BLAST receive £1.7m investment to expand into international markets
BLASTTournament organizers BLAST have received £1.7m in investment to speed up their expansion into international markets.
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BLAST are best known for hosting prominent events in Counter-Strike but, more recently, they have also produced competitions in Dota 2 and Valorant.
They will utilize the funding to accelerate their international expansion, further improve their production, and increase their staff in the United Kingdom.
The investment comes from Edge Investments, who are described as the “leading growth investor in the UK creative economy.”
BLASTEdge back companies that will impact the economy and mentor them to create “long-term success” and have identified esports as a promising industry after some research.
This development follows BLAST’s announcement on November 19, which saw them partner with the BBC to broadcast their next three Counter-Strike tournaments on digital platform iPlayer.
The events that fans will be able to watch through the BBC are the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown on November 24-29, the BLAST Premier Fall Final on December 8-13, and the BLAST Premier Global Final on January 19-24.
Up Next: BLAST on the BBC! @BBCiPlayer will be streaming the next 3 BLAST tournaments as the latest broadcaster to join the team.#BLASTPremier dates:
💥 Fall Showdown 24-29 Nov
💥 Fall Final 8-13 Dec
💥 Global Final 19-24 JanRead more: https://t.co/9KO61JjpBy pic.twitter.com/7VhLSUhmoH
— BLAST (@BLASTEsports) November 19, 2020
“To have Edge Investments’ backing is testament to the impressive work BLAST has achieved so far this year and highlights the upward trajectory the esports industry is on right now despite a turbulent year for everyone,” said BLAST’s CEO Robbie Douek.
“We chose Edge for access to their specialist knowledge and network in content distribution, media promotion, and production, and we are delighted to have them on board as we enter what looks to be a pivotal year for us.”
BLAST raised £11m in investment in May 2020, securing capital to continue to grow and expand the brand despite the complicated global health situation. Since then, they expanded into Dota 2 with the BLAST Bounty Hunt as well as Valorant with the BLAST Twitch Invitational and BLAST Spike Nations events.