Episode 26; Esports In Southeast Asia Is Booming And This Esports Organization Is Leading By Example; EVOS Esports has A Clear Roadmap To Become The Dominant Player In Southeast Asia

As businesses fight "tooth and nail" to survive these turbulent Covid-19 times, it seems gaming companies are finding themselves on the right side of history right now. And EVOS Esports happens to be one of them.

I have a talk with Ivan Yeo, co-founder and CEO of Evos Esports. He's recently been chosen as Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia in 2020 and also has an inspiring story to share (Sadly to mention he's been diagnosed with Kennedy's Disease; an incurable genetic disease) and would like to build up the esports eco-system in Southeast Asia while he can still walk, eat and talk normally.

“Viewership and engagement has more than doubled in terms of people watching and engaging in livestreams and online tournaments, peaking at 1.2 million concurrent viewers as of a few days ago, up from around 600,000 last year,” said Ivan and contintues “Our top athlete makes around US$100,000 a month,” he disclosed.

Welcome to the world of Esports.

A millennial-dominated domain where 20-year-olds can bag US$250,000 (S$354,000) in tournament prize money playing a game you’ve never heard of. But that’s nothing compared to what they can rake in through regular sponsorship deals.

Introducing Evos Esports

EVOS Esports is the leading esports organization in Southeast Asia, and has won numerous world championship titles; Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championship (M1) 2019 and Free Fire World Cup 2019.

EVOS Esports' co-founders are young, diverse and dynamic, with three co-founders being listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2020.

- Ivan Yeo, co-founder and CEO - Profile on Forbes.com
*I was diagnosed with Kennedy Disease, an incurable genetic disease. I will never forget the doctor's words to me - "You only have 5 years left to walk, eat or talk normally." - Read more here

- Hartman Harris, co-founder and Chief Business Officer - Forbes Indonesia - YouTube

- Wesley Yiu, co-founder, COO - Forbes Indonesia - YouTube

- Michael Wijaya, co-founder and CMO

EVOS Esports manages 12 esports teams and over 300 influencers across the region with a total following of over 65M YouTube subscribers and 50M Instagram followers, with over 350M views per month, with a strong presence across 5 countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam).

Back in November 2019, EVOS Esports raised a total of US$4.4M in Series A investment in preparation to seize the market of gaming influencer management in Southeast Asia

EVOS Esports closed US$3M in Series A funding earlier in 2019 with Insignia Ventures Partners. Subsequently, EVOS Esports raised an additional US$1.4M to its Series A, from a group of angel investors from Indonesian conglomerates; and the top-level management of a leading e-commerce player in China. The new funding will be used to grow the startup’s esports entertainment arm, which currently manages 50 gaming influencers exclusively and partners with 300 esports talents.