Washington, D.C. Overwatch League Team Unveils Name and Logo Ahead of 2019 Season

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Washington Esports Ventures, led by businessman, investor, and entrepreneur Mark Ein, today announced the official name and identity for Washington, DC's new esports team in the Overwatch League^TM—the Washington Justice^TM. Along with the name reveal, Washington Esports Ventures revealed the new Washington Justice logo and official team colors of red, white, and blue.

"Justice is a universal value and the perfect name for a franchise that we hope will inspire and unite both our Washington area community and fans around the globe," said Mr. Ein. "There is no region in the world that attracts more people to serve the cause of justice in government, philanthropy, academia, military service, and the private sector than Washington. In fact, DC's official city motto is 'Justitia Omnibus,' which translates to 'Justice for All.'  As a team representing the broader DMV region, it was important that our team identity reflects a value that unifies all of our community members, representing the full diversity of backgrounds and beliefs," added Mr. Ein.

Along with the red, white, and blue color palette, the Washington Justice logo is composed of a shield banded in red and white stripes.  The bottom of the shield forms a subtle "W" in tribute to the region, centered on the Washington Monument. The shield is crowned with a single white star in a blue setting as an ode to the American flag, our capital city, and as a symbol of unity. The Washington Justice's marketing territory spans the entire thriving Capital Region from Baltimore to Richmond, collectively the third largest economy in the U.S. and seventh largest in the world.

Washington, DC, joined the Overwatch League's global, city-based league as one of eight new expansion franchises following a widely-successful inaugural season.

The announced members of the Justice management and coaching staff include:

• Kate Mitchell, Assistant General Manager of Washington Esports Ventures
• Hyeong-seok "WizardHyeong" Kim, Head Coach
• Kyoung Ey Molly "AVALLA" Kim, Assistant Coach
• Mark "Obasill" Regush
• Aaron Heckman
• Mikael "mkL" Skjønhaug
• Canaan "Shrugger" Carman

Fittingly, the Washington Justice coaching staff reflects the Capital Region's diverse character, strong work ethic, and commitment to excellence.  The staff and players come from five different countries, including the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and South Korea.  The team is home to two trailblazing role models for women in the esports community: Kate Mitchell has been a tireless leader in Overwatch grassroots esports, building and leading organizations to competitive success; similarly, Molly "AVALLA" Kim has built a reputation for her deeply analytic coaching style in Overwatch Contenders, leading to her becoming the first female coach in the Overwatch League. They are joined by a player-coach duo that helped the New York Excelsior to finish with a league-best 34-6 record, becoming the only team to make the finals of all four stages of the season, winning two: head coach and widely-renowned teacher of the game Hyeong-seok "WizardHyeong" Kim, and main tank player and fan-favorite Joon-hwa "Janus" Song. Together, they are building a team that intends to compete with the best across the league.

Over the course of the season, the team intends to host a number of local activities as part of team owner Mark Ein's and Washington Esports Ventures' commitment to the region.

"We welcome both the hundreds of thousands of passionate Overwatch fans and amateur players already in our region, as well as our new fans who want to experience the exciting future of professional esports competition for themselves," said Mr. Ein. "We hope you'll join us as we represent this region in the awesome, fast-paced competition of the Overwatch League."

The Washington Justice will reveal the full team roster over the coming week through the team's social media channels.

For more information about the Washington Justice, visit www.washington-justice.com or follow the team on Twitter @WashJustice, Instagram @WashingtonDCJustice or like Washington Justice on Facebook at Facebook.com/WashJustice.

The 2019 Overwatch League season kicks off February 14, 2019. For more information on the Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com.

About Washington Esports Ventures
Washington Esports Ventures was founded to purchase an Overwatch League Team and build other esports teams that will represent the thriving Capital Region incorporating all of Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia—from Baltimore to Richmond.  The Company is led by Mark Ein, a Washington-area businessman, civic leader, philanthropist, sports team owner, and native Washingtonian.  Mark and his ownership group believe in the power of sports as a platform to inspire people and bring communities together. The Company's esports assets, including the Overwatch League team, will be part of Mr. Ein's existing sports platform that owns the Washington Kastles, one of the most successful teams in the 45-year history of World TeamTennis, embraced by the Capital Region since its founding in 2008.  Joining Mr. Ein as investors and board members are Artist Capital Management, a New York-based growth equity firm as the lead financial partner and Dyson Dryden, Mr. Ein's business partner and a Baltimore native.  Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, is an anchor supporter of the team. Additional investors and corporate sponsors will be announced soon.

About Mark Ein
Mark D. Ein is the founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Venturehouse Group, LLC and Capitol Investment Corp IV. He is an investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, who has created, acquired, invested in, and built a series of growth companies across a diverse set of industries over the course of his 25-year career. During this time, Mr. Ein has been involved in the founding or early stages of six companies that have been worth over one billion dollars and has led over $1.5 billion of private equity, venture capital, and public company investments. Among the current majority-owned companies in the portfolios are Kastle Systems, LLC, the country's leading provider of building and office security systems acquired in January 2007. Mr. Ein currently serves as Chairman of the Boards of Kastle, Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc., Capitol Investment Corp IV, VSGi, Inc., and is Vice-Chairman of the Board of Cision Ltd. and Soho House UK Ltd.

Mr. Ein, a native of the Washington area, is also the founder and owner of the Washington Kastles World TeamTennis (WTT) franchise that has won the league championship six of its eleven years since its founding. The Kastles also set the record for the longest winning streak in US pro team sports history, winning 34 straight matches from 2011 through 2013.

A native of the Washington area, he actively supports many community, charitable, and cultural organizations. Mr. Ein currently serves on the boards of the DC Public Education Fund (raising $120 million of philanthropic support for DC Public Schools since he became Chairman in 2010), DC College Access Program, DC Policy Center (co-founder), the United States Tennis Association (where he is a Vice President of the Board), and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He has won numerous awards including induction into the Washington Business Hall of Fame, Washington DC Business Leader of the Year from the Chamber of Commerce, the Jefferson Award (the nation's highest honor for public service), Washington Business Journal Top Corporation for Philanthropy by Giving in Small Companies, Washington Business Journal Power 100, and Entrepreneur of the Year Awards from Ernst and Young and the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). In September 2009, Washington, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty presented Mr. Ein with the Key to the City, highlighting not only his Washington Kastles success on the court, "but for their commitment to the District's communities and our youth."

Prior to starting his firm, Mr. Ein worked for The Carlyle Group, Brentwood Associates and Goldman Sachs. He received his BS in Economics with a concentration in finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from The Harvard Business School. For more about Mr. Ein, visit www.capinvestment.com.

OVERWATCH, OVERWATCH LEAGUE, BLIZZARD, and BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT are trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

SOURCE Washington Esports Ventures