As the global esports market approaches $1 billion in revenue in 2019, one Boulder startup is looking to use analytics to train the next generation of gamers.
A 2019 study from gaming researcher NewZoo estimated that total revenue for the global esports market will hit $1.1 billion in 2019, representing a 26.7 percent year-over-year growth rate compared to the $897.2 million it generated in 2018.
Boulder's Pivan Interactive has capitalized on this surge in popularity, developing its advanced training and analytics solution for amateur and competitive gaming athletes, powered by computer vision and AI.
Pivan landed a spot in the Philadelphia-based Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars, earlier this year and recently completed the 13-week program.
Coming out of LIFT Labs, the company has partnered with Comcast Spectacor’s new esports joint venture, T1 Entertainment & Sports, to develop data-driven tools and provide unique analytics targeted at the organization’s professional players.
It is also in discussions with the Philadelphia Fusion around a future partnership involving the team and its newly announced Fusion Arena.
The four-person company is returning to Colorado following the accelerator and looking to hire data scientists and front-end engineers.
We chatted with co-founder and CEO David Sturgeon to learn more about Pivan, the company's time at LIFT Labs and plans for growth in Boulder. Check it out below:
Inno: Where did the idea for Pivan come from and when did you know the idea had what it took to become a full-fledged business?
Sturgeon: My co-founder and I have been close friends for over seven years. Over countless game nights and many losses, I wanted to understand how he was so good at the games we were playing. We realized that there was no way to really compare what I was doing to him. We have both been gamers our entire lives and have firsthand experience with the scale of the gaming industry, especially in esports. After looking more deeply at some of the companies attempting to address skill training, we quickly realized there was no quantitative way to improve. Ultimately, that led us to develop our core technology, which although focused on training right now, has proven to have much wider applications across the entire industry.
Inno: What did you learn during your time at LIFT Labs?
Sturgeon: In our case it was amazing to discover how deeply Comcast NBCUniversal is investing into the esports world. From the amazing Fusion Arena - which we had the pleasure to watch the groundbreaking for - to hosting the Overwatch World Finals in the Wells Fargo Center, Comcast has recognized the growth of the industry and is helping drive it forward. The partnerships we have developed both inside and outside of Comcast have been incredibly insightful. It’s impossible to articulate in a few sentences how amazing the LIFT Labs team has been, or how much we have learned from KJ Singh, the managing director.
Inno: How has the company grown during the accelerator?
Sturgeon: We launched our first early access program just days before the program started. I am proud to say that our user base has grown incredibly quickly. We are still in alpha mode and have been limiting the spots available, but we have been getting some truly incredible feedback on how we can apply our technology to help gamers.
Inno: How much will analytics play a part in esports moving forward?
Sturgeon: It took something like 60 years for sports like baseball to realize that data and analytics were essential to achieving success. There are many lessons we can take from classical sports and apply at scale much more quickly. Esports is digital, global and provides significantly more access at this early stage to truly deep data sets which can provide everything from training, to team selection, to scholarship pipelines. I think it is safe to say, that once our tools are fully applied, the quantity and quality of the data both amateurs and professionals have access to will provide an incredibly compelling dynamic to the gaming industry in whole.
Inno: How strong is the esports and gaming scene here in Colorado?
Sturgeon: Colorado has some of the most passionate and engaged gamers in the entire world. Denver and Boulder have the potential to become a western hub of esports if we embrace the industry like Philadelphia has. We already see companies like N3rd Street Gamers investing in our local gaming market, by opening the Localhost Arena in Lakewood. Along with Techstars, whose HQ is in Boulder, which has supported some amazing esports and gaming companies, like the Electronic Gaming Federation and Midgame.gg. We are very excited to bring some of the strategies and concepts we have seen applied out here in Philadelphia, back home to Colorado.
Inno: How will the company grow moving forward?
Sturgeon: We are developing our platform on two fronts. Our core technology provides real value for amateur gamers looking to develop their skill, as well as professionals who need access to truly unique data. We will be launching a private beta within the next couple months and announcing some truly incredible partnerships as well. We are very excited to help drive forward the Colorado esports community, so keep an eye out for some amazing announcements.
