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Start.gg operates as an online platform for organizing and managing esports tournaments. It provides organizers with tools for event setup, player registration, bracket management, and results tracking, streamlining competitive operations. The platform serves as a central hub for players to discover and enter gaming competitions, establishing critical digital infrastructure for the global esports community.
Co-founded by Chris Ogle and Justin Mills, start.gg emerged from recognizing the esports community's need for efficient competition management. Their vision was to simplify tournament logistics and connect players with event hosts. This propelled the platform's development as a specialized competitive gaming solution.
Start.gg serves tournament organizers, competitive players, and enthusiasts globally, connecting them through structured competition. Its vision is to be the digital foundation for the esports ecosystem, enabling seamless event creation and engagement. The company empowers the competitive gaming community with accessible tools, supporting the sport's continued growth.
Smash.gg has raised $14.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Smash.gg has raised $14.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Start.gg, originally known as Smash.gg, is a technology platform that builds tools for organizing, managing, and hosting esports tournaments across various games.[1][2] It serves tournament organizers, players, and communities by enabling event creation, registration, rankings, and result tracking, solving the challenges of coordinating grassroots and professional esports events in a scalable way.[1][2][5] Founded in 2015 and acquired by Microsoft in December 2020, the platform has raised $11M prior to acquisition and now leverages Microsoft's resources for global expansion, supporting competitions worldwide from Super Smash Bros. to Rocket League and beyond.[1][2][5]
Smash.gg was founded in 2015 in San Francisco, California, by a team including co-founder and program manager Chris Ogle, along with key contributors like Nathan Welch (engineering), Kelly Goodchild (program manager), and Justin Mills (product manager).[1][2][6] Emerging from the fighting game community—particularly Super Smash Bros. enthusiasts—the idea addressed the need for a self-service platform to build active esports scenes around popular games, starting with local tournaments and spectator experiences.[1][5][6] Early traction came from its adoption in Super Smash Bros. events, expanding to titles like Rocket League and Hearthstone; a pivotal moment was its $11M funding and 2020 acquisition by Microsoft, which integrated it into the Content Services Group for enhanced resources while maintaining business as usual.[2][5]
Start.gg rides the explosive growth of esports, a market blending gaming, live events, and digital communities, timed perfectly with the post-2020 surge in online tournaments amid global shifts to remote entertainment.[1][5] Microsoft's acquisition amplifies this by providing vast infrastructure and content synergies, countering market forces like fragmented event tools and scalability issues for independent organizers.[1][2][5] It influences the ecosystem by centralizing grassroots-to-pro pathways, empowering diverse regions (North America to Oceania), and accelerating esports innovation within Big Tech's gaming push.[1][5]
With Microsoft's backing, Start.gg is poised to deepen AI-driven features, expand game support, and integrate with platforms like Xbox for seamless pro-am pipelines. Trends like mobile esports growth and metaverse events will shape its path, potentially evolving its influence from niche tournament hub to core esports infrastructure. This positions it to sustain momentum in a maturing industry, building on its community roots for broader tech-gaming convergence.[1][2]
Smash.gg has raised $14.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Smash.gg's investors include Kevin Hartz, Accel, Bain Capital Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, Openspace Ventures, Presence Capital, Race Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Seven Seven Six, Spark Capital, Y Combinator, Adam Gross.
Smash.gg has raised $14.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $11.0M Series A in August 2017.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2017 | $11.0M Series A | Kevin Hartz, Accel, Bain Capital Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, Openspace Ventures, Presence Capital, Race Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Seven Seven Six, Spark Capital, Y Combinator, Adam Gross, Alex Adelman, Scott Belsky, Tikhon Bernstam, Will Gaybrick | |
| Mar 1, 2016 | $3.0M Seed | Kevin Hartz, Adverb Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Chloe Sladden, Bain Capital Ventures, Bono, Caffeinated Capital, Electric Capital, Footwork, General Catalyst, Hardware Club, Heretic Ventures, Highbury Group, Kindred Ventures, Moxxie Ventures, Presence Capital, Quiet Capital, Redpoint Ventures, SciFi VC, Seven Seven Six, South Park Commons, Spark Capital, Y Combinator, Aaron Levie, Adam Gross, Alex Adelman, Ben Davenport, Bill Tai, Drew Houston, Julia Hartz, Scott Belsky, Tikhon Bernstam, Will Gaybrick |