North American esports organisation Beastcoast has announced NBA star Gordon Hayward as its latest investor.
With his investment, Hayward joins Beastcoast as a senior advisor, with the goal of further deepening the organisation’s connection with his home state of Indiana. Financial figures behind the investment have not been disclosed.
Hayward is an active National Basketball Association (NBA) player, currently playing for Charlotte Hornets and having previously played for Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics.
He joins the likes of other individuals such as Steven Temares (formerly of Bed Bath & Beyond) and Scott Dorsey, a Managing Partner at High Alpha Ventures who supported Beastcoast during its pre-seed funding round in 2021. At the time, the organisation secured $2.5m (~£1.8m) in funding.
Through this funding, the organisation managed to become the latest tenant of Butler University’s ‘Esports Park’, a brand-new facility that lets students and companies to network, play and develop.
Butler University is also Hayward’s alma mater. Beastcoast’s CEO Grant Zinn and other key operational personnel have also relocated to Indianapolis, as the organisation seeks to expand its relationships in the collegiate gaming community.
Meanwhile, Beastcoast has also managed to renew its deal with Betway, as well as partner with other companies such as gaming brand AORUS and Web3 solution company TNNS, among others.
Beastcoast currently fields teams in Dota 2, Rainbow Six, Super Smash Bros, Street Fighter, Pokemon and Teamfight Tactics. Notably, the organisation managed to secure a spot at The International 2022 in Dota 2 — one of its biggest competitive successes so far.
Hayward spoke on the announcement: “Gaming has always been a huge part of my life, and I’m genuinely excited to support Grant, as he continues to grow his vision for Beastcoast.
“Ideally, by creating this unique partnership with Butler University it will provide a pathway to push Beastcoast and Butler to the forefront of the gaming industry.”
