First-of-its-kind grassroots esports sponsorship fund will allocate EUR 1 million (USD 1.1 million) to amateur and semi-professional esports athletes to support their professional development
Today, nicecactus.gg (previously Esport-Management.com), a competitive gaming platform dedicated to finding and raising the next generation of esports athletes, announced the closing of its EUR 5 million (USD 5.5 million) Series A round and the launch of a new product, the Nicecactus Grassroots Esports Fund, to pursue its next chapter of growth. The round was raised by a group of private investors and will be put towards building and refining the nicecactus.gg product offering, attracting top talent and scaling the business.
The EUR 1 million (USD 1.1 million) Nicecactus Grassroots Esports Fund (“the Fund”) will help amateur and semi-pro players and teams take the next step into professional gaming. Following a period of training on the nicecactus.gg platform, the Fund will accept applications from esports athletes for grants, which may be put towards activities like travel to and accommodation at tournaments they’ve qualified for, or to book bootcamps at professional training locations. Following a review of each application, grants will be awarded to those who have shown promise and consistency in tournaments and on nicecactus.gg’s soon-to-be-launched training game programs.
The key program dates are:
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October 22, 2019 – registrations for the Nicecactus Grassroots Esports Fund start at nicecactus.gg/en/fund
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December 20, 2019 – Road to Sponsorship opens for registered participants
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January 27, 2020 – Fund application process opens for eligible athletes
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February 27, 2020 – first grants are issued
“We deeply believe that if esports wants to enter the next stage of growth, it must be catered to and fostered at the grassroots level. By starting the Nicecactus Grassroots Esports Fund and raising additional capital to help unleash the full potential of every esports athlete, we further solidify our commitment to finding and raising the next generation of esports athletes,” said Alexandre Amoukteh, Co-Founder of nicecactus.gg. “Our new name, nicecactus, reflects our love for Nice, France — the bright, beautiful and sharp birthplace of our company. We want to create a place where everyone can forge their own path to pro by improving their skills and connecting amateur players with the pro world. Armed with our new name, funding and a new product, we’re one step closer to achieving that dream.”
“Our promise to the grassroots community is that nicecactus.gg helps players realize their true potential within competitive gaming. We do this by offering regular cash prize tournaments, providing access to pro esports guides and – in the near future – offering unique training games for our players to train and assess their progress,” said Nic van ‘t Schip, Marketing Director at nicecactus.gg. “We are proud to provide a platform for everyone to level up their game. And now, with our Nicecactus Grassroots Esports Fund, we’re excited to provide a new service to help the best-of-the-best reach the next rank in their esports careers.”
For more information please visit https://nicecactus.gg