GoPro to be acquired for $285M, will remain a public company

erek

erek

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"Starman Optical was only incorporated in Delaware on August 31, while Starman New Photonics appears to have been created in 2025 and is building a manufacturing facility in New Jersey.

“Advanced optics and imaging are essential to AI, national security, and the broader economy, yet much of the critical hardware supporting these technologies continues to be manufactured overseas,” Charles Tebele, the CEO of Starman Holdings, said in a statement. “The combination of GoPro’s world-class optical expertise and intellectual property with Starman’s advanced transceiver capabilities and U.S. manufacturing platform creates a unique opportunity. Together, we intend to bring production of these critical components back to the United States.”

GoPro went public in 2014, when its action cameras were selling millions of units per year. In the decade since, the company tried branching into new categories like drones and 360-degree cameras, but it didn’t find much luck with either. GoPro then refocused on high-performing versions of its action cameras, and kept them targeted at pros, prosumers, and athletes, but it had to conduct multiple rounds of layoffs as it narrowed the business.



In June, GoPro warned shareholders that it may go out of business without new funding. The following month, founder and CEO Nick Woodman said he was putting $20 million into the business to keep things going.

“We expect this merger to enable GoPro to grow across consumer, commercial and defense markets as a leading American imaging and optical solutions company, addressing important areas of national security related to cameras, optics and AI infrastructure. We’re excited to combine with the Starman team to capitalize on this opportunity and play an important role in America’s future,” Woodman said in a statement."

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/01/gopro-to-be-acquired-for-285m-will-remain-a-public-company/
 
polonyc2 said:
I didn't realize they were struggling so much...I guess the advanced smartphone cameras killed the need for a GoPro
Click to expand...

“GoPro Says It's Moving Into Data Centers As Part of a $285 Million Merger​

BeauHD 42 minutes ago		2
GoPro plans to expand into AI infrastructure through a $285 million merger with optical-photonics company Starman Optical, whose transceivers will give the action-camera maker a foothold in the fast-growing data center market. GoPro also plans to push into defense, robotics, aerospace, and government markets while continuing its existing camera business. Engadget reports: Starman's optical transceivers are expected to fall under its umbrella, "extending the Company's reach into the large and rapidly growing market for AI infrastructure in optical transceivers," according to a press release. GoPro is also planning a push into the defense, government, robotics and aerospace sectors, bolstered by the combined company's IP, optics and imaging capabilities.

[...] As Reuters notes, GoPro briefly reached a valuation of $4 billion on its first day as a publicly traded company in 2014. Its stock has struggled in recent years, but the share price received a boost on Monday when it was revealed that YouTuber and filmmaker Markiplier (Mark Fischbach) had become GoPro's largest individual shareholder after acquiring an 8.5 percent stake. The move follows a similar pivot made by the struggling shoe retailer Allbirds in April when it announced a pivot to AI compute infrastructure, sending the stock soaring more than 700%.”
 
polonyc2 said:
I didn't realize they were struggling so much...I guess the advanced smartphone cameras killed the need for a GoPro
Click to expand...
They are also nearly a one-time-ever purchase.
Once you get one which meets the quality level you need-------you might never have to buy another one.
I bet most of the athletes/prosumers whom bought one, only ever upgraded one time over the course of a decade. And since GoPro went public------that sort of business won't keep the shareholders happy.
 
M76 said:
More like DJI and Insta360 killed Gopro.
Click to expand...

Almost every motorcycle guy doing reviews and other types of videos has switched to the Insta360. It is just so much better for what they do and they're constantly raving about the things. I have a GoPro at home that sits on the shelf and barely gets used. I used it a bunch when I first got it but since then just haven't had much purpose. I might install it on the motorcycle as a dash cam if the mood takes me but I have no interest in buying a new one. If I was going to buy now I'd go with an Insta360 for sure. They just leap-frogged GoPro. GoPro just sat on their asses and enjoyed their dominance for way too long.
 
We had a Gopro for the race car, only ever had to replace it once do the car going upside down and forcing the camera through the roof, it still worked but the case was damaged. They are good cameras, but we really never felt a need to upgrade it.
 
Anecdotal opinion, a fishing YouTuber I watch sometimes changed all his gear from GoPro to insta360 because the GoPro stuff would constantly overheat. (They also sent it over for free when he asked for some gear so there’s that).

I preferred the video he shot with his GoPro gear, but there’s any number of reasons that could change image presentation.

Those DJI sticks though always look good from the people that post content with them.
 
This is a good example of hating companies going public. They could have just been a good pro camera company. Did that great and made some money doing it. The quest for more money and growth did them in. Someone retired big for it though I guess. Just seems silly.
 
I have always used gopro and love their cameras, I have used then offshore fishing for years.
 
I'm in agreement with many that GoPro missed multiple opportunities to expand their lineup to encompass other market areas; drones being a big one. Sitting on their laurels instead of innovation bit them in the long run.
 
They just launched a new camera, looks pretty impressive. Waiting on some more reviews.
 
It was their market to lose, and they lost it. The name has value though. It's like Kleenex, many people call any action cam a Gopro regardless of manufacturer.
 
I have used GoPro's since they came out, they are a long way from dead.
I ,for one, am glad they did not get into the drone crap and just do cameras.

The new camera is the Mission 1 Pro. Just bought one .
mission2.jpg
------
Very impressive little camera !

