For most of history, the overwhelming majority of sporting fame and glory has been reserved for athletes who could run faster, throw heavy objects further and handle a ball with more dexterity than the rest of us. Sporting careers were the domain of a physical elite, while strategic thinkers with dextrous thumbs had to make do with chess, or mahjong, or Risk.
Those days of obscurity for the sedentary sportsmen and sportswomen among us are fading fast. Whole new realms of competition have opened up to society’s nimble button mashers and digital sharpshooters, with prizes, fans and even cash money awaiting the victorious. We’re on the cusp of a brave new sporting world, and these four Seattle companies are taking us there.
Founded: 2014
Funding: $21.4 million
Good for: E-sports betting.
Explain: Unikrn unites blockchain, bookmaking and original content to support their e-sports gambling platform. The company takes bets on most major gaming titles, including Fortnite, League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch and Dota 2. Unikrn’s Connekt portal allows gamers to rack up points for in-game wins, which they can redeem in return for prizes, gaming skins, tournament entry, add-ons and benefits on Unikrn’s other platforms.
Founded: 2017
Funding: $4.7 million
Good for: League of Legends fans.
Explain: Taunt seeks to replace the endlessly churning message boards where e-sports fans congregate during live events with a gamified platform that encourages competition and interaction, with all the geeky statistics and bragging rights fans love. Users can make predictions and bet points against one another as their favorite League of Legends Championship Series stars battle and scheme toward one anothers’ Nexus. The company spun out of the Pioneer Square Labs incubator in 2017, and raised a $3 million seed round earlier this year.
Founded: 2015
Funding: $2.9 million
Good for: Running e-sports tournaments.
Explain: Matcherino’s software helps gamers organize and run online tournaments. The platform features tools for ticketing, crowdsourcing, paying out prize pools and gaining sponsors, along with portals where fans can stream coverage, donate and buy physical and digital merchandise. Around 400 tournament organizers run their e-sports competitions on Matcherino’s platform, and the company often works directly with game publishers to maximize the reach of their titles.
Founded: 2017
Good for: Live gaming events.
Explain: ESP Gaming’s small team brings over 20 years of experience working on live sports events, including the Olympics, X Games and NFL. The company offers turnkey event solutions for e-sports organizations, game developers and gaming communities, with a focus on broadcast and digital production quality and post-event tournament operations. They help with ad sales, sponsorships, marketing and community building.
