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Today, PatronGG GmbH, a startup that builds tools to empower esports fandom, announced that it secured a $1M seed investment led by BITKRAFT Esports Ventures, with participation from Trust Esport. The capital will be used to build out Patron’s fan engagement platform, Kokyo.gg, by expanding into new games, enriching match data, and adding value to both fans and esports organizations.

Kokyo.gg is a platform being built to simplify fandom for both esports organizations and fans by providing both sides with a way to better connect and engage. Fans can stay up to-to-date with their favorite esports teams through a streamlined timeline that intelligently aggregates esports teams’ social channels, news and video content from across the web in one consolidated feed. Kokyo has an easy-to-follow match calendar to ensure users never miss a game and it supports the fan experience before, during, and after every match through active discussion boards to continue conversations around the game.

In addition to improving the esports experience for fans, Kokyo also makes it easier for teams to connect with and monetize their fans. Esports revenue per fan is expected to reach $6.0 in 2020, while in traditional sports league like the MLB revenue is on average $58.4 per fan. Through Kokyo, teams are able to offer exclusive content and experiences for fans using different subscription tiers. Instead of relying on sponsorships and advertising to monetize fans, the focus will be on content quality and maximizing engagement.

“The team and I believe that loving esports shouldn’t feel like a chore. Today, content is spread across multiple mediums and hidden behind mysterious algorithms which makes it difficult to stay updated. With this funding, we’re one step closer to realizing our goal of simplifying fandom for teams and fans alike,” said Dean Burrows, CEO of PatronGG. “We will use the new capital to grow the team, secure team partnerships and enrich our data by providing more in-depth match statistics, event and player profiles, and broaden our game support with the addition of titles such as Dota 2, Rainbow Six: Siege and more.”

“Trust Esport is proud to partner with BITKRAFT Esports Ventures to support the creation and the launch of Kokyo. Interactions between esports clubs and their fans are essential but currently lack structure. This investment is part of our ambition to develop platforms and apps to widely spread esports content and to monetize esports audiences in a sustainable and profitable way for all players in the ecosystem, and especially the clubs” says Matthieu Dallon, founding partner of Trust Esport. “On a personal level, I am honored to join the board of PatronGG alongside CEO Dean Burrows, whose vision and talent as a product manager will certainly make Kokyo a future reference in terms of user experience”, adds Matthieu Dallon.

“Kokyo is a must-have app where esports fans have an easy way to stay up-to-date and support their favorite team across multiple game titles and esports organizations have avenues to maximize fan engagement and create new opportunities for monetization,” commented BITKRAFT founder and managing partner, Jens Hilgers.  “We believe Kokyo will change the way fans follow and engage with their favorite esports teams and the larger esports community while providing esports organizations with ways to diversify revenue.”

Kokyo will be available on both web and mobile. To learn more about Kokyo, check out the website here: https://www.kokyo.gg/.

 

About BITKRAFT Esports Ventures:

An early and mid-stage investor focused on the esports sector, BITKRAFT discovers, supports, and scales esports startups globally along with the industry’s most influential companies. BITKRAFT Esports Ventures was founded in 2016 by esports legend, Jens Hilgers. Hilgers previously founded ESL and served as CEO before selling the majority stake to MTG in 2015. In addition to serving as Managing Partner at BITKRAFT, Jens is the Co-Founder and Chairman of G2 Esports.

 

About Trust Esport:

Trust Esport is an early-stage investment fund focused on Esports tech-companies, co-founded in 2018 by esports pioneer Matthieu Dallon and Fimalac, the investment holding of Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, with the support of the international groups Webedia, Amaury and FDJ. Trust Esport finances, supports and upsizes companies whose missions are to improve the viewing experience, to develop the audience monetization, or to enhance the Esports performance. More info on http://www.trust-esport.com.

Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
This is a Syndicated News piece. Photo credits or photo sources can be found on the source article: Kokyo secures a M seed investment round from BITKRAFT Esports Ventures and Trust Esport