1v1Me

1v1Me operates an esports staking platform where fans can financially back competitive gamers in one-on-one matches. The company was founded in 2020 by Anthony Geranio and Alexander Emmanuel. The idea emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic when Geranio and his friends, unable to meet for their regular poker games, started wagering on video game matches amongst themselves, managing the process inefficiently through group chats and payment apps. This experience highlighted a market opportunity for a streamlined platform.

CEO Anthony Geranio, a former software engineer at companies like TextNow, Grailed, and Skillshare, drew upon his lifelong passion for competitive gaming, which dates back to playing in LAN tournaments as a teenager. His technical background, combined with a failed attempt to build a similar platform in high school, motivated him to learn programming to bring his own projects to life. Co-founder and CPO Alexander Emmanuel, a UK-born Canadian expat, has a background as a mobile and backend/design engineer, having worked with Geranio at both Skillshare and Grailed. His engineering expertise was instrumental in building the initial product. The duo initially worked on 1v1Me as a side project before committing to it full-time.

The platform's business model centers on taking a 10% commission from the money fans wager on players. Competing players are not charged a fee for head-to-head matches. 1v1Me serves a dual audience: skilled gamers seeking to monetize their abilities and fans who want to engage with the esports community through staking. The service initially launched as an invite-only app focused on titles like Call of Duty and Fortnite, and has since expanded to include games like NBA 2K, Madden, and FC 25. To ensure fair play, the platform features live referees who monitor matches and resolves disputes. Users link their bank accounts, and the app holds the staked money in escrow, promptly transferring winnings to the victor after verifying the outcome, often by monitoring the game's stream on Twitch.

The company has successfully raised capital to fuel its growth, securing a $2 million pre-seed round in March 2021 from investors including On Deck, Village Global, GeltVC, and notable angel investors like Anthony Pompliano and Justin Waldron. Reports from 2024 indicate further funding, with a total raised amount stated as high as $4 million, and plans for a Series A round to accelerate expansion. A key part of 1v1Me's growth strategy involves leveraging content creators and professional gamers, some of whom are also investors, to build trust and attract users, which helped generate a significant waitlist early on.

Keywords: esports staking, competitive gaming, player vs player wagering, video game betting, gamer monetization, fan engagement, skill-based gaming, Call of Duty, NBA 2K, Madden, Anthony Geranio, Alexander Emmanuel, On Deck, Village Global, GeltVC, Lightshed Ventures, Bettor Capital, P2P gaming, mobile gaming platform, real-money gaming, esports financing, online tournaments