The pitch trick that helped an eSports startup raise $20M when VCs only wanted AI
THE SO WHAT
If an esports startup can raise $20M in an AI-obsessed market, the lesson is simple—sell the AI-adjacent wedge (data, engagement, distribution), not the category you’re emotionally attached to. Founders in "unloved" sectors need to reframe their pitch around the infrastructure or behavior AI will need, not the game they’re playing today.
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