Pro Athletes Invest in the Gaming Community Platform eFuse

Throughout the past years, the esports industry has grown exponentially, and traditional athletes are starting to voice their support. 

Recently, a consortium of professional athlete including NBA player Seth Curry and NFL players Odell Beckham Jr., Denzel Ward, Ezekiel Elliott, and Chase Winovich, have raised $6 million in funding for a blockbuster company which aims to help esports amateurs and gamers find jobs and a sustainable way of life.

Known as eFuse, the Columbus-based company is a network designed for players and streamers to network, taking the name “LinkedIn for Gamers” by the media. Users utilize the online platform to build a profile, share their passions, broadcast their highlight reel, and engage with over 24,000 gaming-specific opportunities ranging from internships to game development to business and marketing.

These athletes’ recent funding round continued the platform’s success, which garnered more than 500,000 new users in the past year. eFuse will utilize the capital to enhance product development, grow its user base, and amplify industry diversity as it progresses toward profitability in 2021.

“Our collective of athlete investors aren’t just sports stars; they’re business executives,” eFuse’s CEO Matthew Benson commented in a release. “eFuse has bold ambitions to change the way gamers meet, compete, and are discovered. I’m committed to ensuring the platform lives up to that potential, honoring the trust these investors have placed in us.” 

Athlete investments came as little surprise, as the recent initiatives from NBA and NFL stars are not the first of their kind. Many celebrated sports stars have recognized the gaming industry, and have heavily invested in eSports ventures over the years. In 2018, Michael Jordan led a $26 million round of funding for the startup aXiomatic, a famous esports club. In 2016, Shaquille O’Neal, Alex Rodriguez, and Jimmy Rollins purchased stakes from NRG eSports, a top gaming organization.

With an ever-growing interest among the general public and significant investments from sports athletes with a large platform, the eSports industry is bound to grow even more in the near future.