Mobile Premier League (MPL), India’s largest esports and mobile gaming platform, raised $90 million in Series C funding, led by SIG and early stage tech investor RTP Global, along with MDI Ventures and Pegasus Tech Ventures. Existing investors Sequoia India, Go-Ventures, and Base Partners also participated in this round. The investment brings MPL’s total funding to $130.5 million after previously raising $40.5 million.
Speaking about the funding, and MPL’s growth, Mobile Premier League co-founder and CEO Sai Srinivas, said “In a short time, MPL has taken the gaming market by storm, with our various offerings and partnerships, which have helped us stand out in the industry. This latest round of funding will enable us to entertain and connect an even larger audience across India and beyond. Being able to bring quality technology, competitive spirit and enjoyment to people in such an accessible way is what keeps us excited. The online gaming industry is seeing huge and increasing engagement; with this fresh capital injection being proof of MPL’s potential to lead and transform this space.”
MPL has been in advanced discussions with investors to raise capital from as early as January this year, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. This capital will be used to further accelerate MPL’s position in the gaming market, expand its product offering, and grow its team. The funding will also be used towards product development, with a focus on social functions such as live streaming, and audio and video content features. With this, MPL intends to capitalise on the rapidly growing online gaming trend and become the world’s largest gaming, esports, and content platform.
RTP Global managing partner Galina Chifina, an early investor, echoed Srinivas’ thoughts saying, “We invested in MPL at an early stage because we saw the team had the ability to become the dominant platform in the region’s online gaming space. MPL’s growth over the past two years is a testament to the team’s vision and ability to realise this goal. Even in an environment as challenging as the current one, we are impressed with the success and accessibility of the platform concept – giving users a unique variety of experiences and social interaction. MPL’s track record speaks for itself, so we’re excited to support the team as they grow and expand.”
MDI Ventures, head of investments, Winston Adi, said, “Gaming has been one of the largest growing entertainment industries in the world, and we believe that mobile games have contributed to the major growth of this industry, especially in Asia. As our portfolio, we are proud of what innovation MPL has to offer as they delivered competitive gaming to scale, and the result has been mind-blowing. We are excited to provide continuous support with our partners as they strengthen their position both in their home market and in our home market, Indonesia.”
Base Partners, Partner, Eduardo Latache said, “The only thing more exciting than watching MPL grow at such a fast pace over the past year is to imagine what they will accomplish with the new capital infusion. We are thrilled to be with MPL right from the start as it becomes a major player in the mobile gaming industry.”
