Esports Company 100 Thieves Raises $60 Million Series C Funding Round At $460 Million Valuation

Throughout the 2017 NBA Finals, Matt Haag flew to Oakland, Calif., to satisfy with Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Gilbert was in city viewing the Cavaliers encounter the Golden Point out Warriors, but his dialogue with Haag didn’t revolve around basketball. Gilbert desired to master much more about Haag’s history as a remarkably prosperous experienced esports participant recognized as “Nadeshot” and his eyesight for 100 Thieves, a branded apparel organization Haag experienced founded that yr.

A couple months later on, Gilbert led a $10 million seed funding round in 100 Burglars, allowing for the business to grow from its humble roots. Nowadays, just about 4 a long time afterwards, 100 Intruders is asserting it has elevated $60 million in a Collection C round that values the firm at $460 million.

That is up from a $160 million put up-dollars valuation from two a long time in the past just after 100 Robbers elevated $35 million in a Collection B round. It demonstrates investors’ growing self-confidence in a company that has evolved from strictly an attire corporation to one that has prosperous specialist esports groups and a stable of so-identified as information creators that have amassed substantial on the net followings of people who enjoy them participate in movie video games on Twitch, YouTube and other platforms.

“I’m amazingly thrilled about the valuation, but it does not cease here,” Haag said. “Valuation is just one thing, but providing final results in the long run for our investors and our group and our board customers is the number a single goal. We actually just want to develop the most inclusive gaming model that the entire world has ever observed. I believe we’re perfectly on our way to accomplishing that.”

Haag, who grew up in close proximity to Chicago, dropped out of community school and was performing at McDonald’s

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ahead of breaking as a result of about 10 many years in the past as between the ideal Simply call of Duty gamers in the entire world. Immediately after retiring from esports competitions in 2015, Haag devoted himself to starting to be a so-termed content creator, the place he built hundreds of thousands of pounds and amassed a large next of people watching him engage in online video games and share his lifestyle and ideas on YouTube and social media platforms.

At initial, Haag started 100 Intruders as a way to design and style and sell attire. But in 2017, he obtained a message from Blake Robbins, a recent Michigan Condition graduate who was doing work at Ludlow Ventures, a venture funds company primarily based in Detroit. Robbins had recognized about Haag from his substantial on the web adhering to and imagined 100 Intruders could broaden into esports and gaming. Robbins assisted Haag hook up with Gilbert, who had invested in a Ludlow fund and was fascinated in investing in an esports firm.

Soon just after Gilbert led 100 Thieves’ seed round, the corporation hired John Robinson as chief running officer and president. Robinson experienced levels from Princeton College and the College of Pennsylvania and worked in enterprise money and for gaming corporations, so he understood the industry and the prospect. Robinson remembers meeting with other experienced esports players who had ambitions of creating their individual providers and asking them about their objectives.

“The traditional remedy from other competition was they wished to be the Yankees for video clip video games,” Robinson reported. “When I achieved Nadeshot, his ambitions have been so considerably greater and the thought of what 100 Intruders could be was so unique. It was the 3 core corporations of apparel, esports and leisure. I assumed that was enormously powerful and differentiated from everything else that was happening in the gaming landscape. Matt was the only particular person in gaming that has the believability to do anything like that supplied his track record in esports and content material development as properly as his enthusiasm for apparel and style.”

Now, 100 Thieves has groups competing in League of Legends, Fortnite, Valorant, Get in touch with of Duty and Apex Legends. The company very last thirty day period was named the Esports Group of the Calendar year at the Esports Awards. It also has contracts with 15 material creators who invest time taking part in video clip video games are living on Twitch and other streamers, make films on YouTube and are energetic on TikTok, Instagram and other platforms. And the company’s apparel enterprise generates thousands and thousands of pounds for every year, according to Robinson.

For occasion, 100 Thieves this summer months partnered with Gucci for a constrained-version backpack that is selling for $2,500. In addition, it sells large-stop everyday clothing such as hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts and fleece pants by its web-site.  

The firm has partnerships with and generates sponsorship revenue from a handful of significant models, including Dollars App, a mobile payment services. In January 2020, 100 Burglars opened the Hard cash App compound in Los Angeles, a 15,000-sq.-foot facility wherever professional esports gamers can coach, material creators can stay stream, designers can arrive up with clothing strategies and product sales folks can promote 100 Thieves’ equipment.

So much this calendar year, 100 Robbers promises its profits is up 111% from a 12 months back, though it wouldn’t disclose how a lot profits it generates on an annual foundation.

“The rise of gaming is this unstoppable, cultural development,” Robinson explained. “People are spending more time than at any time enjoying video clip game titles and seeing movie games. That pattern only accelerated throughout the pandemic.”

In October, 100 Intruders built its first acquisition, shopping for Higround, a enterprise that will make gaming keyboards and is looking to make other hardware in the future. Robinson and Haag anticipate 100 Intruders will finish several extra deals, as nicely, utilizing proceeds from the $60 million Collection C spherical, which was led by Inexperienced Bay Ventures, a San Francisco enterprise funds firm. Other investors in the round involved Breyer Funds, Aglae Ventures, Tao Cash, Willoughby Capital and Artist Capital.

“I’m fired up about (Higround),” Haag mentioned. “I feel like I’m in the top of the very first inning with no outs and the bases loaded. Now we have just bought to strike a grand slam and hold pushing.”

He additional: “You’re going to see a great deal extra firms like Higround in the coming yrs. I feel the $60 million is surely going to support that. In normal, we just want to assistance hyper development and continue to choose about the net and the gaming place.”