This article was published on September 2, 2011

Spawnsor: Where brands and gamers meet, sponsorship gets an extra life


Spawnsor: Where brands and gamers meet, sponsorship gets an extra life

The world of eSports is taking off by leaps and bounds. With recent draws of attention via Justin.tv’s TwitchTV and Major League Gaming, it’s fast becoming not only a way for gamers to gather attention for their prowess, but also for companies to get their names into the right heads.

Until now, though, there’s not been a solid way for companies to reach out to gamers (and gamers to companies) in order to solidify sponsorships. Running the gamut from hardware to clothing and even hard cash, these sponsorships are an important part of the eSports ecosystem and Spawnsor might be just the answer that’s been needed.

Founded by 22 year old Corey Davin and his 20-year old developer co-founder Gui Pinto, Spawnsor is a site that is wholly dedicated to introducing competitive gamers with potential sponsors. Gamers can create profiles, post achievements and then connect with potential sponsorships via gaming-oriented brands.

Choosing to cater to both computer-based and console gamers alike, Spawnsor is allowing a wide berth for the connections to happen. Davin tells me, though, that the idea is to streamline the sponsorship process, taking it from a scenario that is usually handled via email and in-person meetings to one where exposure, metrics and ROI can be measured.

The site has just gone live, on Thursday of last week. In that week and without any advertising or fanfare, it has gathered over 400 gamers and 10 brands. Those 10 brands are powerhouse ones, as well, including CoolerMaster, SteelSeries and tt eSports.

Sponsorships are already happening and we’re sure to see more in the future on Spawnsor. Davin tells me that the site will earn revenue via premium memberships for gamers that include additional features over the free, basic memberships. Beyond that, as the site gathers traction, advertising will be placed.

Competitive gamers not being able to match up with potential sponsors is very much a first-world problem, but it’s a problem nonetheless. In that right, Spawnsor solves a need and it’s the first site in this space to do so. While it’s easily replicable, brands are traditionally very slow to move to new formats after being established elsewhere, so that should prove to help Spawnsor stick around for some time to come.

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