eSports

Israeli startup raises $2m to develop the next-gen academy platform for Esports teams

Published

4 years ago

August 10, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Edge Gaming is looking to revolutionize the competitive gaming world, with a new system that analyses and trains players to become professional gamers

Israeli startup Edge Gaming has just announced its pre-seed round, raising $2m to develop an Academy platform for Esports clubs and gamers. Leading the round are AnD Ventures and Stardom Ventures, two early stage Israeli VCs focusing on consumer & media. Prior to raising the round, The company has been part of the IDCX Studio accelerator program.

The Edge academy platform will enable Esports clubs to invite their large global fanbase into a virtual hub of plentiful competitive gaming experiences. Coupled with other content creation and community activities – the academy hub will enable players to develop and enhance themselves in the best way as professional gamers. Players will be able to join a unique “path to pro” program, train and develop their skills at the level required from professional Esports players, earn rewards, climb the leaderboards and create exciting gaming content with their peers. For Esports clubs, the academy is looking to open a whole new dimension for harnessing their powerful brand power and influence, allowing them to build a pivotal new scalable revenue channel, driven by memberships, special items and other gaming monetization channels that Edge is developing.

The platform’s core technology relies on a novel gaming skills engine, which was developed by renowned sports performance experts, neuroscientists, Esports coaches and AI engineers. The engine analyzes the player’s reactions, thought process and playing style, and then creates specific exercise patterns aimed at developing the player’s cognitive and gaming skills.

The company was founded by brothers Asaf Gazit (CEO) and Omri Gazit (COO). Both were previously officers in the Israeli special forces, gaining extensive experience in training cognitive skills for elite performance scenarios. With Edge, they’ve set out to combine their knowledge with their other big passion: competitive gaming.

“In our military service, we prepared soldiers for some of the most complicated situations a person can endure. We found that despite the obvious differences, training scenarios for soldiers and for professional Esports players are actually quite comparable,” said CEO Asaf Gazit.

“In Esports, players are required to process a great deal of information in a matter of seconds. The engine we are developing, which is a first of its kind in the market, is designed to answer that need, and others, through a 4 stage flow. First it deeply analyzes the players’ ability to process information and react, followed by mapping the results using our science-backed cognitive skills models. Next, the engine shows the player where and how they need to improve, with easy-to-grasp visuals and animations, instead of overwhelming statistics. Finally, it automatically builds for each player a set of personalized exercises and a training program. This level of end-to-end training experience is what aspiring players and Esports clubs have been deliberately looking for” Gazit added.

Roy Geva Glasberg, Managing Partner at AnD Ventures: “The Esports space is already generating billions in revenue, and is growing at a double-digit rate year over year. Our investment in Edge was driven by our conviction in the founders and their vision to bring an exciting new experience to the market of 100s of millions of gamers. The Edge Academy and its underlying technology hold a tremendous opportunity to unlock substantial value & growth for the 3 key stakeholders of the industry: the gamers, the Esports organizations and the game publishers.”

competitive Tekken

Team Vitality Signs 16-Year-Old Tekken 8 Prodigy Neia to Fighting Games Roster

Published

3 days ago

January 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

team-vitality-signs-16-year-old-tekken-8-prodigy-neia-to-fighting-games-roster

Leading French esports organization Team Vitality has announced the signing of Neia, one of the most promising young talents in Tekken 8, as part of its Fighting Games division.

Following a breakthrough 2025 season and a standout showing at EVO Nice, the 16-year-old phenom has committed to representing Team Vitality for the next two competitive seasons.

Neia now joins an elite lineup within Team Vitality, training alongside renowned Tekken players Jeondding and KingReyJr, as well as the H-DOPE and K-TOPE duo CientifiKOF in Fatal Fury. The signing underlines Team Vitality’s continued ambition to nurture emerging talent while strengthening its presence across the fighting game ecosystem.

A breakout year for a rising Tekken star

Despite her young age, Neia has rapidly established herself as one of France’s most exciting Tekken prospects. Known for her mastery of Lili, she stands out for her aggressive playstyle, creative decision-making, and strong technical execution.

Her rise began on June 8, 2025, during a Kayane Session hosted at V.Hive, Team Vitality’s Paris headquarters. Spotted by French champion and content creator Kayane, Neia impressed immediately by defeating several high-level players, including a professional competitor — a performance that sparked widespread attention within the community.

Strong results on the international stage

Neia’s momentum continued throughout 2025:

13th place at Ultimate Fighting Arena (UFA) Paris in September
17th place at EVO Nice in October while representing French club BMS, eliminating top international players such as Tibetano
4th place at Galaxian Explosion in December, defeating Jodd in the top eight — her best result to date

These performances confirmed her status as a breakout Tekken 8 talent with significant international potential.

The next chapter in yellow and black

For the 2026 season, Neia has chosen to continue her competitive journey with Team Vitality, benefitting from world-class coaching, infrastructure, and performance support. Her next major milestones include Tekken World Tour Sweden (January 2026) and EVO Japan (May 2026).

