Esports talent agency and entertainment firm Tier One Entertainment announced on Thursday, April 29, it secured pre-Series A financing to further its growth.

The round was led by international VC (venture capital) firm Gobi Partners through its Gobi-Core Philippine Fund, a joint venture with the Philippines’ Core Capital. American multinational entertainment firm Warner Music Group also joined the round. The amount of funding was not disclosed.

Other investors in the round include Singapore-based Octava, Japan’s KAYAC Inc, and Atlas Ventures, an early stage investor for Tier One headquartered in the US.

Tier One says it currently has operations in Malaysia and Myanmar, aside from the Philippines, with the funding round opening the possibility of setting up in other Asian countries. The company currently has 420 talents with millions of followers online, on various social media platforms.

Tier One says the financing will be specifically used to hire back-end teams to support their talents, and to expand the operations of its esports team, Blacklist International.

Tier One, in a separate announcement, also said that it will soon start a project called The Gaming House, a reality show-like program where 10 gaming influencer hopefuls will have the chance to be a Tier One talent.

Tier One was founded in 2017 by esports veteran Tryke Gutierrez, cosplay and gaming star Alodia Gosiengfiao, and entrepreneur Brian Lim. – Rappler.com