LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Greycroft Venture Partner Jon Goldman today announced the close of $15.6 million in commitments for investments in VR, AR, video games and e-sports. GC VR Gaming Tracker Fund, LP (Tracker) has already made over 20 investments of $50k - $500k in seed stage companies in these verticals.
Tracker is the first vertically focused seed fund with Greycroft participating both as a limited partner and a business partner in the fund. By tapping into Goldman’s deep industry expertise, Greycroft has strengthened its ability to strategically invest in companies accelerating VR and AR.
“AR, VR, video games and e-sports continue to grow tremendously and spawn entirely new user experiences and industries,” said Jon Goldman. “Through our investments, we can help these startups reach the next stage of market adoption. We are committed to helping new teams, not only through capital, but also with connections and strategic advice.”
“We have been working together for four years and are excited to dive deeper into VR, AR, e-sports and video gaming with an operator like Jon who has lived in the space for years,” said Dana Settle, co-founder and partner of Greycroft. “We have already co-invested with Tracker in a number of companies and believe this sector-specific approach will help us develop expertise and relationships in these quickly emerging ecosystems.”
"Jon understood the vision of our company, supported us enthusiastically and evangelized us to fellow investors to help us to fill our round quickly," said Gil Baron, co-founder and CEO of Mindshow, a revolutionary platform for anyone to create interactive, animated VR.
Based in Los Angeles, Goldman will manage Tracker and leverage his substantial network in entertainment, VR, AR and gaming. In addition to investing activities, Goldman is also a managing partner for Skybound, the intellectual property holder of The Walking Dead and other top IPs. Previously, Goldman was co-founder, chairman and CEO of Foundation 9 Entertainment, the largest independent video game developer in the world at the time, with 11 studios and 1,000 employees globally. He sold the company in 2006 to Francisco Partners and has been an active investor for the past decade.
“Jon has been a great partner to work with in e-sports,” said Johannes Waldstein, co-founder and CEO of e-sports monetization company FanAI. “His network has already opened several doors in the short time they have been investors and we are excited to continue to have Tracker’s support.”
About GC VR Gaming Tracker Fund, LP (Tracker)
Tracker is a vertically focused investment fund dedicated to supporting seed stage companies across the VR, AR, video game and e-sports sectors. The fund is managed by Jon Goldman, a Greycroft Venture Partner, and leverages his network and Greycroft’s early-stage investment expertise and infrastructure to offer value to early-stage companies innovating in these spaces. Tracker is independent of Greycroft’s family of core funds but counts Greycroft, a leading venture capital firm focused on investments in the Internet and mobile markets, as an LP and close business partner.