Fnatic Raises $7M+ From From Celtics, AS Roma Group But Not The Astro's

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FNATIC RAISES $7M+ FROM FROM CELTICS, AS ROMA GROUP BUT NOT THE ASTRO'S

Fnatic Raises $7M+ From Pro Sports Owner Groups (Graphic: The Next Level)

Fnatic Raises $7M+ From Pro Sports Owner Groups (Graphic: The Next Level)

TNL Take: I was getting worried.

It had been almost 3 weeks and we hadn't seen a major investment between Pro Sports, owners and eSports since Cloud9's round with ex-49'er Joe Montana, SF Giant Hunter Pence, NBA Athlete Andrew Bogut, Patriot's owner Robert Kraft, LA Dodgers Co-Owner Todd Boehly,  and Golden State Warriors Co-Owner Chamath Palihapitiya.

Bobby Kotick (Activision), Robert Kraft (Patriots) and C9 Owner Jack Etienne (Photo: Blizzard)

Bobby Kotick (Activision), Robert Kraft (Patriots) and C9 Owner Jack Etienne (Photo: Blizzard)

In March, Russian soccer club FC Anji decided to recruit a Dota2 player which is unusual to not invest in FIFA first.

In April, Swiss soccer team FC Laussanne-Sport made another unique move by acquiring team Qualitas Helvetica - best eSports team name ever associated with a Font? - which has teams in Overwatch, Counter-Strike, Hearthstone and Rocket League but not FIFA.

Yesterday, one of the top global eSports teams Fnatic, announced a $7M raise at a very significant pre-money valuationThe money comes from the usual slew of Pro Sports team owners and those with a lot of 0's in their bank account:

Comment From Hersh Interactive (Photo: Darren Heitner)

Comment From Hersh Interactive (Photo: Darren Heitner)

The current 2017 Pro Sports and eSports Investment list:

TNL Infographic 033: 2017 Pro Sports eSports Investment (Infographic: The Next Level)

TNL Infographic 033: 2017 Pro Sports eSports Investment (Infographic: The Next Level)

And if you're still questioning why so many Pro Teams are investing - here is your primer: "Why Pro Sports Teams Invest In eSports"

One area of Fnatic that is overlooked by the general public is that they're the only eSports team with a full slew of branded merchandise and their own hardware brand, Fnatic Gear - vs. partnering with a Endemic Gaming hardware brands.

Fnatic Gear (Photo: Fnatic)

Fnatic Gear (Photo: Fnatic)

Having top teams across eSports, Fnatic Gear and even a London pop-up store - Fnatic is the clear leader in monetization.

 

Will Fnatic be the 1st eSports team to be worth $100M?