Tri-city Chili Peppers

What Tri-city Chili Peppers does

Tri-City Chili Peppers is a privately held, founder-owned sports entertainment organization based in Colonial Heights and Petersburg, Virginia, operating a Coastal Plain League (CPL) collegiate summer baseball team and the proprietary 'Cosmic Baseball' entertainment concept. Established in 2022 by Chris Martin, the organization runs the Cosmic Takeover Tour — a traveling, glow/neon-themed baseball product that visits ballparks across the United States under a lottery-based ticketing system, with the 2026 tour scheduled for 20+ venues including major minor-league stadiums such as Sahlen Field, CHS Field, Huntington Park, and Polar Park.

The core technology and product is the Cosmic Baseball Experience: theatrical, glow-in-the-dark themed games featuring special lighting, visual effects, themed nights (Cosmic Night, Mardi Gras Night, Military Appreciation, Fireworks), fireworks, and fan engagement programming. Supporting products include the Cosmic Lottery (signup-based chance to purchase tickets), Ticket Packs (four-game bundles in Pack #1 and Pack #2 configurations), and FloSports streaming for live and on-demand game broadcast. Distribution operates through a self-serve lottery channel, a dedicated group sales team, an e-commerce merchandise storefront at shopchilipeppers.com, and social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) under the @gochilipeppers handles.

The business model combines one-time ticket purchases (lottery and packs), merchandise sales, group outing revenue, and sponsorships including a 'Presented by FloSports' presentation rights deal. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and ticket acquisition is gated through the cosmic lottery signup. Revenue is reported only in aggregate via the Coastal Plain League membership; the company is bootstrapped with no external institutional investors, parent company, or disclosed funding rounds. The organization employs approximately 18-20 staff across operations, sales, merchandise, marketing, and coaching, with leadership drawn from prior roles at Savannah Bananas, Jacksonville Jaguars, Capital One, LA Clippers, and the San Francisco Giants organization.

Name

Tri-city Chili Peppers

Legal name

Tri-City Chili Peppers

Website

https://chilipeppersbaseball.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Tri-City Chili Peppers is a privately held Virginia-based sports entertainment company that operates a Coastal Plain League collegiate baseball team and the proprietary Cosmic Baseball traveling tour, serving families and baseball fans across 20+ US cities through lottery-based ticketing, themed games, merchandise, and FloSports streaming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Sports Entertainment

NAICS

Spectator Sports (7112), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAGAMAA

Professional Live Sports Leagues & Tours

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Live Sports Events

Keywords

• Live baseball entertainment
• Themed sports events
• Collegiate summer baseball
• Team merchandise sales
• Sports ticketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Colonial Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue through lottery-based ticket purchasing system for cosmic baseball games. Ticket packs available in multiple tiers (Pack #1, Pack #2) with various game dates and themes.
2. Merchandise Sales: Online merchandise store selling team jerseys, hats, shirts, and other branded apparel through shopchilipeppers.com
3. Group Sales: Dedicated group sales team offering tailored ticketing experiences for organizations and group outings
4. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships including presentation rights (e.g., 'Presented by FloSports' for broadcasts)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tri-City Chili Peppers stages glow-in-the-dark, theatrically produced collegiate baseball games under the "Cosmic Baseball" brand, delivered both as a Coastal Plain League home schedule at Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights, VA and as a multi-city Cosmic Takeover Tour visiting stadiums across the US. The core commercial offering consists of ticketed live events (sold through a lottery system and pre-packaged ticket bundles), dedicated group sales, official branded merchandise, and live broadcasts via FloSports.

