Razer, blockchain company Liqi, cybersecurity company Kaspersky, and industrial education institution Firjan SENAI have been announced as sponsors of Brazilian VALORANT tournament Spike Ladies.
Spike Ladies, which is now in its third edition, is part of the Game Changers Academy circuit, an initiative by Riot Games to promote women’s inclusion in esports.
Spike Ladies is an initiative organised by Brazilian esports promotion company Esportsmaker. The tournament will feature invited teams such as Team Liquid women’s VALORANT lineup along with community teams registered on the tournament operator’s website. The prize pool is $15,000 BRL (~£2,415).
Liqi and Kaspersky spoke to the press at an online conference attended by Esports Insider. Both entities highlighted the intent to connect with the esports community through sponsoring Spike Ladies. “We want to build a story in esports, and found in this tournament a path we want to follow,” commented Decio Almo, Liqi’s Fantoken Business Manager.
Liqi recently made headlines in esports by also sponsoring the Brazilian organisation Vivo Keyd. According to Almo, the esports audience is one of Liqi’s main targets and that he was hired with the objective of promoting the company in this market. Spike Ladies will even feature a special fan token raffle powered by Liqi to the audience.
Kaspersky’s Head of Channel Sales, Luciana Lovato, highlighted the importance of promoting women in esports and the will of the company to be part of it. The antivirus brand already participated in activations across Brazil’s esports and gaming sector through streamers and YouTubers. Internationally, Kaspersky has secured partnerships with FACEIT and Fnatic.
For Esportsmaker CEO Leandro Silva, the momentum from its previous Spike Ladies event’s helped attract new sponsors.
Neither Kaspersky or Liqi were partners of Spike Ladies II in February this year, with the second edition securing deals with Razer, TikTok and Mais Esports. All three partners have maintained their agreement for the tournament’s new edition.
The company aims to promote gaming, esports, and education, which connects with Firjan SENAI’s purpose. The education institution, backed by the National Industrial Training Service of the State of Rio de Janeiro, aims to promote its gaming-focused courses through Spike Ladies.
“All those markets and products that surround the gaming industry can benefit from esports while promoting esports itself,” said Silva.
