Rewired.GG Makes Europe’s Largest Ever esports Team Investment
Rewired.GG, the €50m esports venture fund that invests in the global growth of esports, is delighted to announce that it has invested a further €14 million into Team Vitality, taking its total investment to date to €34 million. Today also marks the opening of the new multi-million euro Team Vitality headquarters in Paris, called V.Hive, which will be open to the public. In a world’s first for an esports team, the 10,700 sq ft V.Hive has more than 530 sq ft of store front in the bustling heart of Paris, and will offer engaging esports discoveries and experiences to anyone who walks in.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191106005183/en/
Team Vitality Counter Strike players (from left to right): Alex 'ALEX' McMeekin, Cédric 'RpK' Guipouy, Mathieu 'ZywOo' Herbaut, Dan 'apEX' Madesclaire. (Photo: Business Wire)
Team Vitality is one of the biggest esports teams in Europe and boasts some of the world’s top esports players and coaches. It is one of only ten European esports teams in the League of Legends European Championship franchise; and has recently won the 2019 World Championship for Rocket League, won the 7th season of the prestigious ECS tournament for Counter-Strike:Global Offensive and took 3rd place in the 2019 FIFA World Championship. It is also one of only a few esports teams with blue chip sponsors such as Orange, Renault, Red Bull and adidas.
Rewired.GG forecasts that esports will rival traditional sports such as soccer and basketball and will be a major investment category for institutional investors, funds and investment managers. By 2020 it is estimated that the monthly global esports audience size will be nearly 600 million*, equivalent to the current global audience of the English Premier League.
Today’s investment, along with the €20 million that Team Vitality received from Rewired.GG in November 2018, is thought to be the largest investment into a European esports team to date. The Team, which was founded in 2013 with €10,000, aims to be one of the world’s first $1 billion esports teams.
The funds will be used to support the continued growth of Team Vitality as the team pursues further expansion across India and China, where it is acquiring new players and launching a network of esports academies. Funds will also be used to acquire new players and to launch new lines of merchandise globally: as well as opening V.Hive, the team has also today launched its first Team Vitality brand of limited-edition adidas trainers.
As with any major sport, the business of esports is based on media rights, advertising, prize money, merchandise, sponsorship and partnerships. Revenue from these are growing exponentially.
In 2017 it was estimated that esports generated $655 million in annual revenue, including 38% from sponsorships and 14% from media rights. By 2022, it is forecast that media rights will reach 40% of total esports revenue and that total global esports monetization will reach $3bn.*
CEO of Team Vitality, Nicolas Maurer said:
“In 2013 we started Team Vitality with €10,000. Today Team Vitality has built amazing teams that regularly win tournaments all over the world, and a strong brand that is backed by our amazing and dedicated fans and our premium sponsors. Receiving further backing by Rewired.GG after the initial investment of €20M in November 2018 is a testament to the strength not only of the team but also a comment on the growth of the sector as a whole. This investment will go towards continuing to turn Team Vitality into a global esports brand and we look forward to providing further updates on our future wins as we continue to pursue V for Victory.”
Amit Jain, Principal at Rewired.GG commented:
“Any industry with an audience that’s growing rapidly into hundreds of millions is hugely exciting and esports is no exception. We’ve seen the current esports trend many times before in the tech sector: first the number of eyeballs grows exponentially, and then full monetization comes later. We believe that esports is one of the world’s fastest growing industries today, and the success of teams like Team Vitality show that there is real opportunity for growth in this market. We are well on the way to building one of the world’s first billion-dollar esports teams.”
-ends-
Footnotes and References
*BBC
Video of esports world champion, Rocket League player Kyle ‘Scrub Killa’ Robertson, and esports super-coach Mike ‘Gregan’ Ellis, are available to embed into stories relating to this release, using these links:
Gregan: https://youtu.be/uLN4S1LFVgI
Scrub Killa: https://youtu.be/LSg-rwTeBHk
Images are available to download here and must be attributed to: Team Vitality: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ol4_J_pdo8S7c6W-YZ8tkgTrfOFPd4Xd
About Rewired.GG
Rewired.GG is an esports venture fund investing in the talent and ideas that are driving the global growth of esports. In November Rewired.GG 2018 backed European esports leader Team Vitality with €20m of investment to create a global esports brand. The investment thesis of the Rewired.GG esports venture fund is that esports is at an exciting tipping point. The NFL earns around $50 per fan, but that number for esports is only $3.20*. Rewired.GG predicts that this upside potential revenue growth per fan combined with rapidly growing global audiences with rapidly-growing spending power, will generate significant future returns.
About Team Vitality
Team Vitality is an international esports organisation that was founded by Nicolas Maurer and Fabien Devide in 2013. The team has players from ten different nationalities and boasts some of the biggest players in the world, including the world No.1 Fifa player, world No.1 CS:GO player, and the world champion Rocket League squad. Team Vitality players compete in a portfolio of 9 games with 10 competitive teams. Team Vitality's main League of Legends roster competes in the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), which they joined after purchasing Gambit Gaming's spot. They are sponsored by Orange, Red Bull, Renault and Adidas.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191106005183/en/
Contact information
To request interviews please use the contact details below:
Helen Tarbet / Simon Compton / Kim van Beeck / Hannah Ratcliff (Buchanan Communications)
rewired@buchanan.uk.com
+44 207 466 5000
About Business Wire
Business Wire(c) 2018 Business Wire, Inc., All rights reserved.
