By
Sanaa Sharma
April 26th, 2022
Now David Beckham owns approximately 4.78% of Guild Esports total shares.
Guild Esports, a talent development company that is financially backed by David Beckham, has listed on London Stock Exchange and managed to raise £20 million through the initial public offering (IPO). Headquartered in London, UK, and founded in September 2019, Guild Esports is looking to develop a talent pipeline based on “the traditional academy model.” The valuation of the company is around £40 million ($52 million).
After being listed earlier on Friday, Guild shares dropped approximately 7.63%, reversing gains made previously.
The company noted that the listing will “raise the public profile and provide new funds for the company’s expansion and long-term growth.”
Notably, Beckham now owns approximately 4.78% of Guild Esports total shares. Other notable investors include Blue Star Capital, Toro Consulting, and Pioneer Media Holdings.
Beckham and Guild Esports
“Throughout my career I’ve been lucky enough to work with players at the top of their game, and I’ve seen firsthand the passion and dedication it takes to play at that level,” said Beckham at the launch event of Guild in June.
“I know that determination lives in our esports athletes today and at Guild we have a vision to set a new standard, supporting these players into the future,” the former Manchester United and England player added. “We are committed to nurturing and encouraging youth talent through our academy systems and I am looking forward to helping our Guild Esports team grow.”
According to gaming analyst Newzoo, the global esports market is currently valued at $1.1 billion and is estimated to grow 42% to $1.56 billion by 2023.
Previously, the company noted that it will allow the “most able players” to be identified by scouts in order to be “coached and nurtured by industry leaders.” To begin with, the company indicated that it will operate in FIFA, Fortnite, and Rocket League.
“The meteoric rise of esports shows no signs of slowing down and this is the perfect moment for Guild Esports to enter this exciting market. We have built an experienced management team and I am proud to have David Beckham as co-owner in this venture as his professionalism and deep experience of developing high-functioning sports teams aligns with our core strategy of building the best in class esports teams,” Carleton Curtis, Executive Chairman of Guild Esports stated.
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