Why LA-Based Esports Outfit NRG is Partnering With Madison Square Garden

Samson Amore

Samson Amore is a reporter for dot.LA. He holds a degree in journalism from Emerson College. Send tips or pitches to samsonamore@dot.la and find him on Twitter @Samsonamore.

Why LA-Based Esports Outfit NRG is Partnering With Madison Square Garden

After a nearly-unprecedented boom during the pandemic, esports is weathering a downturn.

FaZe Clan, the Los Angeles-based gaming and hype squad once thought to be an industry leader, has been warned of a stock delisting and could be facing bankruptcy. 100 Thieves, an esports organization based in Culver City, laid off 30 people in January. And Playa Vista-based esports team owner Team SoloMid (which recently terminated a $210 million, decade-long naming rights deal with now-defunct exchange FTX) announced this month it’d pause competition in several esports, despite claiming it’s profitable.

The main problem that esports organizations face is that, even if they have millions of fans worldwide, it’s difficult to translate that interest into tangible cash. It takes a hefty chunk of change to launch an esports outfit, and taking on debt without a stable revenue stream as some local companies have done, is a dangerous tightrope to walk.

But NRG, a Los Angeles-based esports team owner founded in 2016 by basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal and CEO Andy Miller, aims to turn that tide and hopes a deal with a legacy sports name will help. NRG recently announced it would buy some assets of CounterLogic Gaming, an esports outfit previously owned by Madison Square Garden Sports Corp.

The newly-combined outfit will be led by NRG, which also competes in several esports including “Apex Legends,” “Rocket League” and Activision Blizzard’s “Overwatch.”

The real reason NRG bought CounterLogic was for its spot in Riot Games’ “League of Legends” Championship Series tournament, Miller told dot.LA. NRG’s team already played in another popular Riot esport, “Valorant,” but was eager to snatch up another team because Riot’s content is hot right now, and that gives NRG a chance to stand out and gain new fans.

Miller said esports has “incredible engagement,” that is “rarely seen” in professional sports, especially among younger fans. He noted that NRG’s business model consists of both playing pro esports but also creating content – and said that its gaming lifestyle content garnered around 2 billion global views last year.

“[When] we had the opportunity to do that for League of Legends, we jumped at it because League’s gotten somewhat antiseptic… the teams are kind of similar, and there’s a lot of legacy brands and we wanted to bring in something new and fresh, and bring in some new fans who’ve never even opened a game up before.”

Miller clarified that NRG now owns “everything associated with ‘League of Legends’” under CLG that Madison Square Garden Sports once owned, including their team coaches, analysts, academy team, scouts and facility in Culver City. “It will be part of the NRG brand,” Miller said.

When asked about the current tumult in the esports industry, Miller said, “It's a tough space because it's a new space.” That said, at seven years old NRG has mostly aged out of startup status. Still, Miller noted, “There's no shortage of people who are interested in our content. It just keeps growing [and] it's evergreen; If you started playing games when you were eight, you're still watching and playing games when you’re 25.”

So the thesis that there’s a strong audience ready to be mined for their spending power and views “is holding,” Miller said. “What hasn't held is what's the revenue model, a lot of the investment dollars came in, because they thought it was going to be like traditional sports, and it's not.”

Miller did acknowledge that overall it’s a “tough economic time and [there’s] lower CPMs and a cutback in marketing dollars… esports boards have had a tough time.” He also noted that “Then you can throw some gasoline on the fire with the ill-fated FaZe IPO, which was a really bad idea from the beginning, and I don’t think there was one person knowledgeable about the gaming space or about FaZe that thought that was going to work.”

In addition to its focus on winning esports championships, Miller said NRG’s eager to continue growing its content side of the business, Full Squad Gaming. It’s basically “a casual gaming brand that’s like Barstool [Sports] for gamers,” Miller said. He characterized the brand he and O’Neal have built as having the image of being “the world’s biggest kid.”

While NRG isn’t profitable, Miller said he’s still seen interest from sponsors and advertisers eager to tap into its social gaming community and reach its core audience – men aged 15 to 35. Since 2016, NRG has raised $40 million, Miller confirmed.

