Lurkit raises 2.7 million USD to empower gaming influencer marketing globally
The Swedish gaming influencer marketing platform Lurkit has raised 2.7 million USD in a seed round from industry investors as the company is launching Quests™, a new software suite that enables paid sponsorships between live streamers and gaming companies at scale.
Lurkit’s platform is empowering gaming companies to get real-time and actionable insights on the social performance of their games. Lurkit’s tech platform algorithmically analyzes and presents data of more than 150.000 games and millions of live streaming and video views on Twitch and YouTube continuously. Now the company is launching paid sponsorship functionality under the Quests™ brand that also empowers content creators to earn more.
Lurkit was founded as a project by brothers Sam and Tom Niskanen in 2015. The pair has been avid gamers since childhood and transformed Lurkit into a company in 2019. Sam has an extensive background within marketing technology and sales and Tom is an engineer at heart. It has since the platform launch in early 2021 connected over 800 gaming companies with tens of thousands content creators in over 1000 campaigns.
- All around the world, millions of content creators are working hard day and night to make their passion for games a source of income. Few make it big, and most creators deserve much more. With Quests we have a vision to equalize the balance between content creators and gaming companies to empower creators to earn money on their own terms at the same time they promote games that they love. Gaming companies can now deploy influencer marketing campaigns at scale globally, says Sam Niskanen, co-founder and CEO.
To further scale the platform commercially, the company has raised 2.7 MUSD from gaming industry investors VOID Interactive Ltd. and Behold Ventures.
- Our greater vision is to democratize the industry and empower content creators and gaming companies alike. With this investment we will be able to take a giant step towards our north star and we are humbled by the faith our shareholders have in Lurkit, says Sam.
Karl Magnus Troedsson, founding partner at Behold Ventures, is a games industry veteran that previously served as an Executive Producer of the Battlefield franchise, General Manager and Vice President at DICE and Electronic Arts. He says:
- Lurkit's unique ability to give their customers full control to identify and build their communities of content creators is unlocking new, direct-to-creator strategies. Brand- and IP owners which want to increase visibility and awareness can now efficiently create direct relationships with their ambassadors at scale.
Julio Rodriquez is the CEO at VOID Interactive Ltd. He says:
- From the moment we were presented with the Lurkit’s vision, what they have achieved and will continue to achieve, we knew it was a platform worth investing in. The latest Quests launch is one great example of the crystallization of that vision and delivery of tools to enable both studios and content creators to achieve equitable outcomes, says
About Lurkit
Lurkit is a gaming platform for data-driven collaborations between content creators, game developers and publishers. Our mission is to deliver the best ecosystem that connects all major stakeholders in gaming for commercial and creative growth. Lurkit is based in Linköping and Stockholm, Sweden and currently employs 18 talents. Over 800 gaming companies, studios and publishers are using Lurkit’s platform.
About Behold Ventures
Behold Ventures is a Nordic-based, early-stage venture capital fund, focused on investing in startups in the video games sector. Founded in 2021 by games industry veterans Karl Magnus Troedsson, Martin Walfisz, Sigurlina Ingvarsdottir and Magnus Kenneby, Behold Ventures financially supports, and strategically advises, entrepreneurs during the first steps of launching their own businesses. The fund makes equity investments in startups driven by ambitious and creative founders and is always looking for teams that are absolutely hellbent on creating the most amazing, interactive entertainment experiences of tomorrow.
About VOID Interactive
VOID Interactive is an Irish based global software development company that exists to deliver exceptional digital content for the video game and personal entertainment industries.
For further information:
Sam Niskanen, CEO and co-founder, +46 72 84 33 273, sam@lurkit.com
Stefan Backlund, CMO, +46 70 862 84 89, stefan@lurkit.com
Read more about Lurkit Quests here
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