Y Combinator is a startup accelerator that invests in a large number of startups twice a year. It created a new model for funding startups. Twice a year, the company invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups. The startup accelerator works intensively with the companies for three months, to get them into the best possible shape and refine their pitch to investors. Each cycle culminates in Demo Day when the startups present their companies to a carefully selected, invite-only audience.

Y Combinator

Makers Fund is a global interactive entertainment venture capital firm focused on early stage investments. The team supports founders through an extensive network and deep experience in the industry.

Makers Fund

VentureSouq (VSQ) is a MENA-based venture capital fund manager with a global portfolio. VSQ manages thematic funds, with a current focus on FinTech and ClimateTech.

VentureSouq

E14 Fund are an investment fund focused on taking the biggest ideas hatched at MIT, deploying them to the real world, and scaling them for greatest impact.  At the E14 Fund, they help bring technologies out of the lab and into the world. Their network of advisors—investors, industry experts, and entrepreneurs—help their companies take prototypes to scale and raise further investment.  The E14 Fund supports companies across diverse fields—from biotechnology and smart cities to consumer electronics and manufacturing. They are a bridge that builds entrepreneurs from MIT and creates the paths to connect them with investors and industry experts who can help them scale. They believe diversity and inclusion are the seeds of innovation. Half of their companies have a female founder, and more than half have founders are from outside the United States.

The E14 Fund

byFounders is an early stage venture fund actively investing in tech startups across the Nordics and Baltics. Made up of some of the region's most accomplished entrepreneurs, the byFounders Collective invests and supports the next generation of globally ambitious founders - it's ''for founders, byFounders''

byFounders

Rune

Dusk is the best place to talk and play multiplayer games with your friends. Users hang out on Dusk’s mobile app, sharing laughs on our voice chat as they play indie multiplayer games together!  Developers use the Dusk SDK to build multiplayer games without needing a single line of backend code.

Rune is an artificial intelligence (AI) based platform with voice chat that allows gamers to find other mobile game players. The company claims that players have spent around 50,000 hours on its platform since its March 2019 launch. The company is a Y Combinator accelerator grad and had backing from the Makers Fund in its seed funding round of USD 2 million.

A foundational component to the next generation of digital entertainment.

Esports

Warez group Rune leaks full Starfield PC release on torrent sites clocking at 116GB

Stakester is a platform for gamers to compete against one another for cash prizes. The platform was launched in May 2020 and is currently available in 38 US states, the UK, and Singapore. As of November 2020, the platform has more than 15,000 users. Stakester has also established partnerships with ESL (Electronic Sports League) and GameByte (competitive gaming community).Stakester’s management includes Gary J. Foreman (co-founder of Rockstar Games) and Alan Patmore (former EVP and GM at Humble Bundle, GM of Mafia Wars and CityVille at Zynga), who joined as a strategic advisor and board member in June 2020.In November 2020, the company raised USD 2.7 million in seed funding led by RTP Global with participation from angel investors Jens Lapinski (CEO of Angel Invest and former MD of Techstars) and Chris Adelsbach (founding partner at Outrun Ventures and venture partner at Techstars). The funds will be used to grow its community by increasing the value of prizes on the platform. In addition, the company plans to expand its platform to Australia and Germany in the near future.

Stakester

Peru-based ESGPlay operates an esports platform that creates competitive esports tournaments.

ESGPlay

eMasters is a Brazilian esports platform that facilitates the creation of esports competitions with cash prizes. The platform supports games including League of Legends, Dota 2, and FIFA 19.

eMasters

Gaming Frog is a console based online esports tournament platform. The platform offers single player and multiplayer competitive matchups for cash prizes in FIFA.The platform officially launched in August 2019 and since has seen over 1,500 matches being played on the platform.Since launch, the platform claims to have attracted 3,500 users. The company has raised USD 150,000 from friends and family and is in the process of raising a USD 400,000 seed round. The company outlined plans to launch on Android, expand its development team, integrate artificial intelligence (AI), introduce a membership model and bring in NBA and Madden games into the platform.

Gaming Frog

NAG Studios is a Swedish startup focused on creating esports games and platforms. It was founded by esports and gaming industry veterans Peter Stahl (former head of development at Resolution Games, a game studio focused on augmented and virtual reality) and Johan Skott (former esports product owner at Tobii Tech, a unit of technology company Tobii AB). NAG’s vision entails building an esports game and platform which will incorporate the community (i.e., professional players, streamers, broadcasters, and viewers) from the beginning of the development process.The company raised USD 1 million in an extended pre-seed funding round led by London Venture Partners in October 2020. The company aims to use the funds to build its development team.

NAG Studios

Companies facilitating communication among esports players or between players and esports communities during gameplay.

Companies operating esports arenas and providing technical expertise for hosting and broadcasting competitive leagues and tournaments. 

Companies facilitating competitive online and in-person esports tournaments.

Companies producing and broadcasting esports related content.

Companies recruiting players to form professional teams and rosters for esports tournaments and leagues.

Companies developing esports related titles.

Commonly used in the tournament platforms segment to match players of equal skill

Rune

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