MSG Sports couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. President and chief operating officer David Hopkinson said in a statement, “NRG is a leading professional gaming and entertainment company with championship teams and innovative content. This transaction has brought together premier esports teams with a track record of success and allows MSG Sports to remain a significant investor in the esports industry.”

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Big Wins: Dodgers Take the Title ⚾, ChatGPT Levels Up🚀

🔦 Spotlight

Happy Friday, LA! It’s been a week of big wins, on and off the field. 🎉

⚾️ First up, let’s talk Dodgers. With a thrilling 7-6 comeback victory over the Yankees in Game 5, the Dodgers clinched their eighth World Series title, their first since 2020. The city is buzzing, and fans are ready to celebrate! A parade kicks off this morning at 11 a.m., starting at City Hall and winding down to Flower Street, with a ticketed celebration at Dodger Stadium for those wanting to keep the festivities going.

Image Source: Dodgers

💻 Meanwhile, in the tech, OpenAI just rolled out a game-changing update for ChatGPT. Plus and Enterprise users can now access real-time internet search, powered by Microsoft Bing, bringing ChatGPT's responses fully up-to-date. This means users can now ask about the latest news, hotspots, or recent LA startup announcements, and ChatGPT will pull in fresh, relevant answers directly from the web. Previously limited to information up to 2021, ChatGPT’s new browsing capabilities make it a valuable digital assistant for anyone needing real-time insights in fast-paced industries like tech and entertainment.

Image Source: ChatGPT

🔍 The real-time search feature also includes “Browse with Bing,” allowing ChatGPT to source information from multiple sites for detailed answers to complex questions. Whether you’re exploring the latest venture capital trends in LA or curious about the best local spots, ChatGPT’s new browsing power helps you stay ahead with the latest info. This leap forward in AI functionality makes ChatGPT even more versatile and powerful for everyone, from business owners to everyday users.

From the Dodgers’ World Series win to OpenAI’s latest ChatGPT update, there’s a lot to celebrate in LA this week. Here’s to champions, innovation, and a city that’s always pushing boundaries. 🌆✨


🤝 Venture Deals

LA Companies

  • Final Boss Sour, a Los Angeles-based gaming-themed snack company specializing in healthier sour snacks, has raised a $3M Seed funding round led by Science Inc. to expand its product offerings and operational capabilities. - learn more
LA Venture Funds
  • Smash Capital led a $50M Series B round for Read AI, a productivity-focused AI company, bringing its total funding to $81M. The company offers a platform that enhances meeting efficiency through features like note-taking, summarization, and transcription. Additionally, Read AI introduced "Read AI for Gmail," a free Chrome extension that integrates information from various applications, reducing the need to switch between apps. The funds will be used to increase the company's headcount in engineering, data science, and business teams. - learn more
  • Distributed Global participated in a $25M funding round for Nillion, a company that provides decentralized privacy solutions designed to secure sensitive data using advanced technologies like secure multi-party computation. - learn more
  • Act One Ventures participated in a $5M Seed funding round for Latii, a construction materials supply chain startup, to enhance its platform that connects contractors with suppliers, aiming to streamline procurement processes and reduce costs in the construction industry. - learn more
  • SmartGateVC participated in a pre-seed funding round for Ritual Dental, a company revolutionizing dental care by integrating advanced technology and microbiome science to provide personalized, preventive treatments. - learn more

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      Billion-Dollar Milestones and Snapchat’s New Features

      🔦 Spotlight

      Happy Friday Los Angeles!

      This week’s spotlight showcases LA’s thriving tech scene, featuring Snapchat’s latest feature updates and two local startups Liquid Death and Altruist, making TechCrunch’s Unicorn List for 2024.

      Image Source: Snap

      Snapchat’s recent fall updates bring fresh features, including a new iPhone camera shortcut for instant snaps, Halloween-inspired AI-powered Lenses, and Bitmoji costumes inspired by Mean Girls and Yellowstone. Bitmoji stickers now reflect trending Gen-Z expressions like “slay” and heart symbols for added flair in chats. Plus, the “Footsteps” feature on Snap Map allows users to track their past adventures privately, adding a nostalgic touch.