Bigger than the standard GoPro; shown next to my Hero12 black

mission1.jpg
---
https://gopro.com/en/us/shop/cameras#blt63014a59c6835ee1

:D
 
Very good that will be my next camera Mission 1, the only difference with the Pro is more FPS on certain resolutions, which I do not need. Looks like the battery life and overheating have been fixed.
 
We will soon find out.

The overheating issues were in the Hero 10 and 11 models ( I owned both )
They fixed the overheating issue in the 12 black, primarily by removing the GPS.
 
polonyc2 said:
I didn't realize they were struggling so much...I guess the advanced smartphone cameras killed the need for a GoPro
Click to expand...
It got too comfy on its hill above everyone else and did nothing to innovate, like many companies do, Rumba, GoPro now...

GoPro took off because of extreme sports and it was kind of a first product that did what it said.. but then was also plagued with issues over the years...
 
I did hear the 13 black overheated too....Not sure about why. Once I had used the 12 black and verified it's stability I bought like 6 of em for my ski crew.
The 12's are very nice cameras, not one of us had a problem. We are still using them.
-
I did some 8k60 recording today, just about to checkout the footage, but that's a different thread.
....But just for the record, the mission1 pro was barely warm after 2 mins.
----

I have nothing but respect for GoPro, and I'd never buy a cheap imitator.

Long live GoPro !

goproooo.jpg

🤣
 
I can't wait to get the Mission 1, I still have an old silver4 for going offshore, it does great if hooked up to a usb cable the batteries are junk. 1080p - 60 still looks good. I still have to first hand held stabilizers, worked awesome.
 
I've got a GoPro (HERO9 Black) on my motorcycle. I was trying to use it as a "dash cam", and it was TERRIBLE at it. Image quality was fantastic. Stabilization was top notch. But little software issues kept it from being any good.

1) Every time you turn it on, you must set the clock. Not an issue if you keep a battery in it, but if there's a battery AND a hardwired power feed, it will drain the battery, then turn off - it does NOT automatically charge or swap between power feeds. Adds about 30s to taking off for a trip.
2) If you kill your bike taking off from a stop light in the wrong gear (*cough*NotThatIveEverDoneThat*cough*) you have to manually turn it back on, and set the clock again, then wait for it to try and repair the previous clip, then start recording again... While riding.
3) I had it set to record in 1 minute clips. What would actually happen is it would record 37 seconds, then do nothing for 3 minutes, then record a 52 second clip, then do nothing for 12 seconds, then record a 48 second clip... I couldn't trust it to have the data.
4) Every time I turned off the bike, I'd have to turn off the GoPro first or else the latest clip would get corrupted. The shutdown cycle took either a few seconds or several minutes depending on how it felt that day.
5) The official suction cup mount wouldn't stay on the tank. Ended up buying the handlebar mount which works, but the suction cup mount ALSO wouldn't stay on my car's body panels. Or the windshield. It was a complete waste.
6) The official batteries only last a few weeks before refusing to hold a charge. The aftermarket ones have lasted 2 years to date, but that could be because I don't keep one in the camera anymore, they just sit in a desk drawer for the most part.

It was just a terrible dash cam. Videos that were captured were fantastic. Top notch, first rate, couldn't ask for anything better. But man, TERRIBLE as a dash cam.
 
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TeeJayHoward said:
I've got a GoPro (HERO9 Black) on my motorcycle. I was trying to use it as a "dash cam", and it was TERRIBLE at it. Image quality was fantastic. Stabilization was top notch. But little software issues kept it from being any good.

1) Every time you turn it on, you must set the clock. Not an issue if you keep a battery in it, but if there's a battery AND a hardwired power feed, it will drain the battery, then turn off - it does NOT automatically charge or swap between power feeds. Adds about 30s to taking off for a trip.
2) If you kill your bike taking off from a stop light in the wrong gear (*cough*NotThatIveEverDoneThat*cough*) you have to manually turn it back on, and set the clock again, then wait for it to try and repair the previous clip, then start recording again... While riding.
3) I had it set to record in 1 minute clips. What would actually happen is it would record 37 seconds, then do nothing for 3 minutes, then record a 52 second clip, then do nothing for 12 seconds, then record a 48 second clip... I couldn't trust it to have the data.
4) Every time I turned off the bike, I'd have to turn off the GoPro first or else the latest clip would get corrupted. The shutdown cycle took either a few seconds or several minutes depending on how it felt that day.
5) The official suction cup mount wouldn't stay on the tank. Ended up buying the handlebar mount which works, but the suction cup mount ALSO wouldn't stay on my car's body panels. Or the windshield. It was a complete waste.
6) The official batteries only last a few weeks before refusing to hold a charge. The aftermarket ones have lasted 2 years to date, but that could be because I don't keep one in the camera anymore, they just sit in a desk drawer for the most part.

It was just a terrible dash cam. Videos that were captured were fantastic. Top notch, first rate, couldn't ask for anything better. But man, TERRIBLE as a dash cam.
Click to expand...

That's good information. Honestly, that was my biggest worry with trying to use a GoPro as a dash cam on my motorcycle. I've used mine mountain biking many times and yeah the image quality is amazing but even while biking it turns itself off frequently when you're not recording and then when you want to it takes what feels like ages to start up and get recording again. The power thing is troubling as well. That was going to be my plan ... plug it in and leave the battery in as well. Oh well. I'll probably do a test as I have a later model but mine has the same issues, which it probably does, then I'll just buy a real dash cam.
 
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