Spanish esports organisation Giants Gaming has unveiled the Giants Innovation Hub in Málaga, Spain.
According to a release, its purpose is to ‘support innovative technology projects related to gaming and esports with the purpose of building the internet of the future’.
Giants’ owners — Virginia Calvo and José Ramón Díaz — will be heavily involved in the project. Other stakeholders involved will include Tomás Gasset, founder and CEO of Urbania; Álvaro Villacorta, entrepreneur and investor who has previously led funds in Southern Europe such as Think Bigger Capital; and Álvaro Villacorta, who will lead the project as its managing partner.
Giants Innovation Hub is comprised of three programmes: Giants Esports Lab, Giants Media 4 Equity and Giants Venture Capital.
Giants Esports Lab focuses on entrepreneurs in software, hardware, AI, data, analytics and fan experience. The programme will provide startups with the know-how and expertise of a professional esports organisation.
Giants Media 4 Equity offers startups from different sectors digital media assets and support from the Giants ecosystem in exchange for shares. Partnered companies will have access to Giants’ audience and network. The average contribution that can be offered by Giants to startups is around €250,000 (~£220,000), according to the organisation.
Giants Venture Capital, also known as Giants VC Fund I, FCRE, will invest in startups that focus on ‘innovative and transformative’ blockchain, web3, metaverse and gaming projects. Giants expects the fund to reach €50m (~£44m) euros to allocate to up to 40 startups, ranging from €100,000 (~£88,000) to €3m (~2.6m) to each.
Entrepreneurs from across Europe can apply to be part of any programme.
Giants Gaming is a premier esports brand in Spain. The organisation is a partner of Riot Games’ VALORANT Champions Tour in the EMEA region.
Interestingly, besides its VALORANT roster and a Spanish League of Legends team, Giants’ only other teams are in four fighting-game titles — Tekken, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter and Dragonball Z, according to its website — indicating a focus on FGC.
