Courtside Ventures

Courtside Ventures is a New York-based venture capital firm founded in 2015 that concentrates on early-stage investments in startups operating at the crossroads of sports, technology, media, lifestyle, and gaming. The firm emphasizes partnerships with management, leveraging its industry networks and domain expertise to provide ongoing strategic support across operations, product, and growth. It targets companies in sports, lifestyle, esports, gaming, media, and related information technology and TMT sectors, and positions itself as a professional partner for founders seeking long-term value beyond capital. The firm operates as a registered investment adviser.

Brian Hermelin

Partner

Vasu Kulkarni

Partner

Oliver Ressler

Associate

Past deals in eSports

Kratos Gamer Network (KGeN)

Seed Round in 2023
Kratos is the intellectual property owner of the gaming DAO IndiGG. Kratos is also an active investor in the global web3 gaming.

Planet Mojo

Seed Round in 2021
Planet Mojo is a game platform and developer offering a cross-platform, player-versus-player auto chess experience powered by blockchain technology. Players can own their game characters and assets as non-fungible tokens and compete in ongoing play-to-earn tournaments. The platform aims to support a suite of interconnected games within the Planet Mojo universe, with customizable characters and assets that can be used across titles. It incorporates augmented reality elements and emphasizes charitable, eco-friendly gaming experiences, aligning gameplay with sustainability. By combining competitive play, digital asset ownership, and a growing ecosystem, Planet Mojo seeks to attract players who want to monetize participation while contributing to a broader universe of interconnected games.

Incredible Dream

Seed Round in 2021
Incredible Dream is a company focused on creating a diverse portfolio of iconic game intellectual properties aimed at the next generation of gamers. It operates an online game platform designed to streamline and enhance the gaming experience. The company develops original fantasy worlds, characters, and games, along with transmedia experiences tailored for digital natives. By emphasizing meaningful connections among gamers, Incredible Dream aims to foster engaging and enjoyable interactions through both digital and tabletop gaming.

WinZO

Series B in 2021
WinZO is a mobile e-sports social gaming platform founded in 2018 and headquartered in New Delhi, India. It offers nearly 70 games across multiple formats in 12 regional languages, with 60% of content consumed in non-English languages.

WinZO

Debt Financing in 2021
WinZO is a mobile e-sports social gaming platform founded in 2018 and headquartered in New Delhi, India. It offers nearly 70 games across multiple formats in 12 regional languages, with 60% of content consumed in non-English languages.

WinZO

Series B in 2020
WinZO is a mobile e-sports social gaming platform founded in 2018 and headquartered in New Delhi, India. It offers nearly 70 games across multiple formats in 12 regional languages, with 60% of content consumed in non-English languages.

The Meta

Seed Round in 2020
The Meta is an e-sports training platform for players of first-person shooter games. It applies sports performance science, game development techniques, and machine learning to help gamers improve skill, reach higher levels of competition, and climb ranks.

FanAI

Series A in 2019
FanAI operates an AI-driven audience monetization platform for the esports industry. It provides sponsors with insights into fan behavior, enabling targeted relationships and predicting fan responses. The platform offers dashboards, real-time analysis, fan segments, behavior analytics, return on investment measurement, and return on sponsorship tracking.

Players' Lounge

Seed Round in 2019
Players' Lounge Inc., also known as Players' Lounge Online, is a social gaming startup founded in 2016 and based in New Castle, Delaware. The company offers an online platform that allows gamers to compete in e-sports competitions for cash and prizes. Players can connect with others who are interested in playing their favorite video games for monetary rewards, either by challenging individuals directly or participating in organized tournaments. By catering to casual gamers, Players' Lounge provides an accessible opportunity for a wider audience to engage in competitive gaming and potentially earn money, rather than limiting such opportunities to a select few professional players.

Upcomer

Seed Round in 2018
Upcomer is an innovative platform dedicated to connecting esports fans worldwide. It offers engaging content, news updates, and community forums for various PC, mobile, and console games.

FanAI

Venture Round in 2018
FanAI operates an AI-driven audience monetization platform for the esports industry. It provides sponsors with insights into fan behavior, enabling targeted relationships and predicting fan responses. The platform offers dashboards, real-time analysis, fan segments, behavior analytics, return on investment measurement, and return on sponsorship tracking.

Epics.gg

Seed Round in 2018
Epics.gg operates a digital platform focused on esports trading cards, allowing users to buy, sell, and collect digital cards featuring esports athletes. The company aims to offer fans the excitement and value of collecting trading cards for their favorite teams, players, and influencers. Epics.gg provides these services through its application and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, with an additional office in Bath, United Kingdom.

