Gwoop raises $1.8M to build esports training platform for K-12 gamers

It's ordinary for high school athletes to practice with drills and workouts in the lead up to a competition. But now an Edina-based startup is vying to be a "gym" for the growing contingent of competitive esports players.

Gwoop Inc. just closed on a $1.85 million round of seed funding to expand its free training platform grounded in cognitive science.

The round was led by Montreal-based Angels of Many, with other funding coming from Minneapolis-based Groove Capital and a series of angel investors based in Minnesota and Canada, Gwoop's Founder Gavin Lee said in an interview last week.

The web-based platform's series of exercises are focused on improving gamers' reaction times, visual memory and speed. For example, the reaction time trainer requires players to click their mouse every time the screen changes from green to orange. While the mouse control exercise calls on players to drag a ball through a winding track.

Gwoop's first person arena allows gamers to hone their aiming skills with a series of targets.

Gwoop Inc.

Lee said the company's competitors are focused on developing specific skills for certain games.

"Where we're focused is being genre agnostic," he said. "It doesn't matter if you're a shooter gamer or a sports (game) player or whatever you play. We cater to the all-around athlete."

Lee said the company has gained influence by attracting gamers at over 1,000 high school esports teams, including locally at Wayzata, St. Louis Park and Edina.

This brand building has extended into a partnership with computer accessory maker Logitech Inc. to provide an esports enablement grant that will assist high schools in launching their own esports teams.

Here's a view of Gwoop Inc.'s driving control game.

Gwoop Inc.

Moving forward, Gwoop plans to monetize by offering an upgraded platform for teams with more than 30 players. The company is also planning to launch an avatar dashboard, which will allow gamers to buy outfits for their characters.

Gwoop is joining an emerging esports market in the Twin Cities.

Earlier this month, Wisdom Gaming announced it was bringing an esports broadcast studio and venue to the Mall of America. And the Wilf family backed Version1 headquarters is adjacent to the Minnesota Vikings' TCO Performance Center in Eagan.