Esports Insider, the leading B2B esports events and media company is excited to reveal the return of The Clutch, a startup pitching initiative which provides the most promising esports focused startups with the ultimate platform on September 9th at ESI Digital Summer. This year’s winner of The Clutch will receive an exclusive place in Level 256’s leading incubator program, worth €5,000, and includes meetings with notable investors, partners, organisations, institutions and key accounts from around the world.

The Clutch, in partnership with Level 256, an innovation & economic development platform launched in 2018 from the City of Paris dedicated to esports supported by Paris&Co, has become a standout program within the industry. With applications now open, esports focused startups can enter to take part in this prestigious competition taking place on September 9th. Entrants will have just minutes to pitch before an esteemed judging panel starts their questions and investigation. The panel will decide the best company with the winner to be announced during the final moments of ESI Digital Summer.

Esports has seen a shift in mainstream popularity over recent years, with the global games live-streaming audience set to hit $730 million in 2021, growing by 10% from 2020, and the esports market set to surpass $1.5 billion dollars by the end of the year, investment in esports has seen a sharp increase. The global esports revenues will grow to $1,084 million in 2021, which sees a year-on-year growth of 14.5%, up from $947.1 million in 2020 with the European esports revenues having generated €300 million and raised €630 million in capital in 2019. Previous winners of The Clutch and promising esports innovators dramatically influence the global esports market with thought provoking concepts and inventive ideas.

The winner of The Clutch in 2021 will secure an exclusive place in Level256’s industry leading incubator program worth €5,000. Level 256 launched in November 2018 by Paris&Co and with the initiative of the City of Paris, has incubated 32 projects dedicated to esports, which created 168 jobs and raised over 20M€. The platform has gathered more than 103 speakers and mentors during their hosted events since its launch . The winning company will also be offered both extensive promotion, and access to mentorship and guidance that will help elevate their company to the next level.

In its fourth edition, and now an annual ESI event, The Clutch has seen over 50 startups in its first two editions and seen some of the most impressive and industry-changing esports startups showcased. Previous winners have included esports performance company GScience who build performance systems tailored to gamers, and TEAMS.GG, a gaming matchmaking platform allowing players to find like minded people to create ideal teams, and play better together.

“It was extremely important and exciting for us to win The Clutch Digital as it was another proof [statement] that this kind of technology is relevant to the esports space, and that Anzu specifically is relevant in the ad space. It was great to be recognised by leaders in the space.” said Natalia Vasilyeva, VP of Marketing at Anzu.

“We are very thrilled to be a partner in this 4th edition of the ESI and The Clutch. We are looking forward to discovering the amazing entrepreneurs of the British esports world. It is also a great opportunity to support the European esports ecosystem by encouraging cooperation between France and the UK. We are happy to welcome the winner to benefit from our incubation program and we hope that this first step is just the beginning!” said Vincent Vercelli, Head of Incubation for Level 256 (Paris&Co).

ESI Digital Summer will bring together industry leaders in esports, sports and global brands to discuss and debate investment, esports ecosystems, education and more, and will feature some of the world’s most innovative brand showcases. With over 60 speakers, 400 attendees and more than 16 hours of live content across two days, ESI Digital Summer is also offering unparalleled networking opportunities for all attendees. Speakers for ESI Digital Summer will include some of the industry’s most prominent thought leaders and brand authorities, and is set to be announced over the coming months.

“I am really excited ESI Digital Summer will return this September providing world class content and presenting some of the largest global brands, and will also host the fourth edition of The Clutch. This year we are looking forward to showcasing the most ground-breaking startup ideas and first-rate pitches in the industry, and as always, it will be a difficult process to whittle it down to a final four. Since its inception in 2019, we have continued to see more and more esports startups enter the space and here at Esports Insider, we are proud to continue providing a platform for those companies looking to stand out, and unapologetically push boundaries in the esports industry.” said Sam Cooke, Managing Director and Co-founder of ESI.