Mumbai: In a world that has largely gone virtual, it’s no surprise that sports aficionados have a newfound zest for Esports. Cornerstone Sport, which is among India’s top sports marketing and talent management agencies, is foraying into the Esports industry through its new vertical – Cornerstone Esports. Leading Indian Esports team Godlike Esports and talent like Jonathan Amaral, Chetan ‘Kronten’ Chandgude, Abhijeet ‘Ghatak’ Andhare, Suraj ‘Neyoo’ Majumdar, Abhishek ‘ZGOD’ Choudhary, Vivek ‘ClutchGod’ Horo and Harpreet Singh Janjuha ‘RonaK’ have already been signed by Cornerstone Esports on their talent roster. Cornerstone Esports aims to inspire young talent to pursue this sport, make it mainline and make a career out of it. This will eventually attract non-endemic brands and mainstream media to be a part of this structured ecosystem.
Cornerstone Esports offer services that include talent & team management, tournament development, investment and consulting services, and merchandise to stakeholders. With partners like Unsigned, Critical X, The Souled Store and Irony Inc, the newly established vertical aims to create an ecosystem that will benefit all stakeholders and bring in a more organized approach to this industry. Cornerstone Esports will also work towards improving the opportunities in Esports for global as well as Indian teams & talents.
The Esports industry in India has over 150,000 professional players and generates viewership from 17 million people across 14 broadcast platforms. Already valued at INR3 billion in FY2021, the industry is forecasted to reach INR11 billion by FY2025, as per an EY Report, and is expected to grow at 46% CAGR over the next four years.
Talking about the landmark move, Jogesh Lulla, COO, Cornerstone Sport, said, “The launch of our e-sports vertical is a very exciting opportunity for us. Since it is currently nascent in India and is also growing at an exceptional pace, we feel this is the perfect time to enter the industry. With our experience in managing athletes, sports marketing, brand creation, event management, content production and animation we have the ability to partner with all stakeholders in the ecosystem to maximize their potential. Our teams can not only help athletes with their needs but also help brands leverage the billions of hours of watchable content and the large GenZ audience to meet their goals. We hope to do our part to accelerate the growth of the industry in India.”
Established in 2008, Cornerstone Sport is among India’s leading talent management agency representing talent across sports and entertainment. With its expertise in the sports industry, Cornerstone Sport will get the first-mover advantage through the establishment of this new vertical, which will create opportunities for Indian youth to pursue a career in esports and for global and local brands to find new avenues to connect with their audiences.