      Image Source: Liquid Death

      ICYMI, two LA startups joined the Unicorn Club—achieving valuations over $1 billion. Liquid Death, based in Santa Monica, is a canned water company with edgy branding and a humorous sustainability focus. Known for viral marketing and brand partnerships, it redefines bottled water as a lifestyle brand and environmental statement. In March, Liquid Death closed $67 million in strategic financing, raising its total funding to over $267 million and valuing it at $1.4 billion.

      Image Source: Altruist

      Altruist, a Culver City-based fintech platform, offers financial advisors streamlined tools to better serve their clients. With a user-friendly investment and account management platform, Altruist has gained strong traction in the finance world. In May, it announced a $169 million Series E funding round, bringing its total funding to over $449 million and earning a valuation of $1.5 billion.

      Together, Liquid Death and Altruist exemplify LA’s capacity for innovation across diverse sectors, from lifestyle branding to fintech. Whether reshaping financial tools or redefining sustainable branding, these companies showcase LA’s unique entrepreneurial spirit. Go LA!

      Check out TechCrunch’s 2024 Unicorn List here. And don’t miss Snapchat’s latest features—perfect for adding some fun, connection and maybe a few selfies this weekend!


      🤝 Venture Deals

      LA Companies

      • Freeform, a company bringing AI to metal 3D printing, raised $14M in funding from NVIDIA’s NVentures and AE Ventures to further develop its AI-powered 3D printing technology for industrial-scale production. - learn more
      LA Venture Funds
      • Anthos Capital participated in a $70M Series D round for Carbon Robotics, which develops AI-powered robotics for precision agriculture, and the funding will be used to accelerate the growth of its autonomous weeding technology. - learn more
      • Anthos Capital participated in a $3.5M seed round for Plasma Network, aimed at expanding access to USDT stablecoins on the Bitcoin network, with the investment supporting the network’s growth and efforts to enhance stablecoin accessibility through the Lightning Network. - learn more

      LA Exits


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          ⚖️FTC’s "Click to Cancel" Rule and Its Ripple Effect on Tech

          🔦 Spotlight

          Happy Friday Los Angeles,

          The FTC’s new “Click to Cancel” rule is shaking up subscription-based tech. Now, instead of navigating a maze of cancellation hurdles, users can cancel subscriptions as easily as they signed up—with a single click. This shift is a wake-up call for SaaS, streaming, and app-based companies, where once-hidden exit options often kept users around simply because canceling was a hassle.

          The rule also requires businesses to send regular renewal reminders, ensuring customers stay informed about upcoming charges. It's more than a cancellation button—it’s about transparency and giving users control over their decisions.

          For startups, the impact goes deeper than UX adjustments. Many have relied on "dark patterns," which subtly discourage cancellations by hiding the exit. Now, companies must shift toward building genuine loyalty by delivering real value, not by complicating exits.

          While this might affect retention rates initially, it could lead to more sustainable business models that rely on satisfaction-driven loyalty. Investors may start prioritizing companies that emphasize transparent, long-term engagement over those that depend on dark patterns to maintain retention metrics.

          The rule opens the door to more ethical UX design and a truly user-centered approach across the tech industry. It may even set a precedent against manipulative design in other areas, such as privacy settings or payment methods.

          Ultimately, the “Click to Cancel” rule presents an opportunity for the tech industry to foster trust and build stronger customer relationships. Startups and established companies that embrace transparency will likely stand out as leaders in a new era of customer-centric tech, where trust—not tricky design—is what retains users.

          As the tech landscape continues to evolve, LA Tech Week 2024 offers a chance to explore these shifts in real-time. Check out the upcoming event lineups to stay informed and make the most of your time:

          For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.


          🤝 Venture Deals

          LA Companies

          • Ghost, a company supporting top brands and retailers with streamlined logistics and fulfillment solutions, raised a $40M Series C funding round led by L Catterton to fuel its continued growth and innovation. - learn more

          LA Venture Funds
          • Assembly Ventures participated in a $27M Series A round for Monogoto, a provider of software-defined connectivity solutions that enable secure, cloud-based IoT and cellular network management on a global scale. - learn more
          • Angeleno Group participated in a $32M Series C round for REsurety, a company that recently launched an innovative clean energy marketplace aimed at providing better financial and operational insights to support renewable energy transactions. - learn more

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