Team Liquid parent company aXiomatic has invested in startup branding and marketing agency AoE Creative. AoE was founded by former Infinite Esports & Entertainment employees Simon Bennett and Markel Lee. aXiomatic has invested in a number of eSports related companies, most notably Team Liquid. Team Liquid has gained recognition in multiple esports titles, now claiming international success in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, and League of Legends. Liquid is the highest earning eSports organization of 2019 in tournament winnings, bringing in just over $4.1 million.
AoE Creative's founders were previously involved with Infinite Esports & Entertainment, the parent company of both Optic Gaming and Houston Outlaws. Infinite was acquired by Immortals Gaming Club earlier this year. AoE Creative describes itself as a "creative and marketing agency specializing in eSports, gaming, and nerd culture." The company has built up an impressive résumé, having led the branding and marketing efforts for the Houston Outlaws prior to their Overwatch League debut. AoE Creative's website lists some of the eSports-related initiatives that they've contributed to, including an Optic Gaming rebrand designed to "refresh and reactivate one of the world's largest gaming brands." AoE Creative has worked with other recognizable esports brands in the past, including Cloud9 and Boston Uprising.
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aXiomatic has a history of investing in larger eSports brands, including Epic Games, Super League Gaming, and Matcherino, along with Team Liquid as mentioned previously. The investment company was founded in 2015 and has since only grown, bringing on new and strategic investments in an effort to grow and nurture the eSports ecosystem. The AoE Creative investment adds to this initiative, as stated by aXiomatic's Director of Business Strategy Leo Hsu at the investment's announcement. He discusses how most investment money goes towards professional teams, but that AoE Creative focuses on an "oft overlooked but critically important" area of eSports - brand strategy and marketing. Partnerships like this one should aid in the development and maturation of the esports scene as it continues to grow.
aXiomatic has a long list of successful investments, and they look to add AoE Creative to that list. The company receives many of its own investments as well, with a disclosed $21.5 million in investments so far this year. They raised over $50 million in investments in 2018.
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