Led · Seed · Jul 2024

Blue Scarab Entertainment is a Sweden-based new studio focused on developing a debut MMORPG title. The studio is led by CEO Colin Cragg and CTO Enno Rehling, with former DICE creative director Craig Morrison serving as studio director. Guillaume Lhoyer is principal designer and Ashley Nicollette is community and marketing director; both previously worked on Helldivers 2 at Arrowhead Game Studios. Blue Scarab raised $7 million in a seed funding round to support development of its first game. The team says it aims to fuse and evolve prior gaming and media experiences to reach a wider, expanding audience and to defy genre expectations. The funding will be used to advance development and build out the studio's planned offerings.

Participated · Series A · Apr 2024

Red Rover Interactive is a game development studio focused on creating novel, deeply engaging multiplayer survival and PVP experiences. Its debut title, codenamed Project Coltrane, is set in a post-apocalyptic train world and aims to deliver a fast-paced, replayable blend of social sandbox survival and goal-driven PVP. The studio emphasizes validation-driven development, involving community members and content creators through regular playtests and iterative design. With headquarters in the UK and an office in Oslo, Red Rover is expanding its team and accelerating development of Project Coltrane. Financially, the studio has completed an over €4.7 million Seed round less than a year ago and has now secured over €14 million in a Series A round. The new funding is intended to speed development, grow the team, and solidify the studio's market presence.

Led · Seed · Nov 2022

Esports Coach Academy (ECA) is an Icelandic startup offering a software-as-a-service platform and training strategies that enable coaches to start esports youth programming. The platform provides tools, resources and knowledge for coaches to earn coaching 'badges' and teaches elements of coaching strategy. ECA also offers courses on physical and lifestyle topics, including 'exercise in esports' and 'nutrition in esports.' The software helps coaches track gameplay patterns, technical changes and social/physical factors that affect player performance. The company says around 3% of Icelandic children are enrolled in one of the country's esports coaching clubs tied to its approach. Co-founder Ólafur Steinarsson began building a grassroots esports environment in Iceland in 2018, and ECA plans to expand overseas following its initial domestic traction.

Participated · Seed · Jun 2022

Lurkit provides a gaming influencer marketing platform that delivers real-time, actionable insights on the social performance of games. Its technology algorithmically analyzes and presents data on more than 150,000 games and millions of live streaming and video views on Twitch and YouTube continuously. The company has launched Quests™, a software suite that enables paid sponsorships between live streamers and gaming companies at scale. Over 800 gaming companies, studios and publishers use the platform. Lurkit intends to use the $2.7M seed funding to expand operations and broaden its business reach. Founded as a project by brothers Sam and Tom Niskanen in 2015, the company employs 18 people across Linköping and Stockholm, Sweden.

Participated · Seed · May 2022

Firestoke is an indie game publisher founded by Paul Farley in 2021 and announced from London. The company aims to bridge the gap between a growing, diverse global audience and existing AAA and mobile offerings by publishing compact, accessible, social and joyful games. Its approach is driven by a mix of creative and data-driven insights and emphasizes empowering development talent. Firestoke plans to launch its first titles in late 2022 on PC and console platforms. Financially, the company announced a $2.2m (£1.7m/21m kr) seed funding round led by Hiro Capital; it said this backing, together with existing funding, gives the mission a strong start. No revenue or user metrics were disclosed in the announcement.