Lagos and Mexico City, 25th September 2020: Platform Capital (Platform), a leading growth markets investor, is pleased to announce its investment in Qapla Gaming Inc. (Qapla), an innovative esports company headquartered in San Jose, California with operations in operations in USA, Mexico, Latin America and is looking to expand into Africa, which is one of the fastest growing esports markets.
Qapla’s digital platform is evolving and democratising esports by enabling gaming streamers to run sponsored online events for gamers and fans of the video games they already play and love. It is creating a digital community that streamers, gamers and brands plug into to generate content, engage, and monetise talent. Qapla has over 20,000 registered users across Mexico, Colombia, USA & Argentina and growing by 15% weekly.
Esports is an electronic form of competitive video game tournaments, which has redefined the video gaming culture and it is growing significantly in terms of viewers and revenue. In 2019, there were 454 million viewers globally which is expected to increase to 645 million viewers by 2021. The industry revenue is expected to grow to $1.5 billion by 2021, at a 12% CAGR driven by high-speed internet, improving streaming technology, and the rising decoupling of consumers’ viewing habits. The growth and awareness of eSports is also generating additional streams of revenue from advertising and sponsorships.
Qapla is backed by other international investors including Trebol Capital, Altered Ventures and The Ark Fund. As part of Platform’s investment, Dr. Akintoye Akindele, Chairman of Platform Capital will join the board.
Fer Diaz, CEO of Qapla Gaming Inc said “As a startup in Latin America focused on a global market, we are thrilled about having on board an international investor and partner in Platform Capital. We believe their experience in emerging markets, global synergies, market access, and network will help us connect more people to Qapla Gaming’s ecosystem worldwide.”
Yomi Akapo, Africa CEO at Platform Capital said “As the global demand for gaming and content continues to grow and evolve, we believe that Qapla is uniquely positioned in a fast-growing niche with strong appeal that has a youth focus and global reach. We are excited about what the team has built and want to support their growth across LATAM and into Africa.
About Qapla Gaming Inc.
Qapla Gaming Inc. is a gaming platform intended to democratize e-sports by turning free audiences into paid subscribers. The company’s platform helps gaming streamers turn their free audiences into paid subscribers and donators, by enabling them to run easy-to-play sponsored competitions of the video games they already love and play with their communities.
About Platform Capital
Platform Capital is a growth markets focused, sector agnostic, principal investment and advisory firm. We deploy patient, value accretive capital alongside international and local value investors to create champion businesses with the potential for regional or global scale. Platform also provides end-to-end bespoke Corporate Finance & Capital Markets advisory services. What makes us different is our obsession with changing the African narrative.
