GoPro has been bought by Starman Holding, a diversified holding company with ties to phone case brands like Incipio and Incase, in a $285 million cash deal characterized as a merger. GoPro CEO Nick Woodman is now positioning the company as an imaging and optics business serving national security, AI infrastructure, and aerospace markets rather than just consumer action cameras. The deal follows closely on the heels of YouTuber Markiplier becoming GoPro's largest shareholder without disclosing it in a sponsored review.
GoPro's stock jumped sharply after disclosures showed that YouTube star Markiplier now holds the largest individual stake in the company. The rally continued into premarket trading, pushing shares to their highest level since early January.
YouTuber Mark 'Markiplier' Fischbach has purchased an 8.5 percent stake in GoPro, making him the camera maker's biggest shareholder, according to Bloomberg. He told the outlet he views GoPro as undervalued and frames the investment as supporting his broader goal of making filmmaking more accessible, following his debut feature film Iron Lung.
GoPro's new Mission 1 Pro ILS shares the same 8K/60 video, 1-inch sensor, open-gate recording and 960fps burst mode as the standard Mission 1 Pro, but swaps the fixed lens for a mount compatible with over 300 Micro Four Thirds lenses. The camera keeps the same battery and rear display, though attaching a lens adds bulk and weight depending on which optic is used.
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