Global esports entertainment company BLAST has secured £1.7M GBP in funding from Edge Investments. 

The investment follows on from a successful £11M funding round in May this year. BLAST says it will use the new capital and Edge’s broad network to accelerate its international expansion and optimise its production capabilities, while bolstering its broader UK operations as it looks to further tap the nation’s strong media talent pool. 

Edge Investments specialises in identifying trends and technology advances that will impact the creative economy, and is one of the leading growth investors in the sector. Since launching in 2006, Edge has raised over £200M, and made investments in digital media company Jungle Creations, advertising platform A Million Ads, user-generated content marketplace Newsflare, on-demand audio distribution platform audioBoom, and festival and travel platform Festicket, among others. 

Discussing the news Investment Manager at Edge Investments, Niall Santamaria, said:

“We’re excited to partner with BLAST as it looks to become a true leader in global esports. In this sector, the fans are everything – and Robbie and his team have focused on ensuring they have the best teams, top broadcast talent and production technology, to deliver a truly world class content experience for their millions of fans; something clearly acknowledged by the BBC with yesterday’s announcement. The whole team at Edge is pleased to be supporting them as they build on their recent successes and move to the next stage of their growth.”

While CEO of BLAST, Robbie Douek, added:

“To have Edge Investments’ backing is testament to the impressive work BLAST has achieved so far this year and highlights the upward trajectory the esports industry is on right now despite a turbulent year for everyone. 

“We chose Edge for access to their specialist knowledge and network in content distribution, media promotion and production, and we are delighted to have them on board as we enter what looks to be a pivotal year for us.”

Just yesterday, BLAST announced a new partnership with the BBC, that will see its final three Counter-Strike events of 2020 shown on the broadcaster’s digital platform, iPlayer. 

BLAST currently has offices in Copenhagen, Denmark, and London, UK. 

AYO.NEWS says:

This year has been challenging for BLAST and other tournament organisers due to the COVID-19 crisis, so it’s great to see investors are still optimistic about the long-term future for esports events companies. It’s also good to see BLAST is going to invest in expanding operations in the UK – a country which should, given its creative firepower, especially in video games, also be at the forefront of esports.

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.