Australia gaming, e-sports start-up gets $12m

The round was led by Elysian Park Ventures, a private investment firm established by the owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball franchise, and Cerro Capital, a US-based investor that focuses on technology-enabled sports assets.

Additional commitments came from Powerhouse Capital, which targets media and entertainment and sports and gaming, and two Australia-based venture capital firms, Aura Ventures and Artesian.

Founded in 2014 by Riad Chikhani, Gamurs claims to be one of the largest media networks in its vertical, with 55m monthly active users across 16 major publications, including flagship brand Dot Esports, Gamepur, Prima Games, Twinfinite, Pro Game Guides, Attack of the Fanboy, We Got This Covered, The Mary Sue, and Touch, Tap, Play.

The company has grown through the acquisition of small, underdeveloped digital media platforms and providing them with the tools, resources, and global reach required to achieve scale. As of July, revenue was tracking at a 158% premium to the previous year, while EBITDA has more than doubled, according to a statement.

The new funding will be used to accelerate growth and expand into adjacent markets. Acquisitions remains central to the strategy. Ashish Patel, co-founder and managing partner of Cerro, noted that the company is incredibly adept at identifying targets, running a smooth integration process, and driving near immediate growth in audience and revenue, in a profitable manner."

Gamurs also offers advertising services to brands that want to reach its e-sports and gaming audience – of which two-thirds are in the 18-34 years bracket and half are in the US. Services include strategic sponsorships, digital media buying, bespoke content creation and campaign solutions, and product partnerships. It has worked with the likes of McDonald's, Red Bull, and Nintendo.

"Our mission at Elysian Park Ventures is to invest in companies that are going to have a profound impact on the sports world," said Nikhil Bahel, Elysian’s managing partner. "Gamurs has quickly snuck up on the emerging esports market with a sustainable business model, and a remarkably focused and passionate founder in Riad."

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• Topics
• Australasia
• Media
• Technology
• Early-stage
• Australia
• TMT
• Aura Private Equity
• Artesian
• Elysian Park Ventures
• Cerro Capital
• gaming