Entertainment Moguls Collaborating with 100 Thieves in Expansion Beyond Esport
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Lifestyle, apparel, and esports brand 100 Thieves has completed its Series A funding round. Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling recording artist Drake co-led the investment round alongside Scooter Braun, entertainment industry power-broker and founder of SB Projects. Drake and Braun will join founder Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag and Dan Gilbert, Chairman of the Cleveland Cavaliers, as 100 Thieves co-owners. Other new participants in the round include Sequoia Capital, WndrCo, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Tao Capital, Green Bay Ventures, and Advancit Capital.
"It's been exciting to watch esports become a cultural phenomenon in 2018. I've spent my ten-year career in esports growing the ecosystem and am proud to have Drake and Scooter join as my partners to help take 100 Thieves to new heights. Our top priority is to win world championships, but our ambitions go far beyond competitive gaming," said Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag, the former Call of Duty world champion, YouTube sensation, and Founder & CEO of 100 Thieves. "With Drake and Scooter's support, we're going to build a lasting brand on the back of the content and apparel that our fans have come to love, aggressively expand into more games, scale our apparel business, and build a world-class management team."
As co-owners, Drake and Braun will act as strategic advisors for 100 Thieves. Braun has also joined the 100 Thieves Board of Directors. 100 Thieves has already collaborated with Drake on the custom gaming stations that travel with his current Scorpion tour, and apparel collaborations are underway as well.
"With Matt's experience, talent, and vision as a professional gamer he and his team have built one of the most authentic brands in the ever-evolving gaming space," Braun said. "We are honored to join the 100 Thieves family during this exciting phase of their professional journey. I personally could not be more thrilled for 100 Thieves. This is just the beginning."
"We've been watching 100 Thieves closely since their founding and have been incredibly impressed by their progress," said Stephanie Zhan, Partner at Sequoia. "They have a special management team and powerful strategy that leverages content, community, and commerce. We're thrilled to partner with 100 Thieves to help build a leading gaming and esports brand for today's generation."
100 Thieves has raised over $25 million in funding to date, from investors including Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans chairman Dan Gilbert, Sequoia, Ludlow Ventures, Courtside Ventures, WndrCo, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, Green Bay Ventures, Tao Capital, and Advancit Capital.