Naman Shrestha
Kevin Langdon and Andrew Brown are two of the five co-founders of an AI-powered ball called Ball 2, which allows users to choose from dozens of games to play by themselves or with their friends. In the first episode of the 18th season of ABC’s ‘Shark Tank,’ the two co-founders pitched their smart product to the Sharks, including MrBeast and Jeff Housenbold, hoping to secure at least one investor to help take their business to the next level.
Ball 2: Who Are They and What Do They Do?
The core team behind Ball 2, manufactured by Sperry Labs, consists of five men with sports and tech backgrounds — Kevin Langdon, Andrew Brown, Jeremy Rittenhouse, Hugh Tompkins, and Gord Parke — all of whom played crucial roles in bringing the unique idea to life. While Kevin is the one who built the software and AI platform that runs the product, Hugh is the industrial designer who designed the Ball 2. Meanwhile, electrical engineer Jeremy, who previously worked at Diamond Kinetics as a platform and mechanical engineer, developed an economical platform that doesn’t need charging.
Game designer Andrew is responsible for keeping the technology fun for users, while Gord is the physicist who created the engine that records every tap, roll, and bounce of the ball. Before contributing to the creation of Ball 2 and co-founding Sperry Labs in December 2018, the Messiah University graduate, Andrew Brown, worked as a Product Manager and Game Designer at Play Impossible. He co-founded oobgolf in 2006 and served as a Director of Member Services at SkyGolf between 2009 and 2011. Andrew also has experience at Electronic Arts (EA), first as an Associate Producer and later as a Senior Product Manager.
Kevin is also a Messiah University graduate and had collaborated with Andrew at oobgolf and Play Impossible before they co-founded Sperry Labs together. Kevin’s other places of employment include Universal Mind, Comcast, Brightcove, The Naugle Group, and AirCare Labs. Around 2023, all five founding members began working on Ball 2 without raising any outside capital, funding the project entirely themselves. While the first version of the product was reportedly shipped in December, it was officially launched in February 2026 at the New York City Toy Fair.
During a conversation with Pulse 2.0, Kevin explained the features of Ball 2, stating, “Ball 2 is a soft, durable foam ball with embedded sensors, Bluetooth connectivity, and a conversational artificial intelligence experience that enables players to create any game that they can imagine. Using simple voice interaction, through a companion app, players can ask Ball 2 to invent a game, change the rules, or make adjustments based on how many people are involved and where they are playing. Unlike traditional video games that center on structured, isolated gameplay, Ball 2 embraces active, creative, and social play. The technology stays mostly in the background, supporting imagination, movement, and collaboration rather than replacing them.”
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Ball 2: Where Are They Now?
Since its launch, Ball 2 has been making a significant mark, especially among kids and teenagers. In the aforementioned interview, Kevin Langdon talked about the evolution of the ball’s technology, explaining, “The Ball 2 app is also updated weekly. So we are constantly improving and evolving the product. We are currently very excited about features like support for multiple ball games. New enhanced graphics that players can use in their own games. And more deep learning to enhance the Ball 2’s role in the classroom.” The product has received praise from various media outlets, such as Tom’s Guide, Yahoo! Tech, The Standard Journal, Pulse 2.0, The Sentinel, and more.
When asked about what he considers the company’s most significant milestones, he responded, “The largest milestone to date has been getting the first balls into customers’ hands.” He also expressed his excitement about the 2026 Holiday Season, during which they will ramp up production of what he called “the best gift of the year.” The Ball 2 is available in two variants — one without AI and the other with AI. Both of them can be purchased on the official website of Ball 2, with Ball 2 + AI for $69 and Ball 2 (without AI) for $49.
