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International Gaming League to Kickstart Fundraising Efforts

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Quebec, Canada (PRWEB) June 10, 2013

The International Gaming League, a new competitor in the ever-growing field of eSports, is preparing to kickstart its fundraising efforts in the wake of MLG raising $ 70 million in venture capital. IGL, one of the first eSports startups to challenge the space, has already seen intense interest from a variety of investors, thanks to the investment communities’ interest in the eSports phenomenon.

Through its website, PlayIGL.com, the International Gaming League (IGL) provides a location for amateur gamers to practice their skills, playing in tournaments and engaging in quick play. The company plans to move forward in coming months through a fundraising campaign.

“The company is kickstarting its fundraising efforts six months following its graduation from top Canadian accelerator FounderFuel,” Eyal Toledano, founder of the International Gaming League, says. “With investors such as Real Ventures (past investments include Execution Labs, Frank & Oak, Unbounce, Beyond the Rack and more) and the BDC IT Venture Fund already committed to seeing the eSports phenomenon continue to grow in North America, International Gaming League is poised to become the de facto destination for Amateur eSports.”

FounderFuel is a Montreal-based accelerator program that helps early-stage technology startups raise seed capital. During IGL’s time in the incubator, its founder was able to network with some of the best minds in business today. The three-month program helped connect Toledano with the angel investors and venture capitalists a startup needs to get started.

The phenomenal success of Major League Gaming has led to an industry of passionate gamers who compete in tournaments and participate in leagues. IGL gives casual, amateur and experienced gamers the opportunity to live the eSports experience online, within the context of a league similar to their professional counterparts. Because eSports have so far been exclusive to a group of highly-talented individuals who have gone pro, IGL’s goal is to introduce eSports to a more mainstream audience.

During PAX East, the International Gaming League conducted an open beta in which aspiring gamers of all experience levels were allowed to try out the platform. As a result, The International Gaming League has seen a rapidly-expanding user base that illustrates the need for an environment where aspiring eSports players can learn and hone their skills before competing in a more advanced arena.

As Toledano explains, the timing is perfect to launch a new eSports startup. In 2008, the Cyberathlete Amateur League was acquired and earlier this year, Blizzard Entertainment bought the IGN Pro League. This alone is testament to the growing trend, which fits in perfectly with the expanding popularity of gaming on smartphones and tablets.

Through its website, PlayIGL.com, the International Gaming League offers the opportunity to join teams, participate in tournaments, or simply watch matches in real time. Currently, the site boasts thousands of players and growing, with hundreds of teams already having formed. International Gaming League has connected with some of the bigger names in the industry, creating a competitive environment for games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Starcraft 2, League of Legends, Dota 2, ShootMania® Storm and more. Through IGL’s platform, game developers can increase user engagement around their titles through an ever-renewing competitive ecosystem.

For more information about the International Gaming League or to start playing today, visit http://www.playigl.com/.







FPgirl Market Insights Program: Gen Z Girls Prefer Gaming Over Lifestyle Apps and Admire Zendaya Colemans Sense of Style

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Beverly, Massachusetts (PRWEB) April 24, 2013

FashionPlaytes, Inc. today released new data on what tween girls think about fashion, style and entertainment as part of its FPgirl Market Insights Program. The data looks at Tech Trends and Fashion Influences and delivers a unique understanding of how tween girls view the world of mobile apps, as well as how they identify their style with celebrities.

Tech Trends: In a world of mobile apps, FPgirls skew heavily to arcade-style games, preferring Temple Run and Subway Surfers over other games, and even other app types. 56% of the over 2,600 voters selected these apps above others such as Instagram, Pandora, Angry Birds and Kik. Although 1 in 5 of the girls selected Instagram as their favorite app, and commented on their love for texting via Kik, the results show an overall high interest in gaming-related apps instead of the lifestyle/ entertainment category.

“We have been exploring how tween girls find and use apps through a series of surveys and polls,” said Andy Komack, FPgirl Market Insights program director. “When we ask girls in an open forum to volunteer apps that they love, they lean heavily to games. When they vote on top apps, the same pattern emerges,” adds Komack. “We are currently working with our community of girls to understand how they find and use apps in the world of fashion. The information we have gathered so far is fascinating, and points to interesting ways that they perceive apps.”

Fashion Influences: FashionPlaytes also gave a sneak peek at their celebrity series of data in the Market Insights program, where Zendaya Coleman was a clear winner in terms of providing fashion inspiration for girls.

“As you might imagine, tween girls rapidly evolve their tastes and preferences,” says Komack. “In an earlier poll, girls clearly stated that they derive fashion inspiration from themselves, instead of from celebrities. At the same time, girls do obviously follow celebrities. We have seen that our girls have moved fluidly between Taylor Swift, Victoria Justice, Lucy Hale, Zendaya Coleman and others in terms of who provides inspiration.” The data about Zendaya Coleman leading the poll is also closely aligned to an earlier poll about favorite TV channels where FPgirls heavily skewed to watching the Disney Channel, where Zendaya reigns, with 70% of their vote.

About FPgirl Market Insights:

FPgirl Market Insights pulls information from FPgirl’s 700,000+ member fashion design community, where girls regularly post information, interact with each other and provide unique input via the site’s polls. The program is designed to provide previously unavailable information on everything from what girls wear, how and where they shop, and how they like to be entertained. Insights uncovered through the FPgirl Market Insights program gives brands a unique and unfiltered glimpse into what makes these digital natives tick.

Subscribe to the Market Insights Program here. For more details or to ask about partnership opportunities, please contact insights(at)fashionplaytes(dot)com.

About FashionPlaytes and FPgirl:

FashionPlaytes is the creator of FPgirl.com, the online fashion and style destination where girls are designers and set the trends. The FPgirl community is filled with vibrant, talented, and supportive girls who create cool custom clothing, crowd-source designs, and share their insights about what it’s like to be a girl in today’s world. FashionPlaytes celebrates all girls, providing a fun, safe, interactive environment. Its engagement-driven ecommerce platform is fueled by girls, for girls.

Media Contact:

Halley Spong

Connect2 Communications

halley(at)connect2comm(dot)com

919-539-7862