Pittsburgh Knights
A global esports organization, focused on entertaining fans, sharing esports, and bringing people together.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
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| - | investor | €0.0 | round |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
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* | N/A | $680k | Early VC |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
The Pittsburgh Knights is a global esports organization established in December 2017 by co-founders James O'Connor and Rob Lee. The company is strategically headquartered in Pittsburgh, a city with a rich professional sports history, which the Knights leverage through key local partnerships. O'Connor, who serves as the company President, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former professional Counter-Strike player and coach for teams like Team Liquid. His co-founder, Lee, had a background as a gaming content creator and manager before his departure from the company to pursue other ventures.
The organization's business model is centered on building and managing professional esports teams that compete globally in a variety of popular video game titles, including Rocket League, SMITE, PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG), and Apex Legends. Revenue is generated through multiple streams, including tournament winnings, corporate partnerships, merchandising, and hosting both online and live events. The Knights' financial strategy includes securing investments from strategic partners, having raised approximately $4.97 million from backers that include traditional sports franchises and venture funds. This approach is designed to capitalize on the rapidly expanding esports market, which was projected to generate over $1.48 billion in revenue by 2020.
A cornerstone of the Knights' strategy has been the formation of high-profile partnerships. In 2018, the organization secured a significant investment from the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, allowing the Knights to utilize the football team's expertise in merchandising, sponsorship, and marketing. This was followed by partnerships with multi-platinum recording artist Wiz Khalifa, NHL star Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Mexico City-based media fund MX LATAM in 2019. These collaborations provide the Knights with substantial brand credibility and a wider audience reach, fusing the worlds of traditional sports, entertainment, and competitive gaming. The company also maintains corporate sponsorships with brands like HyperX, which supplies gaming peripherals, and Sheetz.
Keywords: esports organization, professional gaming, competitive video games, esports teams, Rocket League, SMITE, PUBG, Apex Legends, Pittsburgh Steelers partnership, Wiz Khalifa partnership, Evgeni Malkin investor, esports tournaments, gaming lifestyle, digital media, esports sponsorships, athlete management, gaming content, global esports franchise, Latin America esports, James O'Connor