The first dedicated global esports fund of its kind now has two of the biggest names in U.S. professional sports ownership joining the newly-launched initiative, which begins with $18 million Euro to invest in esports startups.

aXiomatic, an esports ownership and management fund that is led by Ted Leonsis (Monumental Sports & Entertainment) and Peter Guber (Golden State Warriors/Los Angeles Dodgers), is one of BITKRAFT Esports Ventures’ limited partners, which also includes boutique investment and M&A firm Inner Circle Sports.

The BITKRAFT Esports Ventures team is led by 20-year esports veteran and the founder of ESL Jens Hilgers. Additionally, Minard Hamilton — a senior executive who previously worked at EA Mobile/JAMDAT, ESPN and Activision — along with co-founder of Delivery Hero Markus Fuhrmann comprise BITKRAFT’s founding partnership.

Since it began investing in companies over a year ago, BITKRAFT has already supported 10 esports startups across the globe including Kek.tv, Boom.tv and DOJO Madness, with plans to add four more companies by year’s end. BITKRAFT is targeting a final close of $30 million Euro and according to the launch announcement, will invest $100,000-$400,000 in each early-stage company.

“Esports happens at the intersection of video games and sports, where new opportunities and excitement exists. This fund is the culmination of building and scaling esports and creating outstanding services and products that increase enjoyment for both players and fans,” Jens Hilgers, BITKRAFT Founding Partner said in a statement. “This fund is also about living my passion and creating a platform to support those who share this dream and have the drive to create intrinsic value in esports. Everyone involved in BITKRAFT has had outstanding entrepreneurial success in esports or closely related industries. I am very excited about the talent that our group brings to the table for the startups and entrepreneurs we support.”

Added Kristian Segerstrale, Chief Executive Officer at Super Evil Megacorp in a statement: “Esports is rapidly becoming a key pillar of the gaming industry and a form of mainstream entertainment in its own right, across all gaming platforms, from mobile to PC. However, the esports ecosystem is still very young. With its seasoned investment team who bring a mix of expertise across technology, media, and games, as well as deepest possible esports experience, BITKRAFT is incredibly well positioned as an accelerator and fund to support this rapidly emerging ecosystem.”

Here is the listing of limited partners for BITKRAFT: Segerstrale Family Trust, Fabrice Grinda, MTG, aXiomatic, Inner Circle Sports LLC, Sumit Gupta, Hany Nada, Rick Thompson and Bertelsmann’s BDMI, among others.

Image via: Courtesy of BITKRAFT Esports Ventures