Talon Closes US$5MN Series A Round Led by Animoca Brands

HONG KONG, Nov. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Talon, the Hong Kong headquartered competitive gaming, entertainment and culture brand, today announced that it has secured US$5M in equity capital in its Series A financing round. The raise was led by leading digital entertainment, blockchain and gamification company Animoca Brands, which participated in Talon's seed round investment in 2018, and other investors including Hana Digital Transformation Fund and HZL Capital. Amongst the new investors joining Talon include AK Partners, Token Bay Capital, Foxmont Capital Partners, Arete Capital Asia, BlackPine, Yieldly, PAC Capital amongst other family offices.  

This investment builds on Talon's recent success, which include quadrupled revenues since 2019, strong social media growth and the delivery of multiple championships across numerous titles since its seed round. Talon currently has competitive rosters in six major game titles across five markets within Asia Pacific. The PSG Talon League of Legends team has won three titles in the Pacific Championship Series (PCS) in four seasons since 2020 and has represented the region at both MSI (Mid-Season Invitational) and World Championships in every year of competition, placing among the best teams globally. In Thailand, Talon's Arena of Valor roster has won two major domestic titles and clinched a world title in the form of the Arena of Valor World Cup in July 2021. Additionally, Talon fields teams in Dota 2, Overwatch Contenders, Rainbow Six Siege, Tekken 7 and Street Fighter V.

Talon boasts over 25 million followers across its combined social platforms. With the capital raised Talon will continue to grow its lifestyle and cultural platform focusing on working with fashion labels, KOLs, musicians and traditional sports athletes to deliver entertainment to the next generation of youth, targeting Gen Z and millennials.

As part of this strategy, a strong focus will be placed into the development of digital and blockchain solutions alongside Animoca Brands to deliver unique experiences, collectibles and opportunities via different metaverses, P2E games and NFT platforms. Additionally, Talon will further expand its regional footprint into South East Asia, focusing on the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia and compete in the biggest gaming titles in each respective country.

YAT SIU, executive chairman and co-founder of Animoca Brands, said: "Talon is a great example of how the communities of esports and gaming are converging on blockchain and making use of NFTs. We look forward to working with Talon and the many companies in our investments portfolio in order to bridge these communities and take us one step closer to making the open metaverse a reality."

NICO SIBAL, Director of Portfolio Management Foxmont Capital Partners, said: "We are especially excited to work with Sean and Talon, the region's top esports team and brand. We look forward to supporting their timely expansion into the Philippines, where there are over 50 million active gamers across all ages and platforms."

LAWRENCE CHU, Founder of BlackPine, said: "Talon will shape esports and entertainment for the next generation of players, fans and creators. We look forward to supporting their expansion to SEA, blockchain and P2E games."

CLAYTON LARCOMBE, Managing Director and CIO of PAC Capital, commented: "The private (unlisted) global esports and gaming space is very exciting. I started to come across many companies looking for funding and Talon stood out among the pack. One of the key reasons for this being the CEO –  Sean Zhang, who I came to know as a strong and highly capable leader. Other reasons include the team's competitive success and the many potential revenue expansion pathways. This is one of the most exciting investments in our portfolio and momentum is well and truly building."

CHARLES LUCHANGCO, Principal Arete Capital Asia "We have been looking for increased exposure into esports and emerging consumer entertainment. The challenge for us was to find a balance between entrepreneurial drive and institutional investment standards. As such, we are delighted to be partnering with Sean and the Team at Talon.

SEAN ZHANG, CEO of Talon, commented: "Together with our strategic partners and investors, I'm very excited to be entering the next chapter of TALON's journey. We will continue to add to the trophy cabinet while building an entertainment and culture platform that will allow us to connect ever more deeply with our fans. We are also extremely excited to leverage cutting-edge technology alongside Animoca Brands to develop new ways to engage with fans."

ABOUT Animoca Brands

Animoca Brands, ranked in the Financial Times list of High Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2021, is a leader in digital entertainment, blockchain, and gamification. It develops and publishes a broad portfolio of products including the REVV token and SAND token; original games including The Sandbox, Crazy Kings, and Crazy Defense Heroes; and products utilizing popular intellectual properties including Formula 1^®, Marvel, WWE, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Doraemon. The company has multiple subsidiaries, including The Sandbox, Blowfish Studios, Quidd, GAMEE, nWay, Pixowl, Bondly, and Lympo. Animoca Brands has a growing portfolio of more than 100 investments in decentralized projects that are contributing to building the open metaverse, including Axie Infinity, OpenSea, Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot), Bitski, Harmony, Alien Worlds, Star Atlas, and others. For more information visit www.animocabrands.com or follow on Twitter or Facebook.

ABOUT Foxmont Capital Partners

Foxmont Capital Partners is a multi-focus venture capital firm dedicated to investing in early stage Philippine startups and Filipino founders. Foxmont's philosophy of "Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs" drives value for its founders by leveraging its deep operational knowledge, expertise, and network. For more information visit foxmontcapital.com.

ABOUT BlackPine

BlackPine is a private investment company focused on transformative industries that advance humanity. BlackPine's portfolio includes blockchain, alternative protein, esports and new economy sectors such as carbon neutrality, quantum computing and space exploration. For more information visit bppe.com.

ABOUT PAC Capital

PAC recently launched Australia's first actively managed investment vehicles focused on video gaming and esports, the PAC Global esports fund. They have become pioneers and leaders in the video gaming and esports investment landscape.For more information visit paccapital.com.au/.

ABOUT Arete Capital Asia

Arete Capital Asia began in Hong Kong as a single family office and has grown into a tech VC focused firm. We have staff in Hong Kong and San Francisco, and employ a barbell strategy into early stage as well as late stage growth equity. For more information visit arete-asia.com/

ABOUT Talon

Talon is a leading esports, culture and lifestyle platform in Asia, with headquarters in Hong Kong. Regional offices are located in Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines and South Korea. Talon was established in 2017 and operates six professional esports teams in five markets and has accolades of over 30 tournament wins. Talon operates its own creative studio to run the industry-best esports marketing, content creation, and activities for Talon and its partners. For more information visit talon.gg.

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SOURCE Talon Esports Limited