ProGuides, an Esports learning platform, announced a $5 million seed funding round led by M13 with participation from previous pre-seed investors Amplify LA, Quest Venture Partners and the GFR Fund.
Funding will allow the company to make strategic hires, further invest in marketing and build new content capabilities.
ProGuides produces curriculum-based and video-led content that introduces new players to competitive games or helps established gamers elevate their skill with hyper-focused and highly visualized instruction. After 20,000 paid sessions, ProGuides has recently exited a successful beta launch of its on-demand coaching platform where subscribers were paired with professional players for individualized support. While coaching was the feature’s initial intent, subscribers have reimagined the service as a fun opportunity to play with “celebrity” gamers while semi-experienced players are separately connecting with coaches to bypass a game’s random matching system and get the most of their limited playing time.
“ProGuides is the definitive platform to help gamers get better,” said Sam Wang, CEO of ProGuides. “With M13 by our side, we’ll accelerate our technological development, introduce new content and engage our growing audience in totally new ways. 2020 will be a marquee year for Esports learning, and we’re excited to be leading the market’s development.”
The team will be bringing creative, production and editing capabilities in-house by installing dedicated filming studio and hiring across engineering, content development and marketing. ProGuides will also look to further longstanding relationships with top influencers and professional gamers to launch new titles and expand its roster of top-tier coaches.
“ProGuides is taking coaching and skills development into the gaming world,” said M13 Partner Gautam Gupta. “ProGuides is off to a great start having built a highly active, fast-growing Esports community, and M13 is excited to help accelerate their reach across new games and new gamers.”
ProGuides currently supports eight titles and expects to expand to 20 by the end of 2020. The most popular courses include “League of Legends,” “Fortnite” and “Hearthstone.” The company also serves as the exclusive course provider for longtime partner Wizards of the Coast’s “Magic: The Gathering.”
