Caffeine

Caffeine is an online broadcasting and streaming service which officially launched in November 2019. The platform applies a social and interactive spin to live streaming to enhance the creation, consumption, and sharing of live content mainly relating to esports and entertainment.  

The company was co-founded by former lead product designer for Apple TV and co-founder of search engine ‘Chomp’ (acquired by Apple in 2012) Ben Keighran, in collaboration with Sam Roberts who was a senior user experience designer at Apple. 

Caffeine’s publication tool does not require third-party software or stream keys or multiple screens compared to its peers such as Twitch. Further, content can be streamed directly from the browser or a smartphone and Caffeine leverages WebRTC—an open framework that allows real-time communication—along with a self-built video distribution network which reduces latency compared to its peers. 

Caffeine formed a joint venture with its investor Fox Sports to create Caffeine studios. Caffeine studios will produce content which is then fed to the audience on Caffeine. The platform will benefit from the expertise Fox has of broadcasting live sporting events, which can be used in the production of esports events. Further, having the backing of a large media company will improve Caffeine’s chances of competing in the streaming market.

Caffeine’s latest Series D funding round of USD 113 million (raised in July 2020) was led by Fox Corporation and included participation from Andreessen Horowitz and Greylock Partners at a valuation of over USD 600 million.