Product overview

Tri-city Chili Peppers operates as a theatrical baseball entertainment company featuring the Cosmic Baseball experience, a glow-in-the-dark baseball product combining professional sports with entertainment performances. The core offering is the Cosmic Takeover Tour, a traveling exhibition baseball series visiting stadiums across multiple cities. Supporting products include the Cosmic Lottery ticketing system, Ticket Packs (Pack #1 and Pack #2) for multiple-game access, official Merchandise including jerseys and apparel, and FloSports streaming for live game viewing. The company competes in the Coastal Plain League.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cosmic Baseball Experience A theatrical, glow-in-the-dark collegiate baseball entertainment experience featuring neon-lit games with themed nights, fireworks, special lighting, and entertainment-focused production for fans and families.
• Cosmic Takeover Tour A traveling baseball exhibition tour bringing the Cosmic Baseball experience to stadiums across multiple cities nationwide, supported by a lottery-based ticketing system and themed game nights.
• Official Team Merchandise Official branded apparel and merchandise including jerseys, hats, t-shirts, kids apparel, and specialty items available in both standard Chili Peppers and Cosmic Baseball product lines, sold through the online storefront.

Quantifiable outcome

• First cosmic baseball teams launched successfully

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Coastal Plain League (CPL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTri-City Chili Peppers are a member team of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays regular CPL season games at Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights, VA.
• FloSportscoreTechnology or IntegrationFloSports is the streaming partner for Cosmic Baseball games, broadcasting live action and providing the 'Watch Live Now' functionality on the website. Presented by FloSports branding on the website.
• Various Host Venues (Shepherd Stadium, Truist Field, Huntington Park, etc.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2026 Cosmic Takeover Tour partners with 20+ ballparks across the US to host cosmic baseball games at their venues. Venues include Sahlen Field (Buffalo), CHS Field (St. Paul), Principal Park (Des Moines), Huntington Park (Columbus), Polar Park (Worcester), and many others.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Coastal Plain League: Tri-City Chili Peppers is a member team of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The league itself is the operating ecosystem peer, governing schedule, rules and standards that shape Tri-City's regular season economics.
• Indoor Football League: The Indoor Football League is a lower-tier professional American football league composed of small-market franchises dependent on local entertainment economics. They are a useful comparable for the operating dynamics of a small, independent, entertainment-driven sports property.

Emerging players

• Fan Controlled Football: Fan Controlled Football is an alternative football league built around fan engagement, technology and entertainment differentiation. They are comparable as a small, IP-driven league experimenting with audience-led formats in entertainment sports.
• Athletes Unlimited: Athletes Unlimited operates innovative, fan-engagement-driven professional sports leagues (softball, volleyball, basketball, lacrosse) with player-centric formats. They are comparable as an emerging sports operator building new IP-led league formats in entertainment-forward ways.
• Big3 Basketball: Big3 operates a 3-on-3 professional basketball league with entertainment-driven formats, marquee former players and a touring model. They share Tri-City's positioning of live sports as a spectacle-forward consumer product.

Direct peers

• Trenton Thunder: The Trenton Thunder transitioned from a traditional minor-league affiliate to an independent entertainment-led baseball brand featuring theme nights, celebrity guest appearances and fan experience programming — a comparable playbook to Tri-City's themed cosmic game nights.
• Savannah Bananas: The Savannah Bananas operate Banana Ball, the most prominent entertainment-focused baseball brand in the US with a national sold-out tour, theatrical game production and a merchandise-forward business model. They are the closest comparable to Tri-City Chili Peppers' Cosmic Baseball concept, both competing for the same family entertainment baseball consumer.
• Kane County Cougars: The Kane County Cougars are an independent minor-league baseball team that has repositioned around entertainment, theme nights and family-focused game experience. They are a comparable independent baseball operator experimenting with entertainment-led differentiation similar to Cosmic Baseball.
• Fresno Grizzlies: The Fresno Grizzlies are an independent minor-league team that has leaned into entertainment, theme nights and stadium experience innovation. They share Tri-City's positioning of baseball as a live entertainment product rather than purely a sporting contest.

Broad incumbents

• Premier Lacrosse League: The Premier Lacrosse League built a touring, entertainment-focused professional sports product with strong production values and national broadcast. They are a comparable newer sports league prioritizing fan experience and tour economics over traditional single-venue models.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GoChiliPeppers
• Instagraminstagram.com/gochilipeppers
• TikToktiktok.com/@gochilipeppers
• Xx.com/GoChiliPeppers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cosmic-sports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tri-city Chili Peppers