SeventySix Capital, a firm that includes one-time National League MVP Ryan Howard, has announced an investment in N3rd Street Gamers. Howard, along with partners Wayne Kimmel and Jon Powell, are entering the esports realm through N3rd Street Gamers (NSG), a Jarvus venture led by entrepreneurs John Fazio and Rob Hilsky.
Founded in 2009, NSG empowers esports communities with arena facilities, production studios, gaming equipment, administration and broadcast services. SeventySix Capital, launched in 1999, is a leading venture capital firm that invests in consumer-facing technology companies in the sports, retail and health industries.
“There’s no denying that esports are rapidly growing in popularity,” said Ryan Howard, MLB superstar and Partner at SeventySix Capital, “Events and leagues are now broadcast to tens of millions of viewers online and on traditional television.”
With the investment from SeventySix Capital and private investor George Miller, NSG will expand their dedicated esports arena – Localhost in Philadephia, open new locations across the United States to empower more esports communities and partner with additional major brands and athletes to bring esports further into the spotlight.
“As the success of leagues continue, the esports industry desperately needs infrastructure like N3rd Street Gamers and Localhost for players to practice, compete and succeed,” said Wayne Kimmel, Managing Partner of SeventySix Capital.
NSG will also have access to SeventySix Capital’s plethora of industry connections, portfolio company Whistle Sports, a digital sports media company with over 350 million fans and followers, and partner firm Rubicon Talent, a sports and entertainment agency in New York City representing a wide range of clients including MLB legend Cal Ripken, Jr., NFL All-Pro Running Back, DeMarco Murray, NBC Sports’ Dan Hicks, and 3x Olympic Gold Medalist, Kerri Walsh Jennings.
“I want to thank our loyal gaming communities here in Philadelphia and the surrounding region for getting us to where we are today,” said John Fazio, CEO of NSG, “and our partners at SeventySix Capital for their confidence and investment, which will allow us to deliver our unique experiences to people all over the country.”
NSG produces both small- and large-scale esports events for games like CS:GO, StarCraft II, Hearthstone and the recent official Madden Challenger, one of 4 sanctioned in the United States by publisher Electronic Arts (EA). They also host an annual summer championship event bringing in more than 2,500 casual and professional gamers from across the world. On the popular streaming platform Twitch, the 2017 summer event attracted over 22,000 live concurrent viewers and 1 million total viewers over a 3 day period.
