The 1v1Me app has been launched on iOS, which allows you to bet on matches in online games. Currently, access to it can be obtained only by invitation. However, its authors have already raised $2 million for the development of their startup.The company 1v1Me was founded by young entrepreneurs Anthony Geranio and Alex Emmanuel.
Among the main investors of the project are On Deck, GeltVC and Crossbeam, and several more “angels” are waiting for the opportunity to invest their money.
The idea of creating an application for betting on video game matches came to their mind during the pandemic. Geranio and his friends played online poker, after which they began to bet on winning multiplayer games like Call of Duty and Madden for fun.
How does 1v1Me work?The app is currently in early access on iOS in the USA.
You can enter it only by receiving an invite from one of the partner streamers, or by subscribing to 1v1Me on Twitter (where the company arranges the distribution of codes).
After registration, the user needs to confirm his identity and link a bank account (bets can only be placed from the age of 18). According to Geranio, now the application is already used by almost 12 thousand people.
Users registered in 1v1Me place bets on game matches. Among the company’s partners are such streamers as Lunchtime, RLaw, Vonniezugz and NoisyButters (she is also one of the investors). So far, only the Call of Duty and Fortnite series projects are available in the application.
After the bets are placed, users watch the progress of the match through the broadcast on Twitch. 1v1Me determines the winner, after which the money is credited to the account of the user whose bet turned out to be the winning one.
It is unclear exactly how the startup will be monetized. The website of the application says that the service does not charge a commission from the bets made.
Geranio wants 1v1Me to help as many gamers as possible to earn on esports. In his opinion, the application has the potential to motivate a new generation of users to create game-themed content, as YouTube and Twitch did at the time.
“1v1Me is the most promising esports platform for gamers to earn money, and I am happy to support the company on this path,“ said Albert Cheng, product director at Duolingo, one of the investors.