eSports betting platform Unikrn dismisses big name rivals: 'Our competitors don't have the knowledge or passion we do'

unikrn-dismisses-rivals
It’s now very easy to bet on eSports matches with real money – but the market is growing fast with bigger, more traditional players wanting a slice of the pie such as William Hill and Paddy Power.
We talk to Rahul Sood (pictured above), the co-founder and CEO of UK, Ireland and Australia eSports betting platform Unikrn, which has just raised an additional $7 million in funding, about the growing area and what he thinks of the competition.

“Unikrn Arena is the only 100% legal vertically integrated eSports betting platform in the world. This means there’s a safe, reliable, and legal arena for customers to get engaged and bet on eSports – designed by people who love eSports and betting,” Sood told us.
“I don’t think any of our competitors have the knowledge or passion for gaming and betting put together, our partnership with Tabcorp is more than a partnership, they are a vested owner of Unikrn – and we are their global partner for eSports, exclusively.”
While the likes of Paddy Power and William Hill only have very few eSports betting options currently available (click those links to see the options), it’s more likely an experiment for those established sports betting companies right now.
Using Unikrn, however, fans can now bet on matches of League of Legends, Dota2, Counter-Strike, Heroes of the Storm and more in the UK, Ireland and Australia, with more countries planned in the near future.
Unikrn isn’t just some company that spotted an opportunity and went for it quickly, either. Sood was general manager of Microsoft Ventures – the tech giant’s startup accelerator division – a senior position he left in November 2014 to launch Unikrn.
This is a man who has serious knowledge of securing funding, building companies from scratch and entrepreneurship. He founded gaming computer creator VoodooPC which was acquired by HP in 2006 – a company Unikrn has now partnered with, alongside Logitech, Razer and Tabcorp. He has also hired former League of Legends pro gamer Snoopeh to head up global business development (check out our interview with Snoopeh on eSports players retiring so young here).
“I’ve been in the PC gaming business since it started,” Sood told us. “Voodoo was the first company I started and it’s widely known as the first gaming PC company ever. After selling Voodoo to HP I started another gaming company before joining Microsoft to start Microsoft Ventures.
“I’ve been involved with startup companies for my entire career; Unikrn is built on a solid foundation of gaming with a team that lives eats breathes and sleeps eSports. We have combined our heritage in gaming with a very strong partnership with one of the largest and most reputable betting companies in the world, Tabcorp.”
So far, Unikrn has raised $10 million from an international group of investors, so it’s a big deal, and you can bet on it growing fast this year and next.
The latest round of funding saw Binary Capital joining forces with Mark Cuban, Advancit Capital, Freelands Group, 500 Startups, Indicator Ventures, Tabcorp and other high profile investors.
“Working with Jonathan and his team has been an experience to say the least.  They have helped us pivot at the beginning, and they always refer to us as ‘we’ even before they pulled the trigger.  They’re an incredible partner with vast consumer branding and eSports experience, ” said Sood.
Mark Cuban commented: “Hundreds of companies every year try to get me to invest, whether on Shark Tank or off camera. However, I only put my money and my name on the companies that I feel will be successful, truly advance an industry and have a leadership team that I respect.  Unikrn fits all these requirements.”
“As a sports fanatic and owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, I’m excited to be involved with a new sport just as it’s poised for huge growth.”
So can Unikrn pull in the more mainstream crowd – people who don’t love eSports right now – and where does he see the business in five years’ time?
“Absolutely, our intent is to bring more fans over from mainstream sports to eSports. There is some crossover currently, we think that will only grow as time goes on,” Sood added.
“When people think about eSports, they will think about Unikrn. We are here to stay, and we’re just getting warmed up.”
 
Fans can bet on matches at www.unikrn.com
 

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