Team Vitality’s commitment to talent development

As a major force in European esports, Team Vitality places player development at the heart of its strategy. By joining the organization, Neia will train in a high-performance environment alongside seasoned professionals, accelerating her growth on the international fighting game circuit.

Fabien “Neo” Devide, President and Co-Founder of Team Vitality, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Neia to Team Vitality. Her potential, seriousness, and determination fully reflect the club’s mindset. Alongside her mentor Kayane, we are proud to support her in this new phase and confident she will find the ideal conditions to thrive with our fighting game players.”

With Neia’s arrival, Team Vitality strengthens its Fighting Games roster while reinforcing its role in shaping the next generation of esports champions.

The post Team Vitality Signs 16-Year-Old Tekken 8 Prodigy Neia to Fighting Games Roster appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

BETER

BETER dominates ICE Barcelona 2026 with prestigious double esports award win

Published

3 days ago

January 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

beter-dominates-ice-barcelona-2026-with-prestigious-double-esports-award-win

BETER, a Europe-based provider of live streams, live data, and odds for esports and sports, is celebrating a double award win at ICE Barcelona 2026.

The provider took home the trophy for Best Esports Innovation at the European iGaming Awards 2026 and Esports Innovator of the Year at the International Gaming Awards 2026.

The win marks the second consecutive year that BETER has topped the Esports Innovator category at the International Gaming Awards, driven by its commitment to evolving the iGaming industry with new formats of in-demand, fast-paced content.

BETER’s esports offering sets the standard for others to follow, consisting of its exclusive ESportsBattle tournaments. These tournaments deliver non-stop betting action across popular titles, including eFootball, eBasketball, eHockey, and eTennis, with more than 500,000 events scheduled annually.

Underlining the provider’s commitment to transparency, ESportsBattle recently received the ESIC Gold Standard Accreditation, further establishing BETER as one of the most trusted names in high-frequency content.

Operators can also take advantage of BETER’s Esports Odds Feed, delivering market-leading odds with the highest uptime across more than 450 tournaments globally, covering 40,000+ pre-match and live events annually, all powered by a team of in-house expert traders.

The awards follow a hugely successful period for BETER’s esports division, including the launch of eTennis, the first of its kind in the market, as well as the addition of the European Conference tournament to its eBasketball series.

BETER has also strengthened its position in the US market, where ESportsBattle is already live in New Jersey and Colorado with tier-one operator bet365. Internationally, the product was integrated by leading operators and aggregators, including Entain CCE and Meridianbet in 2025.

Securing two major award wins at ICE Barcelona is a testament to the quality of BETER’s market-leading fast-betting product suite, as well as the dedication and professionalism of its team.

Vladyslav Vitrenko, Public Relations Lead at BETER, said: “Winning two major esports awards at ICE is a significant milestone for BETER and marks an incredibly strong start to the year.

“We have worked hard developing the best fast-betting products in the market, and this award is a testament to the effort put in by the team – effort that we continue to make to ensure more players than ever before can access our products.

“We are constantly developing new products while maintaining a strong public presence, openly showcasing our operations, integrity measures, and product updates to remain transparent and trustworthy for our operator partners and their players.

“The demand for fast-betting content will only continue to rise, and these awards further position BETER as the go-to provider on the market.”

The post BETER dominates ICE Barcelona 2026 with prestigious double esports award win appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

eSports

Esports World Cup 2026 Tickets on Sale Now

Published

3 days ago

January 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

esports-world-cup-2026-tickets-on-sale-now

First wave of tickets includes Early Bird passes, premium experiences and special travel offers ahead of seven-week competition for a record-breaking $75 million prize pool

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) officially opened tickets sales for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), the world’s largest esports event, set to return to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 6 through August 23. The first wave of ticket options for fans is now live at esportsworldcup.com and through international ticketing partners Tixr (US and EU), Webook (Middle East and Saudi Arabia), Platinumlist (Middle East and India), and Damai (China), alongside special travel packages from Saudia Holidays available to first purchasers.

EWC 2026 will feature a record-breaking $75 million prize pool that reflects the evolution of the EWC as a premier sporting event and the anchor multi-title competition within the global esports ecosystem. Over 2,000 players representing more than 200 Clubs and over 100 countries will compete in Riyadh in the industry-leading cross-game Club Championship that is now a focal point of the esports calendar.

Limited-edition goodie bags for Weekly All-Access and Premium Tournament purchases contain a collector coin, trading card, aluminium water bottle, tote bag, T-shirt, fridge magnet, merch voucher, and a collectible pin.

Saudia Holidays, the travel division of Saudia Airlines, the Kingdom’s national carrier, now also offers an all-in-one Early Bird package to experience the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, including return flights, hand-picked hotels near the action, and a free All-Access Pass for the full duration of the stay, with one simple booking and no hidden fees.

Regular Tournament Passes and Daily Passes will be released in the next wave of sales.

The EWCF has officially confirmed the weekly schedule for EWC 2026, locking in seven weeks of world-class competition. Below is the schedule for each EWC tournament, sorted by week.

The post Esports World Cup 2026 Tickets on Sale Now appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.