Will Smith Invests as General G Announces $ 46 Million Financing

World Organization of Esports Gen.G today announced a $ 46 million (£ 35 million) investment in which its player is investing Will Smith's and Japanese footballer Keisuke Honda Dreamers Fund.

The series also includes investments by Dennis Wong, minority owner of Los Angeles Clippers, Michael Zeisser, former president of US investment group Alibaba, and David Rogier, co-founder and director of MasterClbad. In addition, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Conductive Ventures, Battery Ventures, Canaan Partners, SVB Capital, and Stanford University all invested.

Keisuke Honda, former midfielder of AC Milan and Japan, "I am delighted that Dreamers Fund, the fund I co-launched with Will Smith, is now investing in Gen.G. Esports is not yet widespread in Japan, but we are seeing phenomenal growth in this country and around the world, which is very positive. We decided to invest in General G because of his incredible team and his great vision of becoming a leader in the field. We are really looking forward to working with Gen.G to boost the global esport industry. "

The capital will aim to support the ongoing expansion of Gen.G's global footprint, which already has teams in the world's largest sports leagues in the United States, China and Korea. In addition, he will contribute to the development of the Gen.G Youth Sports Academy program and the launch of Gen.G headquarters in Los Angeles, which will open in July 2019.

"We decided to invest in General G because of his incredible team and his great vision of becoming a leader in the field"

"We are grateful for the support of a remarkable group of investors, as diverse as the future of esport," he said. Chris Park, CEO of Gen.G "Our partners in this round share Gen.G's mission to reinvent sports entertainment as the only truly global esport organization capable of doing so."

Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has also been named Gen.G's banking partner. SVB has worked closely with Gen.G executives to find the right investors and advice on all fundraising issues. SVB and Gen.G will also collaborate on various upcoming events and content in 2019 and 2020.

Arnold Hur, chief of operations of General G, revealed: "This is an incredible step for Gen.G and the vision we have for the organization.

"With the support of our new investors, we are delighted to deliver on a number of priorities, including our head office in Los Angeles, our continued expansion in China, our ever-evolving player development academy programs, and a high priority for us in the future. 2020, which hosts Dynasty. matches in Seoul! There is still a lot of work to be done and we are very proud to have these investors on our team. "

Esports Insider said: Gen.G is now joining G2 Esports, Team Liquid and TSM, all of whom have had successful fundraising rounds. Gen.G has managed to bring together a plethora of diverse investors, including Fresh Prince and the family-friendly rap icon, Will Smith. With the success of the teams already badembled in Overwatch and League of Legends, there is no doubt that the Gen.G group is now considering a place for the Call of Duty franchise for next year.

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