IDL, the International Dance League and the first global professional sports league dedicated to dance, has raised a $7 million Seed round led by Elysian Park Ventures, the private investment arm of the Los Angeles Dodgers ownership group. Additional participating investors include KB Partners and Apex Group, along with individual investors Nick Tran, Tammy Henault, and Taryn Crouthers. The funding supports the development of IDL’s league infrastructure, technology systems, and event production capabilities ahead of its inaugural 2026 season.
The league is being launched by the founders of STEEZY, a widely recognized leading digital dance platform. Their new venture aims to bring a professional structure to dance as a global competitive sport, creating a league model similar to those found in traditional professional sports organizations. IDL plans to establish teams, contracts, team operations, global fan engagement, and large-scale live competitions.
IDL’s first season is scheduled to begin in March 2026 with six major international events. The organization is focusing on building out its core competition ecosystem and media footprint during its pre-season phase. Its model is designed to unify elite dance teams from around the world and establish a new entertainment category that blends athletic precision with performance artistry at a global scale.
Dance remains one of the most widely practiced cultural forms worldwide, yet the industry has not historically offered a professional league environment with stable career opportunities for competitive dancers. IDL intends to fill that gap by elevating dance to the level of other spectator sports, building a system that supports team development, attracts large audiences, fosters sponsorships, and features season-based championships.
The funding will also strengthen operational planning for international logistics, live event production, media strategy, and long-term league expansion. The IDL team plans to establish a foundation for media rights distribution while fostering a global community that ties together participants, fans, studios, and cultural institutions across multiple countries.
IDL positions itself at the intersection of sports, culture, youth engagement, and digital entertainment, targeting a global audience that is already accustomed to consuming dance content online and at live events. With this investment, the organization plans to scale the sport in both physical venues and digital broadcast environments as the 2026 debut approaches.
KEY QUOTES
“For decades, dance has shaped music, fashion, and youth culture, but dancers have never had the infrastructure to thrive as professional competition dancers. IDL changes that.”
Connor Lim, Founder and CEO, IDL
“IDL is the most entertaining new sports property we’ve seen in a very long time. Their events are already cultural phenomena, both IRL and online, and their audience is young, global, and digital native. Dance as a sport is going to capture the imagination of the entire world, and the fantastic team at IDL are going to lead the way.”
Pete Vlastelica, Elysian Park Ventures
“KB Partners invests where sports, culture and technology converge, and IDL embodies that intersection. The IDL team is creating more than a new competition format, they’re building a youth to professional pathway and global community around one of the world’s most passionate participant groups.”
Steve Ahern, KB Partners
“At APEX we believe every sport should have a bottom and top of the pyramid. The cultural relevance and that it truly means something in every culture, deserves a professional platform where unique talent will be showcased globally. This is why we invested in IDL and are proudly backing Connor and Evan in achieving this mission.”
Koen Bosma, APEX Group
