BITKRAFT Esports Ventures

Gaming, Web3 and immersive technology are the three areas this global investment platform describes itself as built around, and it says it was built by gamers for gamers. The firm was founded in 2016 by a veteran of gaming and esports, and its pages mention a thought-leadership background going back to 1997, a team of serial entrepreneurs and a global presence with a strategic network.

What it funds

The stated focus is Seed, Series A and Series B rounds for studios that make games, platforms where games are played and the technology around them. The firm says it backs founders very early, sometimes when a company is no more than an idea carried by creative spirit and talent. Its pitch is partnership: it sees itself as providing venture capital to the founders leading a shift it calls synthetic reality, the convergence of physical and digital worlds, which it believes gaming and interactive media are leading. Its pages say entire generations are already growing up with and inside virtual worlds.

Founders it highlights

The older site profiled some of the companies it backs, mostly led by people with long experience at major game and technology companies:

• Theorycraft Games, led by a former executive of a major competitive game franchise.
• Tilt Five, in augmented reality, led by a veteran of chip design for AR and VR.
• Raid Base, started by two former developers from a large game publisher.
• Lightforge Games, led by a former data executive from a hit battle royale platform.
• Playable Worlds, led by the designer behind several early online worlds.
• Inworld AI, in AI characters, led by a former head of conversational AI investments at a major search company.
• Koji, a content creation engine aimed at mobile Gen Z audiences.
• Carbonated Games, led by a mobile games executive.
• Spatial, led by a former Apple product and business lead.

Reading the market

The firm also points readers to a report on gaming and interactive media published with a business newspaper, and cites analysis from an esports and gaming investment data provider.

BITKRAFT Esports Ventures is a venture capital platform focused on gaming, Web3 and immersive technology. It describes itself as built by gamers, and it invests in the companies that shape interactive entertainment.

Products and services

• Seed to Series B investment: funding for game studios, gaming platforms and gaming-related technology.
• Very early backing: partnership with founders even when a company is only an idea.
• Web3 investment: funding for blockchain-based gaming and related businesses.
• Immersive technology investment: support for virtual and augmented reality ventures.
• Industry network: a global presence and connections in the games sector.

Who it works with

Founders and studio leaders, including former staff of large games publishers. Portfolio companies named include Theorycraft Games, Tilt Five, Raid Base, Lightforge Games, Playable Worlds and Inworld AI.

Key facts

• Founded: 2016
• Founder: Jens Hilgers, who also started ESL, G2 Esports and Bayes Holding
• Stages: Seed, Series A and Series B