Startups Investment Recap – December 10

Esports One Inc. announced that it had raised $4M

Santa Monica-based startup Esports One Inc. announced that it had raised $4 million in early stage funding to continue development of a fantasy sports platform tied to the world of competitive video gaming. Investors XSeed Capital, Eniac Ventures and Chestnut Street Ventures led the new round of funding. The new raise follows a $12 million Series A round that was completed last year with a post-money valuation of $42 million. In total, Esports One has raised $19.25 million since 2017, when it participated in the Play Labs accelerator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to the company, the new funding will enable Esports One to expand its fantasy platform to new games, including “Fortnite” and “Valorant.”

Vivenu has closed a $15M Series A funding round

Vivenu, a ticketing platform that offers an API for venues and promoters to customize to their needs, has closed a $15 million Series A funding round led by Balderton Capital. Previous investor Redalpine also participated. In March 2020, vivenu secured €1.4 million in seed funding, bringing its total funding to €14 million. Previous investors include early-stage venture capital investor Redalpine, GE32 Capital and Hansel LLC (associated with the founders of Loft). Vivenu provides venues and event owners a full-featured ticketing, out-of-the-box platform with full real-time dynamic control over all aspects of selling tickets, including configuring prices and seating plans, leveraging customer data and insights and mastering a branded look and feel across their sales channels.

Salut announced that it has raised $1.25M in new funding

Salut, an app-based service that allows fitness trainers to host classes virtually, announced that it has raised $1.25 million in a new financing event. The round was led by Charles Hudson, an investor at Precursor Ventures. The company’s fundraising is largely earmarked for engineering, with the company having what its founder called an ambitious product roadmap. The startup also announced a new project with Fitness Mentors, a company that helps trainers get certified. With the new round in the bank and its product now formally launched, it’s up to Salut to scale rapidly. The company currently has 55 registered trainers on its platform, a reasonable start for the seed-stage startup.

The Skills announced a $5 million seed round

The Skills, the only online education platform to focus exclusively on education taught by icons of professional sport, announced a $5 million seed round and two new courses from Michael Phelps and Megan Rapinoe. Will Ventures led the investment round with participation from other investors including Global Founders Capital, 8VC, Maveron, Hack VC, and Correlation VC. The Skills plans to use its funding to create new content for people eager to learn, be entertained, and better themselves. The Skills offers courses from elite athletes including Maria Sharapova, Larry Fitzgerald, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Shaun White, and more. The Skills athletes provide tips on how to improve at the fundamentals of their sport while also discussing the life lessons from their careers.