NEW YORK – June 26, 2017 –ReKTGlobal, Inc., the fast-growing business authority in esports and competitive gaming, today announced a business expansion with the official launch of three new ventures for the business community; ReKTVenues, ReKTLive and ReKTMedia.
These new ventures are designed to help bridge the gap between the multi-billion-dollar business of traditional sports and the burgeoning business of esports and competitive gaming. The new extensions will meet the growing demand of existing businesses in professional sports and entertainment, from teams and venues to brands and media companies, looking to expand and attract millennials and gamers. They will help companies interested in creating authentic media content for esports fans, and festival and convention producers who want to bring unique esports experiences to their events.
Launched September 2016, ReKTGlobal’s new additions of ReKTVenues, ReKTLive and ReKTMedia aim to bring esports to its full potential and build on the company’s existing brands including esports careers platform ReKTJobs, consultancy ReKTAgency and collegiate esports connector ReKTUniversity.
“My vision is that every city will have an esports venue and every professional sports team will have an esports strategy,” said founder Amish Shah. “ReKTGlobal has the solutions to help them navigate through the ecosystem,” continued Shah, an early investor in the esports space with Gameco, the “First Video Game Slot Machine,” professional esports Team EnVyUs and Drone Racing League before finding the sweet spot of esports infrastructure building with ReKTGlobal.
“We view ReKTGlobal as a Rising Tide to Lift all Ships; an infrastructure business in support of the esports and broader gaming marketplaces,” said co-founder and CEO David Bialek. “ReKTGlobal will make it easy for anyone to enjoy, participate or work in esports anytime and anywhere.”
The parent company’s new corporate website, www.rektglobal.com, provides a hub for esports solutions from corporate consultation and creative services, to community-based events, content and programs for professional sports and mixed purpose venues, as well as job placement and university scholarship matching.
The ReKTGlobal executive team includes founder Shah, also a founding partner of venture capital firm SierraMaya360, who was joined in 2017 by co-founders Bialek, a 25-year sports marketing veteran and Sports Business Journal 40 Under 40 recipient; Christopher J. Steele and Christopher Golden of Sterling Select, a venture development and investment platform affiliated with Sterling Equities; and Counsel Charles Baker, a top sports, media and entertainment attorney.
“We at Sterling Select, considered partnering with Amish in his investment in Team EnVyUs in early 2016 but ultimately decided it was too nascent and unchartered at the time,” said managing partner Christopher J. Steele. “However, when Amish came to me and shared his vision for ReKTGlobal and esports infrastructure, I determined that it was a better fit for the Select platform. Given the estimates of the growth of the industry, Select’s sees ReKTGlobal as being in the right space, at the right time with the right team, which we are excited to be an integral part of as co-founders.”
“Esports is one of the fast-growing parts of our industry,” said Baker. “I am excited to be part of a group that knows how to develop esports correctly and for the long-term benefit of the players and fans.”
Also joining the team is Vice President of Esports Kevin Knocke, an industry go-to who has led content and events for partners like Blizzard Entertainment, IGN, SiriusXM, Sony, SXSW, E3 and many more.
“Working as a play-by-play commentator, talent manager, producer and host for some of the biggest esports companies, I’ve seen many people try to go after the esports industry without having true knowledge of the space. Very seldom do people think beyond the immediate excitement,” said Knocke. “ReKTGlobal was the first company I saw to take a profitable, long-term minded approach to the esports industry, and the first to truly understand what it takes from a professional sports perspective to leverage high value brands and locations.”
The ReKTGlobal team brings senior leadership, authenticity, proven experience and best practices to an esports market that is currently underdeveloped.
ReKTVenues
ReKTVenues constructs new esports-specific venues and outfits existing ones with esports capabilities. ReKTVenues ensures venue owners across the U.S. have a comprehensive strategy for the future that is esports.
“The NBA, NFL and FIFA have been proactive with numerous pro sports team’s owners already investing in esports teams, but no one has cracked the code on how to have a model that works for the venues,” stated Bialek. “ReKTGlobal’s Venue Model offers a customizable approach to finding offerings and solutions for both pro sports and non-sports venues.”
ReKTLive
ReKTLive service brings a cutting-edge esports experience to conventions and festivals nationwide. As the experts in the esports revolution, ReKTLive is now developing and implementing esports solutions for venue/stadium operators, professional sports and non-sporting events, festivals, conventions, colleges/universities, casinos and other experiential environments.
