Seattle based startup Taunt has announced it has closed $3m (£2.2m) in seed financing.
The funding was led by Foundry Group, other investors include Pioneer Square Labs’ venture arm PSL Ventures, the startup studio which founded Taunt, Vulcan Capital and esports industry investor CRCM Ventures.
Taunt is a social platform for esports fans. Users will compete with each other by voting on important match events such as objective control, the outcome of the game and a variety of other conditions and statistics.
Jon David, CEO of Taunt had this to say: “We’re building a fresh and exciting way for esports fans to watch their favourite matches, teams, and players with their friends. Fans can predict match events, answer live challenges, and brag about their victories. Traditional sports fans have so many options for rich, engaging social interactions. We’re bringing that depth to esports with Taunt.”
Jon David was the Executive Producer at PopCap, working on their popular franchises Bejeweled and Plants VS. Zombies.
Brad Feld, Foundry Group Managing Director and Taunt board member spoke about esports’ massive growth: “At the rate this industry is accelerating, it’s becoming clear that there’s a need for a more thoughtful social layer on top of the viewing experience.
Matt Lee, Managing Partner at CRCM Ventures: “Taunt is a fun and interactive way to watch esports with your friends or by yourself. Communities of highly engaged users will form around Taunt’s platform, extending the ability for fans to get involved with the games, teams, and pro players.”
The Taunt App is due for full release later this summer.
Esports Insider says: Taunt has a big opportunity to catch a market that is clearly available, fans love sharing their opinion on what’s going on during a live event so allowing them to vote live with other fans is a smart move.