(Alliance News) - Tekcapital PLC on Thursday said its portfolio company Innovative Eyewear Inc has appointed pundit and former Premier League footballer Micah Richards as a brand ambassador.

Tekcapital is a London-based intellectual property investor with a 40% stake in Innovative Eyewear, a Miami-based developer of ChatGPT-enabled eyewear and smartglass apps under the Lucyd, Nautica, Eddie Bauer and Reebok brands. ChatGPT is backed by Microsoft Corp.

Tekcapital said the appointment of Richards is part of of the global marketing strategy to "continue the momentum of record sales growth" in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Richard is a former England international footballer, playing most of his career at Manchester City FC, before becoming a broadcaster for outlets such as Sky Sports, CBS Sports and BBC Sport.

"Few 21st century soccer personalities are as entertaining and popular as Micah. His energetic personality and love for sport complements the Lucyd brand," said Innovative Eyewear Chief Executive Officer Harrison Gross.

"We are thrilled to work with him to share our mission of safe and seamless smart eyewear worldwide. We believe Micah will help us reach new athletes and sports fans and increase our brand awareness."

Richards commented: "I am excited to partner with Innovative Eyewear to advance a new generation of smart glasses that enhance almost any physical activity with seamless open-ear audio and ChatGPT, all while protecting and correcting your vision."

Shares in Tekcapital were down 0.5% to 8.21 pence each in London on Thursday late morning.

By Greg Rosenvinge, Alliance News senior reporter

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