Addison’s Batbox launches its first Topgolf-style baseball venue in September—and soon its simulators may be in hotel lobbies and airports too, all connected through one digital network.

Think Topgolf, but for baseball. That’s Batbox’s current model: full restaurants where groups eat, drink, and take swings in simulator cages.

Now the Addison-based company wants to be everywhere else, too. With $3 million in new funding from EMERGING, Batbox announced plans to license smaller, self-serve simulators to hotels, airports, and office buildings starting this quarter.

“We’re no longer just about our venues,” founder and CEO Jose D. Vargas said in a statement. The bigger vision: Connect hundreds of locations—from full Batbox restaurants to quick-play hotel lobby units—through one network where players maintain profiles and stats across any location.

The latest funding brings Batbox’s total raised to more than $10 million, including a previous $7.3 million Series A. The company’s first U.S. venue, opening in September in Addison, will span 13,207 square feet with 10 simulators and employ 70 people. Groups of up to 18 can reserve bays for three-, six-, or nine-inning games.

The follow-on investment from Dallas-based EMERGING, one of Batbox’s largest backers, allows the company to secure full ownership of its core technology and IP, including key patents and software rights. That positions Batbox to roll out its proprietary software platform and launch the licensing program that could transform “underutilized square footage” into revenue generators.

From Monterrey to North Texas

Players compete in Batbox’s tech-powered simulators, which track individual stats and profiles across locations in the company’s planned network. [Photo: BATBOX]

Batbox began when SIMCo, a Monterrey-based golf simulator distributor, launched its first Batbox venue in Mexico in 2019 before establishing U.S. headquarters in Addison in 2022, as Dallas Innovates reported last year.

The simulators feature the company’s proprietary technology for full games, home run derbies, and pitching contests, with players maintaining individual profiles and avatars across the network. “This is not just a new phase for Batbox. It is a new model for the sport itself,” Vargas said in June, when the company first announced that its platform will power and connect flagship destinations, licensed partners, and self-serve installations worldwide. With its new technology, Vargas sees a “new immersive era” for baseball that turns the sport from “something you watch into something you live.” 

The first pilots of the new Batbox Suite will roll out in Q4. The self-serve simulator format targets lobbies, lounges, and other overlooked spaces that can be activated without staff or kitchens. The company reports strong early demand from sports, hospitality, and retail partners.

“What we’ve seen since has only confirmed that this is a category-defining company,” EMERGING founding Managing Partner Mathew Focht said. The firm, which invests in restaurant-entertainment concepts and restaurant technology, previously backed Batbox’s first U.S. venue launch.

Batbox features sports-tainment with baseball simulators alongside food and beverage service. [Photo: BATBOX]

EMERGING, one of Batbox’s largest backers to date, invests in restaurant-entertainment concepts and restaurant technology companies.

Batbox said the investment sets the stage for a Series B round within 12 months as it targets growth across stadiums, hotels, commercial developments, and other high-traffic destinations.

Sportstainment and moving into MLB markets

The company plans to open more than 25 U.S. locations by 2030, primarily in Major League Baseball markets including Dallas, Houston, and Boston, according to the Dallas Business Journal.

What’s ahead for the sportstainment company? Support international tournaments, live events, and a global leaderboard that allows players to compete, track progress, and share their experience from any location. As the network grows, Batbox says, it’s laying the foundation for global competition and content-driven engagement. With its technology, “every swing, every player, every moment is now connected,” Vargas says.

Batbox’s first U.S. venue opens in Addison this September, with plans for 25+ locations in Major League Baseball markets by 2030. [Rendering: Batbox]

Quincy Preston contributed to this report.

The story was updated at 9:30 a.m., August 13, 2025, to include information about Batbox’s proprietary technology.

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