Business Wire, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the global leader in multiplatform press release distribution.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
H.I.G. Capital Announces the Sale of DGS S.p.A.11.6.2024 12:00:00 CEST | Press release
H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”), a leading global alternative investment firm with $62 billion of capital under management, is pleased to announce that an affiliate has signed a definitive agreement to sell its portfolio company, DGS S.p.A. (“DGS” or the “Group”), a leading firm in the Italian Information Technology market, to DGS Co-Founders and management team in partnership with ICG, a global alternative asset manager. Since its inception in 1997, DGShas supported blue-chip customers in the design, integration, and maintenance of complex IT systems, with a specialization in digital transformation and cybersecurity services. The Group currently has over 1,900 employees, revenues of approximately €300 million, and maintains a group of highly loyal clientele. During H.I.G.’s ownership, DGS has tripled in size and consolidated its position as a leading Italian firm in cybersecurity services and digital transformation. DGS offers its clients sophisticated and proprietary digital transformation
Evertas Names Nick Selby Head of European Underwriting11.6.2024 12:00:00 CEST | Press release
Evertas, the world’s first crypto insurance company, has named Nick Selby as its new Head of European Underwriting. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240611141887/en/ Nick Selby, Executive Vice President and Head of European Underwriting at Evertas (Photo: Business Wire) Selby, an accomplished information and physical security professional, brings two decades of expertise in public and private sector information security, physical security, and complex incident handling, as well as seven years of experience leading teams securing billions of dollars in cryptoassets. Previously, his roles included VP of the Software Assurance Practice at Trail of Bits, Chief Security Officer at Paxos Trust Company, and Director of Cyber Intelligence and Investigations at the NYPD Intelligence Bureau. “Nick is an extremely valuable addition to our European team,” said Evertas CEO and Co-Founder J. Gdanski. “His public and private
Owlet utvider globalt fotavtrykk med lanseringen av medisinsk-sertifisert Dream Sock™ i Storbritannia og over hele Europa11.6.2024 11:00:00 CEST | Pressemelding
Owlet, Inc. («Owlet» or the «Company») (NYSE:OWLT), pioneren innen smart spedbarnsovervåking, kunngjør i dag den britiske og europeiske lanseringen av Dream Sock. Dette er en smart babymonitor med levende helseavlesninger og varsler for friske spedbarn mellom 0-18 måneder og 2,5-13,6 kg. Dette innovative medisinske utstyret gir foreldre helse og viktig informasjon i sanntid, noe som gir uovertruffen trygghet. Denne pressemeldingen inneholder multimedia. Se hele pressemeldingen her: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240611820341/no/ (Photo: Business Wire) «Vi er svært stolte over å lansere Dream Sock til omsorgspersoner over hele Storbritannia og Europa og gi millioner av foreldre mer trygghet mens babyen sover,» sa Kurt Workman, Owlets administrerende direktør og medgründer. «Dream Sock er nå et globalt produkt som er anerkjent som medisinsk nøyaktig og trygt, etter å ha gjennomgått regulatoriske autorisasjoner og sertifiseringer innenfor flere geografier. I dag er misjonen vår
V-Nova Surpasses 1000 Patent Milestone in Media Technology Innovation11.6.2024 10:00:00 CEST | Press release
V-Nova, a leading provider of data compression solutions, video compression technology, XR technology, AI acceleration and parallel processing for a multitude of industries including media and entertainment, today announced its milestone achievement of 1000 active technology patents. This accomplishment underscores V-Nova’s dedication to research and development and its commitment to protecting its intellectual property globally. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240611724561/en/ V-Nova’s patent portfolio spans more than 50 different jurisdictions. Including over 400 patents in Europe, over 200 in the Americas, over 100 in the United States specifically, and over 200 in Asia. V-Nova forged new directions in data processing to enhance digital experiences, maximize efficiency, reduce costs, and increase sustainability. The company leads the way with key international data compression standards for the video indust
Alipay+ Reveals Top Scorer Trophy Design for UEFA EURO 2024™11.6.2024 09:24:00 CEST | Press release
Alipay+, a suite of cross-border mobile payment and digitalization technology solutions operated by Ant International and an Official Partner of UEFA EURO 2024™, today revealed the trophy that will be awarded to the most prolific marksman at the UEFA EURO 2024™ finale on July 14 in Berlin, Germany. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240610328619/en/ The UEFA Top Scorer Trophy presented by Alipay+ is unveiled for UEFA EURO 2024™ (Photo: Business Wire) Sculpted in the shape of the Chinese character “支” (pronounced zhi, and meaning payment as well as support), the trophy reflects Alipay+’s dedication to supporting consumers to enjoy seamless payment and a broad choice of deals using their preferred payment methods while traveling abroad. The character also resembles the fleeting moment of a barefooted striker poised to shoot, evoking the original beauty and power of football – a game that united people across the wo