As the esports industry continues to grow, so does the interest in owning a piece of the pie. Celebrities and venture capitalists are investing millions of pounds, companies are merging together to consolidate, and acquisitions are becoming pretty common, too.
To make things easier, Esports Insider has brought together the major esports investments, mergers, and acquisitions of July 2020, including $25.3 million (GBP19.2 million) in disclosed funding.
MCES closes EUR2.5M in Series A round
French organisation MCES raised EUR2.5 million (GBP2.26 million) through its Series A investment round.
The investment was closed in May and was funded by Region Sud Investissement, Lab Five, and over 20 angel investors.
Mission Control receives $1.75M to build rec league esports
Mission Control, a company building rec league esports programs, received a $1.75 million (GBP1.38 million) investment led by Dundee Venture Capital.
M25, Cultivation Capital, and MATH Venture Partners also participated in the raise. Mission Control works with schools, community centres, and companies to build out esports programs in their communities.
Mobalytics receives further $11.25 million investment
California-based esports analytics startup Mobalytics raised $11.25M (GBP8.78M) for its platform, which advises players of League of Legends and VALORANT.
There’s said to be over 7,000,000 players that use the platform to receive advice and information on gameplay in real-time.
Luckbox closes financing round with $5M CAD
Esports betting platform Luckbox confirmed its oversubscribed financing closed at $5 million CAD (GBP2.88 million).
The news came ahead of the company’s listing on the TSX Venture Exchange under the reserved ticker ‘LUCK,’ anticipated to be approved this fall.
Veloce Esports raises GBP4 million, will merge with Veloce Racing
Team organisation Veloce Esports announced that it had raised a new funding round, and will merge in its Veloce Racing brand going forward.
The Financial Times reported that the organisation raised GBP4 million in the round, which includes former Lloyds Development Capital CEO, Darryl Eales, currently co-chairman of Veloce Racing.
Resolve Esports secures investment from Esports Global
UK-based organisation Resolve Esports secured investment from Esports Global, an investment group owned by International Group Management (IGM).
The investment is headed by David Martin and Chester King, and is intended to help Resolve establish new esports teams, offer online coaching, and create a physical esports centre in London for the training and development of new players.
Basketballer Marcin Gortat invests in Polish Esports League
Former NBA basketball player Marcin Gortat invested in Polish Esports League, a three-year-old national competition.
Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.
Korean pop artist Sehun becomes shareholder in SeolHaeOne Prince
South Korean recording artist Oh Se-hun, better known by his performing name Sehun, became a shareholder in Korean organisation SeolHaeOne Prince.
APE Sports, the parent company of SeolHaeOne Prince, announced that half of the globally-recognised Korean pop duo EXO would join the organisation’s ranks.
iSportconnect CEO Sree Varma invests in LDN UTD
British grassroots esports organisation LDN UTD announced that iSportconnect Founder and CEO Sree Varma has become a minority investor.
Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed at the time of publication.
Mitch Marner joins OverActive Media ownership group
Professional Ice Hockey player Mitch Marner joined the ownership group of Canadian organisation OverActive Media.
According to a press release detailing the announcement, Mitch will, “become the latest ambassador and an important part of OverActive’s brand building efforts.”
Esports infrastructure company Vindex acquired GAME’s Belong gaming arena division.
Vindex, which was founded by MLG co-founders Mike Sepso and Sundance DiGiovanni, launched in October following a launched with $60 million (GBP46.6 million) Series A.
Esports Entertainment Group acquires Argyll Entertainment
Betting enterprise Esports Entertainment Group (EEG) completed the acquisition of LHE Enterprises Ltd, the holding company of online sportsbook and casino operator Argyll Entertainment.
Argyll Entertainment operates within the United Kingdom and Irish markets, carrying both a UK Gambling Commission and Irish Revenue Commissioners license. The investment will include Argyll’s flagship gambling brand SportNation.bet, which launched in the summer of 2017.