 17, 2013|access-date=July 12, 2022|publisher=Engadget}}

Career

= Ouya =

{{main|Ouya}}

In 2012 Uhrman founded video gaming console maker Ouya, Inc., and was its CEO until 2015.{{cite news |last1=Dredge |first1=Stuart |title=Ouya seeks $950k on Kickstarter for $99 Android games console |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/appsblog/2012/jul/10/ouya-android-games-console-kickstarter |access-date=14 January 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=10 July 2012}}{{cite web |last1=Stastna |first1=Kazi |title=Ouya raises $8.6M on Kickstarter for open-source gaming console |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/ouya-raises-8-6m-on-kickstarter-for-open-source-gaming-console-1.1285338 |access-date=14 January 2024 |date=9 August 2012}}{{cite web |last1=Cooper |first1=Daniel |title=OUYA CEO Julie Uhrman leaves the company she co-founded |url=https://www.engadget.com/2015-07-27-ouya-ceo-julie-uhrman-leaves.html |website=Engadget |access-date=14 January 2024 |date=27 July 2015}} 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.{{Cite web |title=Julie Uhrman, OUYA |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2014/07/22/julie-uhrman-ouya.html |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=CNBC |date=22 July 2014 |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Moodie |first=Alison |date=2015-05-17 |title=Game on: what happens to video startups that make millions on Kickstarter? |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/17/ouya-video-startups-kickstarter-failures-champions-crowdfunding |access-date=2023-04-12 |issn=0261-3077}}

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.{{Cite web |last=Lowe |first=Scott |date=2013-07-26 |title=Ouya Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/26/ouya-review |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=IGN |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Kain |first=Erik |title=The Ouya Is Basically Dead |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2014/03/07/hit-kickstarter-video-game-console-ouya-is-basically-dead/ |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=Forbes |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Ouya Review |url=https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/ouya |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=PCMAG |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2019-05-24 |title=So Long Ouya, We Hardly Knew Ye |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/05/so_long_ouya_we_hardly_knew_ye |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=Nintendo Life |language=en-GB}}

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.{{Cite web |date=2015-06-16 |title=Razer's Ouya acquisition confirmed |url=https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/razer-s-ouya-acquisition-confirmed-2931052 |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=Trusted Reviews |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=2015-07-29 |title=Ouya isn't honouring its funding commitments following Razer's acquisition - report |language=en-gb |work=Eurogamer.net |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/developers-claim-ouya-isnt-honouring-its-funding-commitments-following-razers-acquisition |access-date=2023-04-12}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2015-07-29 |title=Razer to settle Ouya debts |url=https://www.vg247.com/razer-to-settle-ouya-debts |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=VG247 |language=en}}

= Angel City FC =

{{main|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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.inc.com/hannah-hall/angel-city-football-club-soccer-los-angeles.html|title=How This Founder Won Over Fans, Investors, and Sponsors to Bring Professional Women's Soccer to Los Angeles|publisher=Inc.|date=March 8, 2022|access-date=July 12, 2022|author=Hannah Hall}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fastcompanyme.com/impact/how-natalie-portman-and-her-angel-city-fc-cofounders-are-changing-the-game-for-womens-soccer/|title=How Natalie Portman and her Angel City FC cofounders are changing the game for women's soccer|date=April 29, 2022|access-date=July 12, 2022|publisher=Fast Company Middle East|author=Julia Herbst}} The NWSL granted Uhrman's group an expansion team on July 21, 2020, for play in the 2022 NWSL season.

References