How Sperm Racing Went Viral (450M+ Views) & Raised $10 Million
Description
Sperm Racing isn’t just a meme. It’s a $10M+ -backed startup turning male fertility into a competitive sport. In this episode of Sourcery, Eric Zhu (Founder & CEO) explains how the first race went viral with over 450M organic impressions, why sperm motility is a powerful biomarker for health, and how the company is scaling from spectacle to business.
The story has already caught the attention of 30-50M people, including some of the biggest names in culture and tech from Sam Altman, Tom Brady, Logan Paul, Theo Von, Kai Cenat, Bryan Johnson, & Justin Bieber. That kind of mainstream recognition is exactly what Eric and his team are leveraging to normalize conversations about fertility and men’s health.
From the first $1.5M race to their fresh $10M seed round led by Spartan, 9GAG, Animoca, FalconX, and Wintermute, Eric explains why reframing sperm as health could transform both wellness and entertainment.
We cover:
Why sperm health = overall health, & how biomarker competition could become mainstream
Going viral on $10k marketing spend and engineering cultural moments
Turning taboo into product: supplements, at-home tests, and a global sports brand
The future of celebrity races (Elon vs. Zuck sperm race?)
1. Eric Zhu: https://x.com/ericzhu105
2. Molly O’Shea: https://x.com/MollySOShea
3. Sourcery: https://x.com/sourceryvc
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(00:00 ) What is Sperm Racing?
(02:30 ) The $1.5M first race and viral proof of concept
(05:30 ) How $10k of marketing hit 450M views
(10:30 ) Raising $10M from Spartan, 9GAG, Animoca & others
(15:00 ) Engineering virality and attention arbitrage
(20:00 ) Business model: products, sponsorships, media rights
(28:00 ) Celebrities & dream matchups (Elon vs. Zuck)
(31:00 ) Male fertility as a mainstream health conversation
(35:00 ) Future of Sperm Racing: Vegas, UK, and global expansion
(40:00 ) Eric Zhu on building a viral sports brand