In June it was Mark Cuban. September brings Ashton Kutcher Unikrn. And that’s not the only news from the online eSports betting site.
Venture Beat reports: “First, billionaire investor and Shark Tank television celebrity Mark Cuban invested in Unikrn. Now Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary are investing in the esports gaming startup through their Sound Ventures investment firm. Unikrn is also launching its global platform today.
Said Kutcher: “I’ve had the pleasure of investing and being involved in a number of outstanding startups, and Unikrn stood out because they are completely changing how people engage with esports. Esports are mainstreaming, and Unikrn Arena provides fans with an additional level of excitement not found elsewhere.”
GeekWire adds that “In an interview with GeekWire, Unikrn CEO Rahul Sood said that Kutcher reached out after reading about the company.”
“’He’s highly active in the deals he’s invested in,’ said Sood, who previously led Microsoft Ventures. ‘He does a lot of advocating for Twitter and Uber, and he usually gets deep into the companies.’”
GeekWire also provides more detail on Unikrn’s global platform: “The new platform is a virtual arena where users can earn ‘Unikoins,’ a virtual currency that can be used to bet on games and win prizes. The company is also rolling out a companion mobile app, called Unikrn Vault, on Android and iOS in the next two weeks.
“Coins are not purchased by consumers, but rather earned through a number of activities, such as answering trivia questions. The coins can then be used to bet on any of the games, or to increase your odds of winning prizes in a marketplace through an interactive raffle. Prizes include gear from such companies as Alienware, Caseking, Funko, Gunnar, HP, HyperX, and Logitech.”