New leadership announced naming former Mercedes AMG Formula One CEO, Nick Fry as Chairman, Entrepreneur Glen Calvert as COO and Fnatic’s founder Sam Mathews retakes CEO
Fnatic, the leading global esports brand, today announced it has secured $19 million USD in Series A funding. The investment round was led by tech entrepreneur Lev Leviev of LVL1 Group with new and continued support from investors including transatlantic VC firm Beringea, BlackPine, Unbound and Joi Ito.
With this investment, Fnatic will enter the next phase of its global expansion, strengthen involvement in tier-one leagues, including the League of Legends European Championships, launch new product categories in its esports equipment subsidiary including a new audio line, as well as scaling up resources to deliver and deploy marketing efforts and reach for brands on an international scale.
To support the company’s rapid growth, a new leadership team is being appointed. Former Mercedes AMG F1 Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nick Fry is named Chairman, serial entrepreneur and founder of Affectv Glen Calvert is appointed COO and Fnatic’s founder, Sam Mathews, set to retake the CEO position.
Lead investor Lev Leviev said “Esports is the future of entertainment as well as one of the most dynamic and exciting emerging industries out there. Fnatic has established itself as a driving force both on the competitive stage and as a global business in esports, I’m excited to be part of the next chapter as Fnatic scales into a global lifestyle brand.”
“This is a pivotal moment in the evolution of Fnatic. I am incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the past 15 years and now is the time to build on this strong foundation to realise our vision of being the leading global esports brand. To have such high caliber investors is telling of the potential they see in Fnatic and our future,” added new CEO, Sam Mathews.
The latest round of investment will be used to structure the company for further expansion into Asia and North America, continue to partner with the most forward-thinking global brands and to cement its position as the leading lifestyle esports organisation globally.
For more information about Fnatic, visit www.fnatic.com.
About Fnatic:
Fnatic is a leading, global esports organisation with professional teams and unrivalled legacy in the most popular competitive games, including League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, Fortnite, and more.
Founded in 2004 by Sam Mathews, Fnatic teams have claimed multiple international championships since its inception, including the inaugural League of Legends World Championship, seven EU LCS Championships and three separate CS:GO Majors, a record unparalleled by any other team.
Dedicated to being the first globally recognised esports lifestyle brand, Fnatic develops a line of award-winning gaming peripherals in-house, Fnatic GEAR, designs and produces a number of apparel lines as well as partners with the most forward-thinking global brands.
Fnatic is headquartered in London, United Kingdom with additional operational locations in Berlin, Belgrade, Los Angeles, Taipei, Shenzhen and Kuala Lumpur.