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§ Private Profile · 725 Arizona Ave Ste 302, Santa Monica, California, 90401, United States
Digital trading card platform operator for esports fans and collectors, enabling the trade of digital collectibles, including game skins.
Epics is a technology company that operates a digital trading card platform focused on the global esports market, enabling fans and collectors to own and trade virtual collectibles. Established in an undisclosed year and location by co-founders Gavin Weeks and Mark Donovan, the enterprise blends traditional trading card experiences with modern gaming intellectual property, including Counter-Strike skins. By targeting the intersection of competitive gaming and digital memorabilia, the firm serves a dedicated consumer base interested in collecting and exchanging virtual items. To scale its platform operations and expand its digital inventory offerings, the organization secured $2 million in seed funding during January 2018. This venture capital financing was led by BITKRAFT Esports Ventures and Jens Hilgers, alongside strategic investments from Jon Goldman at GC Tracker Fund, Everblue Management, Hersh Interactive Group, Imagination Capital, and Courtside Ventures.
Epics.gg has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round.
Epics.gg has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Epics.gg, now operating as Kolex, is a technology company specializing in digital collectibles for esports fans. It builds a platform for users to collect, trade, and own unique digital trading cards featuring esports teams, players, and influencers, enhanced with rich media, stats, digital signatures, and blockchain-tracked ownership history.[1][2][3] The product serves esports enthusiasts by modernizing traditional trading cards into blockchain-based assets, solving the problem of digital scarcity and provenance in fan collectibles while enabling a marketplace for buying, selling, and building collections.[1][2] Early growth included nearly 250,000 users, over 5.35 million packs opened, and 30+ million cards distributed within the first year post-launch in June 2018, with a team of around 20 people.[1]
Epics.gg was founded in January 2017 by Gavin Weeks (based in Bath, UK) and Mark Donovan (based in LA), building on their prior experience founding platforms like Xfire, LoLking.net, Esportsify, and Skinz.gg.[1][2] The idea emerged from recognizing esports' rising popularity and the potential to bring physical collectible trading cards into the digital era using blockchain for unique identifiers, ownership history, and rarity.[1][4] Early traction came quickly: the company raised a $2 million seed round in 2018 from investors including Imagination Capital, BITKRAFT Ventures, Courtside Ventures, and Everblue Management, followed by a launch in June 2018 featuring Counter-Strike teams, which rapidly scaled to 250,000 users, 4,000+ unique collectibles, and partnerships with 25+ teams and 120 players.[1][2][3][7]
Epics.gg rides the esports and NFT collectibles boom, capitalizing on gaming's shift to spectator sports (projected massive growth) and blockchain's enablement of true digital ownership amid rising fan engagement.[1][4][7] Timing was ideal: launching pre-NFT hype in 2018 positioned it as a pioneer in esports-specific digital assets, predating mainstream NFT adoption while aligning with market forces like influencer economies, Web3 gaming, and hybrid physical-digital merchandise.[2][3][4] It influences the ecosystem by partnering with 25+ teams and events, donating proceeds (e.g., 30% from streamer sets to COVID charities via Tiltify), and innovating categories like creator collectibles, helping legitimize blockchain in gaming beyond speculation.[1][3][4]
Kolex (Epics.gg) is poised to expand beyond esports into multi-category NFTs, leveraging its hybrid digital-physical tech and partnerships for new revenue like licensed merchandise marketplaces.[2][4] Trends like Web3 gaming maturation, AR/VR integration, and creator economies will propel growth, especially as esports viewership surges and blockchain scarcity drives collectibles value.[1][2][4] Its influence may evolve into a category leader for fan-owned assets, potentially spawning physical tie-ins and broader crypto art plays—watch for announcements on scaling hybrids, which could redefine collecting in a post-NFT world.[4] This blockchain pioneer, born from esports passion, continues turning fan loyalty into lasting digital value.
Epics.gg has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in January 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2018 | $2M Seed | BITKRAFT Ventures | Counterview Capital, Courtside Ventures, NEX Cubed, QB1 Ventures, Rosecliff Ventures, What IF Ventures, Colin Carrier, Jason Robins, Rohit Gupta, Ryan Melohn, Everblue Management, JON Goldman, Hersh Interactive Group, Imagination Capital | Announced |
Epics.gg has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Epics.gg's investors include BITKRAFT Ventures, Counterview Capital, Courtside Ventures, Nex Cubed, QB1 Ventures, Rosecliff Ventures, What If Ventures, Colin Carrier, Jason Robins, Rohit Gupta, Ryan Melohn, Everblue Management.