To raise awareness about declining male fertility an innovative Los Angeles, American startup will host the world’s first sperm race on April 25 at the Hollywood Palladium, aiming to raise awareness through a microscopic competition billed as both sport and spectacle.
Sperm Racing, the organisers behind the event, have raised $1.5 million (R28.28m) from venture firms including Karatage and Figment Capital to stage the race, which pits sperm samples from rival universities UCLA and USC against each other on a 200mm racetrack mimicking the human reproductive system. The event, expected to draw over 1 000 spectators, will feature live-streamed visuals via high-resolution cameras, play-by-play commentary, leaderboards, instant replays, and betting.
Eric Zhu, the co-founder of Sperm Racing, in a statement. “Male fertility is declining… and nobody’s really talking about it. We’re turning health into a sport.”
In a manifesto, he said, "Sperm racing. two legends. one microscopic racetrack. motto: health is a race. everyone deserves a shot at the starting line. so, sperm racing. when people hear about it, they ask me the same thing every time: "wait, is this actually happening?" ...and the answer is always, "hell yeah, it is."
"But here's the thing. sperm racing isn't just a joke. it's not just some viral idea for the internet to laugh at. It's something much bigger. male fertility is declining. like, a lot. It's happening quietly, steadily, and nobody's really talking about it. and sperm motility - how fast your sperm moves - turns out to be a massive factor in fertility. it's measurable, trackable, and just like running a race or lifting a weight, it's something you can actually improve.
"But no one's turned it into something people care about. so we did. we're turning health into a sport. if you can train for sports -spend hours perfecting your form, pushing your body to its limits - then why can't you train your health too? why can't you measure it, improve it, compete in it? We're building t
he first-ever racetrack for sperm. two competitors. two samples. one microscopic finish line."
Zhu explains, "How the race works: we've designed a microscopic racetrack that mimics the reproductive system—chemical signals, fluid dynamics, synchronised starts. high-resolution cameras track every microscopic move. it's all live-streamed, complete with stats, leaderboards, and instant replays. the winner? the sperm that crosses the finish line first, verified by advanced imaging. the stakes have never been smaller—or bigger..."
The startup’s manifesto highlights a global decline in male fertility, with sperm counts dropping over 50% in the past 50 years due to factors like stress, poor diet, and chemical exposure. Sperm motility, a key fertility factor, is measurable and improvable, and the event aims to make it a topic of public interest.
The race, blending Silicon Valley’s biohacking ethos with viral marketing, has sparked debate. Critics question whether the funds could better serve clinical research, while supporters see it as a bold way to destigmatize male fertility discussions.
Led by Zhu, crypto entrepreneur Nick Small, Shane Fan of Waterfall Market, and former MrBeast team member Garret Niconienko, Sperm Racing promises a “weirdly entertaining” event that could redefine health advocacy.
BUSINESS REPORT