PlayVS raises $30.5 million for high school esports platform

PlayVS, a Cross Culture VC company, has raised $30.5 million for its platform for high school esports. The round comes just five months after PlayVS raised $15 million.

Elysian Park Ventures, the private investment arm of the Los Angeles Dodgers ownership group, led the round with participation from many existing investors. Other notable new investors include Adidas (marking the company’s first esports investment), Samsung Next, Plexo Capital, along with angels Sean “Diddy” Combs, David Drummond (senior vice president at Alphabet), Rahul Mehta (partner at DST Global), Rich Dennis (founder of Shea Moisture), Michael Dubin (CEO of Dollar Shave Club), Nat Turner (CEO of Flatiron Health) and Johnny Hou (CEO of NZXT).

“We have an opportunity to engage students in the life of the school with an activity that they might already be participating in on their own,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, NFHS executive director. “Now, we bring that interest and activity together to combine it with all of the elements of sport that are so special: teamwork, camaraderie, collaboration, storylines, excitement and connection to a group.”

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