100 Thieves

Seed Round in 2017
100 Thieves is an American esports organization and lifestyle brand that combines competitive gaming with apparel and entertainment. It fields a professional esports team that competes in major leagues and championships and operates an online store selling apparel and merchandise such as t-shirts and jerseys. The company also focuses on gaming content and a branded lifestyle experience, connecting fans through competition and merchandise.

VY Esports

Seed Round in 2017
VY Esports Corp. is a Los Angeles-based company that operates a content and services platform dedicated to the esports industry. Founded in 2017, VY Esports specializes in creating authentic experiences and innovative content tailored for the gaming community. The company consolidates advertising inventory across various esports events, allowing brands to engage with a growing global audience of esports fans. VY Esports offers strategic guidance on the esports landscape, helping brands effectively position themselves within it, while also providing monetization strategies through sponsorships and media rights sales. Additionally, the company focuses on content ideation, production, and distribution, fostering partnerships and live events that connect brands with the esports audience. With a team distributed across the US and Europe, VY Esports aims to bridge the gap between brands and the vibrant esports community.

FanAI

Seed Round in 2017
FanAI operates an AI-driven audience monetization platform for the esports industry. It provides sponsors with insights into fan behavior, enabling targeted relationships and predicting fan responses. The platform offers dashboards, real-time analysis, fan segments, behavior analytics, return on investment measurement, and return on sponsorship tracking.

GameCo

Series A in 2016
GameCo Inc. is a pioneering company based in New York, established in 2014, that specializes in skill-based video game gambling machines for casino environments. The company has developed a unique category known as Video Game Gambling Machines (VGM), which combines the engagement of video gaming with the thrill of gambling. GameCo's VGM platform is notable for being the first of its kind approved by regulators in the United States, featuring proprietary arcade-style cabinets where a player's skill influences payouts and winnings. This innovative approach aims to attract a new demographic of casino patrons by offering a gaming experience that balances player skill with traditional gambling economics. Additionally, GameCo's offerings include both land-based and online gaming experiences, enhancing the appeal of esports betting and skill-based gaming within the casino industry.

GameCo

Seed Round in 2016
GameCo Inc. is a pioneering company based in New York, established in 2014, that specializes in skill-based video game gambling machines for casino environments. The company has developed a unique category known as Video Game Gambling Machines (VGM), which combines the engagement of video gaming with the thrill of gambling. GameCo's VGM platform is notable for being the first of its kind approved by regulators in the United States, featuring proprietary arcade-style cabinets where a player's skill influences payouts and winnings. This innovative approach aims to attract a new demographic of casino patrons by offering a gaming experience that balances player skill with traditional gambling economics. Additionally, GameCo's offerings include both land-based and online gaming experiences, enhancing the appeal of esports betting and skill-based gaming within the casino industry.

GameCo

Series A in 2016
GameCo Inc. is a pioneering company based in New York, established in 2014, that specializes in skill-based video game gambling machines for casino environments. The company has developed a unique category known as Video Game Gambling Machines (VGM), which combines the engagement of video gaming with the thrill of gambling. GameCo's VGM platform is notable for being the first of its kind approved by regulators in the United States, featuring proprietary arcade-style cabinets where a player's skill influences payouts and winnings. This innovative approach aims to attract a new demographic of casino patrons by offering a gaming experience that balances player skill with traditional gambling economics. Additionally, GameCo's offerings include both land-based and online gaming experiences, enhancing the appeal of esports betting and skill-based gaming within the casino industry.

Mixer

Seed Round in 2016
Mixer, formerly known as Beam, is a live streaming platform that focuses on creating interactive experiences for gamers. It enables viewers to actively participate in the gameplay rather than passively watching. Through Mixer, audiences can influence game dynamics by striking lightning, generating terrain, creating quests, and selecting weapons, effectively becoming part of the game world. This innovative approach fosters deeper engagement between streamers and their viewers, connecting gaming communities through truly interactive live streams.

Haste

Seed Round in 2015
Haste is an information technology company specializing in internet optimization software tailored for gaming. The company has developed a patent-pending solution that operates on a customized network infrastructure, designed to significantly reduce latency, packet loss, and jitter. By leveraging unique protocols and routing algorithms, Haste creates a mesh network that provides private connectivity to specific real-time applications. This approach enhances the user experience for esports enthusiasts, allowing them to engage in online competitive games with greater smoothness and speed. Through its innovative technology, Haste aims to improve network performance and deliver a superior gaming experience.
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