Building an esports business around teams, brands and people

The organization around the team

In his July 2019 ESPN interview, Chris described Infinite’s original concept as a venture builder: professional teams connected with complementary businesses. The approach gave each part of the organization a role in a wider commercial plan. His discussion of the Houston Outlaws also emphasized a recognizable identity, players, content and community as ingredients in building an audience.

The company histories on this site show how that thinking translated into distinct responsibilities. Partnerships, production, events, player development and performance each required specialist people, clear objectives and operational support. Those functions form a useful starting point for understanding the work behind an esports organization.

Understand the commercial model

In the German-language E-Sport Business Talk of April 2020, Chris distinguished competition-focused teams from media and lifestyle brands. He discussed sponsorship, merchandise and publisher-enabled digital products, and highlighted the value of businesses that can serve several games. His perspective connects organizational choices with the sources of revenue that can support them.

Give the audience a shared identity

Chris’s 2022 Hitmarker interview returned to the relationship between a strong brand and the businesses around it. His reflections considered how teams competing in different games can contribute to a coherent identity, and how a local base can connect with a worldwide fan community.

For a founder, that raises practical design questions. What brings people back between competitions? Which experiences make membership in the community feel meaningful? How should the team, its creators, its products and its live events reinforce one another? The answers shape both the audience experience and the organization needed to deliver it.

Back people who can build

Speaking with Adam Torres in 2020, Chris explained his interest in working with companies at a very early stage. He placed founders, execution and long-term relationships at the center of that approach. Advising, investing and creating companies were connected forms of involvement, each drawing on an understanding of what a young business needs.

Questions to bring into a new venture

Taken together, these experiences suggest a practical sequence for developing an esports venture: define the audience and its needs; decide which business you are building; identify the people and capabilities required; and connect the offering to a credible commercial model. Each question makes the next decision more specific.

That sequence also connects this esports story to Chris’s broader work in sports education and greenfield venture development. A new organization needs a purpose, a group of people who can carry it forward and a useful contribution to the community it serves.