Esports organisation 100 Thieves has welcomed has completed its Series A funding round which was co-led by world famous recording artist Drake and entertainment industry heavyweight Scooter Braun.
The funding round sees both Drake and Braun join 100 Thieves founder Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag and Dan Gilbert, Chairman of the Cleveland Cavaliers, as 100 Thieves co-owners. Other participants in the investment round include: Sequoia Capital, WndrCo, Marc Benioff, Tao Capital, Green Bay Ventures and Advancit Capital.
Drake and Braun will further act as strategic advisors for 100 Thieves, with Braun joining the Board of Directors. 100 Thieves as an organisation has already collaborated with Drake, with custom gaming stations that travel with the artist on tour and apparel collaborations in the making, too.
“It’s been exciting to watch esports become a cultural phenomenon in 2018. I’ve spent my ten-year career in esports growing the ecosystem and am proud to have Drake and Scooter join as my partners to help take 100 Thieves to new heights. Our top priority is to win world championships, but our ambitions go far beyond competitive gaming,” said Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag, CEO of 100 Thieves.
He continued: “With Drake and Scooter’s support, we’re going to build a lasting brand on the back of the content and apparel that our fans have come to love, aggressively expand into more games, scale our apparel business, and build a world-class management team.”
Scooter Braun commented: “With Matt’s experience, talent, and vision as a professional gamer he and his team have built one of the most authentic brands in the ever-evolving gaming space. We are honored to join the 100 Thieves family during this exciting phase of their professional journey. I personally could not be more thrilled for 100 Thieves. This is just the beginning.”
Esports Insider says: Nadeshot, do you love me? Are you riding? Say you’ll never ever leave from beside me. Lyrics aside, this is huge news as one of the world’s most popular artists becomes the latest figure to get involved in the wonderful world of esports. 100 Thieves has already released some fabulous streetwear and one would assume this is only set to ramp up with the Canadian singer on board. We’re hyped to see how this investment changes what’s already one of the most exciting orgs in the space.