ESPORTS CROWDFUNDING PLATFORM MATCHERINO RAISES $1.5M
![Matcherino Raises $1.5M (Photo: Matcherino)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/578230a5e4fcb5fc31994d3d/1499725555413-O26TOIEUX4QF506SLB48/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kOECCL9RU0zOJastqpBdf5t7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QHyNOqBUUEtDDsRWrJLTmnhbJtrfwp8bfXu9iW6Tjn1J13PLhVv_4djeXGtBtP7RKvkvQwn_gLiDCOgxktJEn/matcherino.jpg)
Matcherino Raises $1.5M (Photo: Matcherino)
TNL Take: California has been the center of innovation in both technology, Silicon Valley, and Gaming/eSports with over half the US industry based in that state.
Recently Seattle has seen it's own emergence of eSports startups: Unikrn - which is doing the first eSports ICO, Hubtag, Innervate and Beam, which was acquired by little local company Microsoft.
![TNL eSports Startups 011: Matcherino Raises $1.5M (Graphic: The Next Level)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/578230a5e4fcb5fc31994d3d/1499721576407-KRDIPIB2E0J8C96OQ4LN/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kJBOASV7Rs0lnoorGGRRXhVZw-zPPgdn4jUwVcJE1ZvWQUxwkmyExglNqGp0IvTJZamWLI2zvYWH8K3-s_4yszcp2ryTI0HqTOaaUohrI8PI3nHUM26OUs_CLVWnKmUw3sh5KRsZCO5_giZvN-fuVCE/image-asset.png)
TNL eSports Startups 011: Matcherino Raises $1.5M (Graphic: The Next Level)
Last week another Seattle based eSports startup Matcherino raised $1.5M from previous investors Madrona Venture Group, Vulcun Capital and other angels.
Want another NBA eSports connection? Vulcun Capital is the investment arm of Vulcun Inc., run by ex-Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, the owner of the Portland Trailblazers.
Matcherino is very simple way to crowdfund a prize pool between players, teams or events for a multitude of games.
![List of Matcherino Supported Games (Photo: Matcherino)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/578230a5e4fcb5fc31994d3d/1499723264732-8TIGS7SU76KL35UW61BD/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kPUX2AQc0U3pHRCHNAZrQ1wUqsxRUqqbr1mOJYKfIPR7LoDQ9mXPOjoJoqy81S2I8N_N4V1vUb5AoIIIbLZhVYy7Mythp_T-mtop-vrsUOmeInPi9iDjx9w8K4ZfjXt2diX09Z0BIpwsAuHKoHfjLc2RdFdxi729m6bvPJOnyacuCjLISwBs8eEdxAxTptZAUg/image-asset.png)
List of Matcherino Supported Games (Photo: Matcherino)
Matcherino users simply login via Twitch, use PayPal as the transaction platform and the money goes directly to the prize pool.
![Matcherino's Crowdfunding Platform (Photo: Matcherino)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/578230a5e4fcb5fc31994d3d/1499722795653-OOG703S1MDBPVZDPKY7Y/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kM7BwrLwAZn3fM3dn1otKboUqsxRUqqbr1mOJYKfIPR7LoDQ9mXPOjoJoqy81S2I8N_N4V1vUb5AoIIIbLZhVYy7Mythp_T-mtop-vrsUOmeInPi9iDjx9w8K4ZfjXt2dlWCUOE5Pfniv-LRIjDuFCdtrcCG_0GreXQ0MVgSmSjhCjLISwBs8eEdxAxTptZAUg/image-asset.png)
Matcherino's Crowdfunding Platform (Photo: Matcherino)
![Matcherino Crowdfunded Events (Photo: Matcherino)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/578230a5e4fcb5fc31994d3d/1499723395765-FHAVBUGELEH12GOZMAKR/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kBbC-8BhK3z-84HHLrzESFMUqsxRUqqbr1mOJYKfIPR7LoDQ9mXPOjoJoqy81S2I8N_N4V1vUb5AoIIIbLZhVYy7Mythp_T-mtop-vrsUOmeInPi9iDjx9w8K4ZfjXt2dq4SYVKjiMlBxt-sx61-FCSNxatwO69Br6QzpP9SNerJCjLISwBs8eEdxAxTptZAUg/Events.png)
Matcherino Crowdfunded Events (Photo: Matcherino)
Matcherino provides 2 additional benefits:
- Users who donate accrue points towards rewards redeemable for goods which are mostly T-shirts currently
- As Matcherino CEO Grant Farwell said: "Before us, the prize pools were being completely mismanaged by event organizers, who are often young due to the nature of the industry and don’t handle money well" [Note: That was not said by me. Don't @ me]
Matcherino also offers Sponsored rewards like Soylent, who also happen to invest in eSports.
![Matcherino Sponsored Soylent Reward (Photo: Matcherino)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/578230a5e4fcb5fc31994d3d/1499723978381-W0HC1M0A1FR0JTV2JWMT/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kMCGXm2X4lEldtUBuz3GHXRZw-zPPgdn4jUwVcJE1ZvWQUxwkmyExglNqGp0IvTJZamWLI2zvYWH8K3-s_4yszcp2ryTI0HqTOaaUohrI8PI-C6oOhWzskco5-75JJ3NxOqY9OrXQzj89IGs9MZgV04/image-asset.png)
Matcherino Sponsored Soylent Reward (Photo: Matcherino)
By essentially just providing a connection layer and taking a % of each transaction and some sponsorship revenue, Matcherino could work.
However the biggest challenge is lack of defensibility: Twitch, YouTube, or Facebook could easily replicate this.
Let's see which platform copies this the quickest if the monetization opportunity is there.