- Rally Cry, a company that is bringing organized gaming programs to players of all ages, announced it raised $1.2 million
Rally Cry — a company that is bringing organized gaming programs to players of all ages and skill levels — announced that it raised $1.2 million in a seed round of funding led by Blizzard Entertainment co-founder Mike Morhaime and former VP of global esports at Blizzard Amy Morhaime, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Riot Games co-chairman and & co-founder Marc Merrill, and several others.
For over a decade, Rally Cry cofounders Adam Rosen and Tyler Rosen have been connecting people through social gaming experiences. And their first startup Tespa — which was founded in 2010 and eventually acquired by Blizzard Entertainment in 2013 — established the first collegiate network of its kind.
Tespa had over 1,200 participating colleges across the country. And the company had more than 100,000 active students and more than 1,000 sponsored university events each year. At Blizzard, the Rosens were responsible for some of the industry’s most important competitive events, including Heroes of the Dorm — which was the first live telecast of a collegiate esports event on ESPN.
And they were also part of the leadership team that oversaw esports at BlizzCon — the company’s annual convention that hosts more than 37,000 live attendees and over 10 million global broadcast viewers — and led business strategy & operations for Blizzard’s global esports.
Rally Cry’s investors also include:
– Mike Morhaime – cofounder and former CEO, Blizzard Entertainment
– Amy Morhaime – former VP Esports, Blizzard Entertainment
– Kevin Lin – cofounder and former COO, Twitch
– Marc Merrill – cofounder and co-chairman, Riot Games
– Andrew Hyltin – Vice Chairman of CNL Holdings
– Rich Newsome – Partner, Newsome Law
– Paul Mears – President, Hello! Destination Management
– Vincent Francoeur – former Head of Web & Mobile, Blizzard Entertainment
Key Quotes:
“There’s a tremendous opportunity to serve the millions of non-professional gamers out there looking for a more organized way to connect, play, and compete with each other. Now more than ever, people are looking for innovative new ways to connect online and beyond. There are numerous organizations supporting the professional esports scene, and we’re excited to be the organization that serves everyone else.”
-Rally Cry founder & co-CEO Tyler Rosen
“We’re thrilled to have the support of Mike and Amy Morhaime, Kevin Lin, Marc Merrill, and all of our investors. Their experience building and supporting global gaming communities is invaluable. We look forward to leveraging their collective wisdom as we launch our programs this year and beyond.”
-Rally Cry cofounder Adam Rosen
“Adam and Tyler are experts at creating both professional and grassroots programs to support players from around the world. With Rally Cry, they are filling a very important void in the gaming landscape.”
-Blizzard co-founder and former CEO Mike Morhaime
“We believe video games are a force for good, and we’re excited to finally announce Rally Cry. We look forward to sharing more details and specific programs in the very near future.”
-The Rosens
