Gaming social platform eFuse secures $6m investment from NBA and NFL stars

Gaming and esports social media platform eFuse have raised $6m in post-seed investment from major athletes across basketball and American football.

The company dub themselves as the “LinkedIn for gamers” and have raised new capital in an effort to accelerate their growth. They’re said to have welcomed 500,000 users to their platform so far.

eFuse are banking on discoverability being a major player in their eventual success, allowing gamers to show off their in-game credentials, gameplay highlights, and resume.

Those who contributed in the investment round include Philadelphia 76ers’ Seth Curry, Cleveland Browns’ Denzel Ward, Dallas Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott, and New England Patriots’ Chase Winovich.

Utilizing the newly-raised funds, eFuse will delve into product development and user acquisition in an attempt to accelerate their growth. They also plan to make more key hires on their mission to becoming profitable — much like their recent hires of Herb May and Neil Duffy.

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The platform goes beyond what LinkedIn offers to users. They host ‘eRena’ esports events, which includes a tournament series built exclusively for female gamers, and aggregates scholarship and job opportunities specifically tailored towards gaming and esports.

“eFuse is tackling esports’ discovery and diversity problem head-on,” said Bill Baumel, managing director at the Ohio Innovation Fund, who served as the lead investor in the round. “We see only growth opportunities as eFuse applies its funding to meet the opportunity and define the ‘networking for gamers’ segment.”

eFuse are based in Columbus Ohio and have over 20 employees. They are led by CEO Matthew Benson, who was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in the gaming category for 2021.