Expansion Funds for Esports Data Firm FanAI

In the US, Santa Monica-based esports audience monetization and data analytics firm FanAI has raised $8m in a Series A round of funding, and says it will expand its team from 20 to 30 employees, and grow its UK and European business.

FanAI connects fan data to purchase, social media and streaming data to improve the effectiveness of sponsorship and digital media for clients. Earlier this year, the company acquired New York-based esports data firm Waypoint; and more recently it partnered with consumer insights agency Interpret to provide streaming audit and valuation services for esports leagues, publishers, and events.

The firm's new funding round was led by Marubeni Corporation, with participation from Allectus Capital, CRCM Ventures, Courtside Ventures, GC Tracker Fund, M Ventures, Sterling VC and GFR Fund. This latest investment brings the total raised to date to £12.5m, and new funds will also be used to expand partnerships to new markets in Japan and South Korea.

Johannes Waldstein (pictured), CEO of FanAI, comments: 'We couldn't imagine a better strategic investor than Marubeni to help realize our business objectives in a brand new market. Marubeni has forged incredibly strong business relationships throughout the region, and with this partnership, we are positioned to expand our team and continue to build out our self-serve sponsorship data platform'.

Web site: www.fan.ai .