Tej Kohli is a name synonymous with success in the business world. The self-made technology billionaire now has his eyes firmly set on the esports world, having recently announced a €50 million investment arm to be called Rewired GG.
Article Update: This interview is a more recent discussion, which took place in June 2019
Esports Insider’s Managing Director, Sam Cooke, is acting as an adviser to Rewired GG and had a chance to sit down with Kohli and discuss in a wide ranging interview why he’s got his eyes on esports; what his plans are in esports and how he sees the commercial landscape changing and evolving in coming years.
The investment arm is looking to “build a world class esports team, as well as develop individual players, games and commercial opportunities”. In the interview, Kohli discusses how big sports owners like Robert Kraft have come into the space and purchased teams or become in some way involved – whilst also shedding light on his son’s influence in his decision to take a deeper look at the esports landscape.
Kohli continues, providing insight into his personal background and the story of Cascade – a multi-family office that invests in emerging technology companies for which Kohli is the principal funder. He emphasises the forward-looking nature of Cascade, with the most recent venture, Rewired being a “robotics-focused venture studio with a humanitarian bent” and adds that esports thus makes sense.
As the interview continues, the entrepreneur outlines that esports is still a little bit like the “Wild West” and there’s a lot of practices that are not at the professional level of other industries – although he expects that to change. He hopes that through the influence of Rewired GG it will move forward. Kohli talks of Robert Kraft’s development of the Patriots over the years to create a billion dollar team, but emphasises that it takes time and although esports is moving quickly, we’re not going to see one pop up overnight.
Disclaimer: Sam Cooke, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Esports Insider is an adviser to Rewired GG.