An ever increasing-time of our lives is spent in immersive, virtual worlds. In fact, entire generations are already growing up with and inside them. This convergence of the physical and digital—a trend we call synthetic reality—is led by visionary entrepreneurs in gaming, esports, and interactive media. We’re proud to provide venture capital and partner alongside these extraordinary founders.
Built by founders for founders, BITKRAFT is a global investment platform for gaming, esports, and interactive media.
Thought leadership since 1997
Founded by serial entrepreneurs
Global presence and strategic network
We focus on Seed , Series A , and Series B investments in gaming content and IP, interactive platforms, and horizontal technology.
VISION
Let’s Build a Synthetic Reality®
Physical and digital worlds converge, and gaming and esports lead the charge.
FIRM HIGHLIGHTS
1
Most Active Gaming Lead Investor of 2021*
50
Investments made
13
Global team members
DID YOU KNOW?
BITKRAFT was founded in 2016 by gaming and esports veteran Jens Hilgers—founder of ESL, G2 Esports, and Bayes Holding.
*Analysis by InvestGame (Source).
PORTFOLIO
We partner early—sometimes, when a company is no more than an idea fueled by creative spirit and resolute talent.
Raph Koster
CEO of Playable WorldsLegendary polymath game designer, widely recognized for his work as lead designer of Ultima Online and creative director behind Star Wars Galaxies.
Jeri Ellsworth
CEO of Tilt Five30-year leader in chip design in augmented / virtual reality at Valve, HTC Vive, Commodore, and TiVo.
Ariel Horn and Ben Kusin
Co-CEOs of VennFour-time Emmy Award recognition, production of BlizzCon, and behind the global broadcast of League of Legends reaching over 100 million worldwide.
Ben Freidlin
CEO of Bit Fry Game StudiosHigh-school dropout upending the multi-billion dollar sports game category with Ultimate Rivals—an all-new franchise and a standout success on Apple Arcade.
Dmitry Shapiro and Sean Thielen
CEO and CTO of KojiFormer Founder and CEO of Veoh and CTO of Myspace building the next-generation content creation engine for the mobile Gen Z audience.
Travis Boatman
CEO of Carbonated GamesExperienced mobile games executive and operator with a long history in the space, including senior leadership roles at Electronic Arts, Zynga, and Mattel.
Calin Pacurariu
CEO of SpatialFormer product, marketing, and business development lead at Apple, building foundations for iPhone software, Healthkit, and Apple TV.
Frederic Descamps
CEO of Manticore GamesFormer Head of Corporate Development at Zynga, building a digital playground to unleash imagination and explore new AAA gameplay experiences.
PEOPLE
We’re a distributed team with a global presence.
Based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, London, and Madrid, we’re among the gaming industry’s longest-standing veterans and enthusiasts—ready to meet anyone excited about the future of our sector.
Let’s talk.
Pitch your company, schedule a meeting at the next big event, or drop by one of our offices.
INSIGHTS
There are many ways in which we can accelerate your ambitions.
Together with our distinguished investors and strategic partners across the globe, we provide entrepreneurs with profound expertise, network access, and capital sources.
Sector Expertise
Gaming and esports entrepreneurs since 1997, our knowledge runs deep.
Founder Experience
Having been founders ourselves, we know the pain and the joy of building a company.
Strategic Network
We utilize our unique and global industry connections to help founders face their challenges.
Operational Excellence
Direct, distinctive, and actionable feedback. Life is too short for anything else. We get things done quickly, efficiently, and with high impact.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
We’ve partnered up to bring esports investing to the public.
Gaming and esports as the future of entertainment—and a segue into synthetic realities.
To allow players, fans, parents, and professional investors alike to invest in this exciting industry, we’ve teamed up with Roundhill Investments to create $NERD.
”Roundhill believes that esports and video games are the future of live media, sports, and entertainment. That’s why we created the first pure-play esports ETF.
Will HersheyCEO of Roundhill Investments
