Overview

The Growth and Growth of Gaming, Esports and DSports

In the last ten years video gaming and Esports has grown from an audience of tens of millions to an audience of over 1 billion. It is agnostic to age, gender, geography, or socio-economic background. That growth is accelerating due to several secular technology trends. As Matt Ball’s recent viral piece on 7 Reasons Why Video Gaming Will Take Over describes well, interactive entertainment is the most significant change to economic and social life as we move through the early 21st century. Investors, corporates and governments are all working to understand more about how to understand and navigate the opportunities (and threats) it presents.

The meeting will cover the following key areas:

• What exactly is Gaming, Esports and Dsport
• What has driven it’s huge growth in the last decade, and how to think about the market today
• What are the key predictions and drivers for the next ten+ years to accelerate that growth
• What are the ethical and ESG parameters in a sector like this, and what can be done about it
• How are governments, corporates and investors engaging with the technology and innovation it presents
• How can Gaming, Esports and Digital Sports tech be leveraged into education, planning, and wider wellness
• What are the most exciting technologies and innovations at the moment

About the Speakers:

Luke Alvarez
Luke is one of the best-rated and specialist investors in this space in Europe. He has spent 28 years in technology, most of which is in gaming and streaming.  He is extremely articulate (First from Cambridge, Fulbright Scholar at Berkeley), engaging, and great fun. He was founder & CEO of Inspired Entertainment Inc., a Nasdaq listed mobile games and virtual sports technology company with worldwide operations. More recently he founded Hiro Capital with Ian Livingstone (“The Grandfather of UK Gaming, responsible for Games Workshop, Warhammer, Tomb Raider, Golf Clash; and NED at Sumo) and Cherry Freeman (tech founder, advisor, and another first from Cambridge). They are the leading Series A and B investor in European gaming, esports and digital sports technologies and platforms.

Addie Pinkster
Addie is one of the most respected gaming advisors in the UK: she sits on the Board of the only UK-owned game in the top 50 highest grossing mobile games globally; is one of the only bankers invited into the notoriously-closed-door community of the most successful games founders and executives; and uses this unique position to help institutional investors, blue chip corporates, investment banks, and policy makers to navigate this enormous opportunity.  She is the founder and CEO of Adelpha, the only female-led Investment Bank in the UK, having previously spent 15 years in senior Hedge Fund roles at UBS and Citi. She comes from a high-profile family of UK politicians, business and not-for-profit leaders. She attended Cambridge University before spending 15 years with UBS and Citi. She is an avid cricketer and a playing member of the MCC.