PlayVS, a startup aimed at developing high school talent through esports, has raised an amazing $15 million dollars in a Series A funding round led by New Enterprise Associates, a venture capital firm. Other investors included some big names such as Hip-Hop artist Nas, the San Francisco 49ers, NBA All-Star Baron Davis, Twitch COO Kevin Lin, and New York Jets offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum, among others.
PlayVS is set to begin its inaugural esports season in October of this year across 5,000 high schools and 5 million students. Participating schools and the titles used for the competition will reportedly be announced in July, with the organization targeting three key genres, Sports games, Fighting games, and MOBA’s.
“Our exclusive partnership with the NFHS and NFHS Network was the first step toward creating a league system that will impact millions of kids' lives in an extremely positive way,” PlayVS founder and CEO Delane Parnell said in a statement. “Now, with our Series A, we can take all the steps necessary to ensure that our inaugural season is a massive success while being affordable for schools, parents and students across the country.”
“The esports industry has long been working towards creating an aspirational ladder to professional competitive gaming as in traditional sports,” Twitch co-founder and COO Kevin Lin said. “Having a clear path from high school to college to playing professionally will not only help accelerate the adoption of esports, but also ensures a sustainable enterprise as the industry grows. PlayVS is uniquely positioned to organize high school esports in a clear and constructive way, shepherding more esports stars to the main stage through career-driven options.”
It seems more and more that big names are getting behind esports in a meaningful way, and with the rise of collegiate esports, it’s no wonder people are starting to look at developing talent ASAP.
