GoPro pivots to defense as Starman Holding completes $285 million buyout

CEO Nick Woodman is rebranding the company as an imaging and optical solutions provider, signaling a shift toward national security, AI infrastructure, and advanced optics. Starman Holding CEO Charles Tebele framed the acquisition as a strategic merger designed to repatriate manufacturing of critical optical components to the United States. This pivot follows GoPro’s April announcement regarding its entry into defense and aerospace consulting, a move prompted by mounting debt and a significant loss in market valuation.

The parent company, Starman Holding, operates an intricate network of subsidiaries including Incipio, Incase, and Griffin. Its portfolio is tied to Onward Brands and the entity Digital Gadgets, the latter of which previously secured $637 million in government contracts for COVID-19 testing. The acquisition coincides with internal instability at GoPro, including the unexpected emergence of YouTuber Mark “Markiplier” Fischbach as the company’s largest shareholder, a development that preceded the buyout announcement by only one week.