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 investments, mergers, and acquisitions of April 2020, including $42.5 million (£34.2 million) in disclosed funding.
Simplicity Esports sets sights on NYSE American public offering
Simplicity Esports and Gaming Company filed for a proposed public offering of its shares and warrants on the NYSE American.
Simplicity Esports will also apply to uplist from the OTCQB tier of the OTC Market Group, Inc. to the NYSE American, with a proposed firmly underwritten public offering by ThinkEquity.
Read the full article here.
FaZe Clan details $40 million Series A funding round
North American organisation FaZe Clan released details on its Series A funding round, in which it raised $40 million (£32 million).
The round was led by Jimmy Iovine and NTWRK, with contributions from singers and rappers Pitbull, Swae Lee, Yo Gotti, DJ Paul, Ray J, Disco Fries, and Offset. Sports figures such as Nyjah Huston, Meyers Leonard, Gregory Van Der Wiel, Josh Hart, and Jamal Murray also contributed.
Read the full article here.
BUFF.bet and X-Bet.co to merge ahead of planned IPO
XB Systems reached an agreement to merge its esports betting brand X-Bet.co with UltraPlay’s white-label platform BUFF.bet in a deal said to bolster its planned initial public offering (IPO).
X-Bet.co will assume management and operations of the merged business and operate under BUFF.bet banner. The Bulgarian esports betting solutions company UltraPlay will remain the platform provider of the joint venture for “the foreseeable future.”
Read the full article here.
Raven raises $1.4 million in seed funding round
Esports apparel manufacturer Raven raised $1.4 million (£1.13 million) in its seed funding round. A private equity fund in the United States invested in the company through the round.
Raven will use the capital to increase its market share on a global basis and “drive product innovation” to improve the state of apparel in the esports industry. It will also expand its team, hiring across Europe and North America.
Read the full article here.
Esports agency META raises €1M for continued growth
Benelux esports agency META raised €1 million (£868,657) in an attempt to position itself as a market leader in the region. Formerly known as 4Entertainment, the agency is perhaps best known for operating the Belgian League and Dutch League in partnership with Riot Games.
Investors in the round include executives from businesses in the Benelux region, as well as Belgian DJs Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike, and Lost Frequencies.
Read the full article here.