Esports

Forward:Thinking - Esports

Forward:Thinking is a series that will feature stories about my ventures into real estate, esports, blindness, poverty, artificial intelligence and everything in between. Read below to find the first entry into the series which discusses what I am doing in the industry of esports.

Staying ahead of trends is something that, in business and life, is important to do. It is like being first in line, you’re almost guaranteed to get what you queued for, and in this case it was profit, acquisition and success.

Esports has become a juggernaut of an industry. Across the world there are millions of people all part of the phenomenon, whether that be players or spectators. It is one of the more exciting endeavours throughout this career as it reminds me and epitomises how I have played my career so far.

Being that one step ahead of everyone else will always give you the reassurance that you will be successful. Having this mindset is what encouraged me to back and invest in one of the biggest esports teams in the world.

As said before, it is the companies that are impactful that are worth investing in. This is what esports is. With over 700 million people watching esports, the possibilities are endless. Investing into the industry is one of my proudest moments over the last couple of years and I intend for it to stay that way. Though it isn’t one of our biggest purchases or companies, it has an impact and offers change which is what I always strive to create.

I’ve always had big plans for my venture into esports.. The idea of taking a team global and outside of Europe, to me, is a no brainer. The success of esports across the US and China had proved that esports works – maybe even better than traditional sports. My career, companies and investments have always been global. From this I have learnt how to take advantage of the global scale of a business which is what I believe can take Team Vitality to the next level. I am always looking ahead and asking the question – what is next?

There are major developments happening within the gaming world. Virtual reality and augmented reality are two sides of the same coin, and both are picking up rapidly, especially in the gaming world. My goal is for the team to have the best and be the best. This is why the investment I made back in 2018 assisted in equipping the team with state of the art computers and a headquarters to match.

Teams have begun to make large affiliate deals, partnering with brands such as Samsung. Samsung, as a brand partner, will supply teams with the resources needed to play and compete. Having big brands involved with esports teams can also attract a much wider audience and allow for them to create different and more rich experiences for their audience.

On top of the partnerships with Samsung, teams also partner with audio brands. JBL, a well-known speaker and headphone company. JBL are said to have kitted out Team Vitality’s French headquarters with speaker and gaming headsets and plan to work closely with the team to create new gaming headsets that will improve the quality of the gaming experience.

Traditional sports teams often make a lot of money based upon their partnerships with affiliate companies and brands, esports teams have begun to partner with international brands and make a lot of profit from it. With the sheer amount of people watching and attending the games, these teams have a bright and bountiful future ahead of them.

As I’ve said before, I believe that esports could be much more profitable than regular, conventional sports. In an interview with Esports Insider, I claimed that one day my hope was that there could and would be a team that becomes the first team worth $1 billion – this is still my hope. With the constant evolution of the sport, it is only natural to keep thinking towards the future and wonder what is coming next.

For more information on Tej Kohli as a philanthropist visit tejkohliruit.com and to read more of his views go to his Medium.

To read about Tej Kohli as an investor visit Kohli Ventures.

Find out more about Tej Kohli: Tej Kohli the technologist investing in human triumph, Tej Kohli the philanthropist trying to cure the developing world of cataracts and Tej Kohli the London tycoon with a generous streak.