PlayVS raises $30.5 million for high school esports platform

PlayVS has raised $30.5 million for its platform for high school esports. The round comes just five months after PlayVS raised $15 million.Elysian Park Ventures, the private investment arm of the Los Angeles Dodgers ownership group, led the round. Other existing investors who also participated are New Enterprise Associates, Science Inc., Crosscut Ventures, Coatue Management, and WndrCo. New investors include Adidas (marking the company’s first esports investment), Samsung Next, Plexo Capital, along with angels Sean “Diddy” Combs, David Drummond (senior vice president at Alphabet), Rahul Mehta (partner at DST Global), Rich Dennis (founder of Shea Moisture), Michael Dubin (CEO of Dollar Shave Club), Nat Turner (CEO of Flatiron Health) and Johnny Hou (CEO of NZXT).“We strive to be at the forefront of innovation in sports, and have been carefully searching for the right investment in esports,” said Tucker Kain, chief financial officer of the LA Dodgers and managing partner of Elysian Park Ventures, in a statement. “With PlayVS, we have found a model that works, built on a powerful platform that delivers an unparalleled player experience and will have a profound impact on the future of youth sports across the country.”