Fimalac and Matthieu Dallon have partnered to create Trust Esports, the first French venture capital fund for esports startups.

The fund will aim to support between 10 to 12 innovative esports businesses that are working to develop creative and complementary applications, mods, platforms and services for esports games. The focus will be on three problematic areas for esports: ‘The improvement of the viewing experience’, ‘the development of the audience monetisation’ and ‘the optimisation of the playing conditions’.

Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, owner and president of Fimalac, had this to say: “The creation of this unique and pioneering fund is testament to the confidence I have in the development of esport, and in the young French and European talents that drive this industry. Through innovation, we want to meet the expectations of new generations regarding their gaming experience. With this in mind, investment in Trust Esport complements our digital efforts driven by Webedia – the French leader and global operator of Esports tournaments – and our entertainment business developed by Fimalac Entertainment”

Fimalac is an international player in digital media and entertainment through Webedia and Fimalac Entertainment. Matthieu Dallon is best known for his involvement in ESWC and the Toornament platform, which was acquired by Webedia in 2016.

The fund will be managed by Apicap, an AMF-accredited management company, with Matthieu Dallon and Mathias Monribot providing consulting. The fun will launch with €20M (£17.5m) in investment, with Fimalac becoming the first partner and sponsor with €10M (£8.7m) of funding already committed. Trust Esports will announce more partners this year at the end of the creation process.

Esports Insider says: For esports to stay relevant and innovate, especially during its current testing times – startups with new, fresh ideas will be key to the long-term success of the scene. VC funding is something we normally associate with the USA, so seeing such a project launching in Europe is an important sign for one of esports most successful regions.

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