The COVID-19 enforced lockdown has seen a sudden spur in the esports business. With that has shot up the investments in the esports industry. The month of May has alone witnessed disclosed funding worth thousands of million dollar.
Esports Insider has compiled a list of the major disclosed investments in the esports industry during the month of May as celebrities and venture capitalists rushed to own a piece of the pie in the fastest-growing sports business. Companies merged together to consolidate, and acquisitions become pretty common.
Danish tournament organiser BLAST led the investments with a funding round worth $ 14 mn (€ 12.5 mn). The round was led by Johan Gedda, CEO and Co-founder of Rocket Software, and Danish investment fund Vækstfonden. European venture capital firms Creandum, Heartcore, and Maki – existing investors in the company – rounded out the funding with further investment.
Vodafone Giants raises $3.3 mn
Spanish Vodafone Giants closed the latest round with $3.3 mn funding with the Sánchez Cózar Group being the sole investor. Vodafone Giants will use the funds to build headquarters in its place of origin, Malaga, as well as to continue expanding internationally and “develop new products.”
Vodafone Giants also acquired x6tence. The company in an integration will onboard x6tence managers and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster. The acquisition is said to be a “strategic movement that brings together in one company two of the most important emblems in Spain of the esports sector”.
Luis Robles invests in Luckbox
Major League Soccer Inter Miami goalkeeper Luis Robles has made an investment in esports bookmaker Luckbox. Financial terms of the investment were not made public though.
Elsewhere, We Are Nations launched an investment vehicle for esports – Nations Ventures. The Nations Ventures will invest in early-stage companies that don’t compete with the core business of We Are Nations.
In another major development, Torque Esports Corp., Frankly Inc., and WinView Inc. have completed of a merger six months after revealing that it was being pursued.
Amuka Esports has also announced the launch of its $500,000 private placement offering on DealSquare, a centralised digital platform to access capital within the private markets.