In the world of esports, there's a growing need for effective coaching to help gamers reach their full potential. While it’s important to have fun, many gamers aspire to constantly improve their skills and come out on top.
This challenge caught the attention of Cecile Matthews, co-founder of Keyhorse-backed company Gamerabble. With her background in coaching and her husband Chris' passion for gaming, they saw a chance to make a difference. Drawing from their experience in startups, the Matthews couple embarked on a journey to create something unique in the esports landscape. Their goal is to provide a platform that not only helps gamers improve but also brings together a community passionate about the world of competitive gaming.
We asked Cecile, the company’s co-founder, a few questions about her journey, inspirations, and predictions for the future of esports.
How did you become interested in esports coaching?
CM: My co-founder (and husband), Chris, loves video games and is an avid gamer. Our son does, too. Chris has always wanted to work in video games since he was a little kid. When esports started taking off, we knew it was the right time to start a business in that industry. From doing research, we learned that there is a large market for esports coaching and it just so happens that I have a background in coaching—which I love doing! So we put our two interests together and started to work on an esports coaching business.
What inspired you to co-found a company?
CM: Both of us have a deep background working in startups. One of my first jobs after college was at a startup of startups—a venture creation company, or incubator. We partnered with scientists to help them commercialize their technologies. Chris, my co-founder, is a serial entrepreneur. We’ve both been key members of multiple teams with successful exits, so when the opportunity to start this company presented itself, we jumped at it.
...for esports to grow, there needs to be a unifying body of some sort to be able to bring everything together and to help it maintain its trajectory.
Tell us about your team: Who's on it, and how did you meet?
CM: The founding team is me and Chris: we’re a husband and wife team. Chris started working on the idea on his own and then realized that it made a lot of sense to have me join the team. The rest is history. We just added Bethany Pyles to the team who has an amazing amount of experience working with some of the biggest names in the esports world, and we’re lucky to have her.
Where do you see Esports headed in the future?
CM: Esports still has an amazing amount of potential for growth due to the popularity of video games and the massive following the competitions still draw both online and in person. However, at some point, for esports to grow, there needs to be a unifying body of some sort to be able to bring everything together and to help it maintain its trajectory.
What does success look like to Gamerabble in the short term and long term?
CM: We are getting ready to roll out the next iteration of our platform. We already have a very popular stable of coaches and AI-based training software. We’ve listened to our users, and very soon, we are going to be offering a better gamification experience and rewards for the software, more opportunities for our coaches to get regular income via a revenue-sharing subscription, and perhaps most exciting, we’re unleashing Ava, our AI Personal Coaching assistant. Ava can quickly answer all those high-level questions about tactics, esports, and gaming at large, and help match you with the coach she feels best fits your personality and can best fix your problems. Longer term, as Ava improves, she will be able to do a lot more than answer questions! She will be able to do more in-depth hands-on coaching, and our software will expand beyond the current offerings to work with more and more games.
Find out more about Gamerabble at gamerabble.com. Are you a startup based in or looking to relocate to Kentucky? Keyhorse’s current quarterly investment cycle is open! Apply now.
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