Mission Control, a company building rec league esports programs, has received a $1.75 million (£1.38 million) investment led by Dundee Venture Capital.
M25, Cultivation Capital, and MATH Venture Partners also participated in the raise. Mission Control works with schools, community centres, and companies to build out esports programs in their communities.
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Austin Smith, CEO and Founder of Mission Control, spoke on the investment in a release: “I grew up playing video games with my brother and my friends as a way to spend time together. For us, it was a social activity meant to gather communities just like traditional rec league sports. With this funding, we are excited to bring the structure of traditional rec leagues and the excitement of esports to social gamers and their communities across the country.”
To date, Mission Control’s partners have included GameStop and Minnesota ROKKR. The company has also helped Duke, MIT, Dallas’ Parks and Rec department, and the Special Olympics in New York and Oregon build esports programs.
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David Mann, Partner at Dundee Venture Capital, also commented: “Dundee Ventures is pleased to join Mission Control as an investor and board member. Mission Control addresses a true gap, and therefore opportunity, in the gaming industry, and is already connecting recreational players to each other safely through its platform.
“We share Austin and Byron’s belief in the power of community gathering through gaming, and know that they and their team have the poise and industry knowledge to scale the company to its full potential.”
Esports Insider says: Mission Control has a few competitors including the recently-announced Rally Cry for workplaces and PlayVS for schools, but neither company operates with the variety of partners that Mission Control has worked with. With its mix of top schools, esports teams, government departments, and non-profits, Mission Control shows the company can adapt to a variety of situations and be successful.
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