An Interview with the EIPlatform Founders – Yury Mertsalov and Sergey Nevodnichiy
With the future projections for esports audiences rivalling traditional sports and a projected industry value of $1.5 million by 2020, many brands are turning to esports sponsorship as being the next big thing. The 400 million strong esports audience is aged 21–35, mostly male (though more females are entering the market) and with higher than average income. They are digital natives, early adopters and high spenders. It is a very valuable audience for potential advertisers.
EIPlatform is being developed on blockchain technology with the fast growing, global esports market in mind. The platform will allow direct interaction between all participants within the esports sector, who will be able to interact and conduct transactions seamlessly in a decentralized global marketplace.
The EIPlatform team has a unique combination of abilities with unparalleled knowledge in the world of esports, blockchain technology and marketing. They have an intimate understanding of the issues that exist in this sector and how technology can be leveraged to provide appropriate, effective solutions. The team is dedicated to the project and have the passion to achieve success.
I managed to catch up with two of the founders of EIP last week, Yury Mertsalov and Sergey Nevodnichiy.
Please Introduce Yourselves:
Yury: Hi, I’m Yury, founder of the EIPlatform project. A few months ago, we started this esports marketing project, the EIPlatform AI engine to help directly connect the esports audience with companies who would like to join the market.
Sergey: Hello, I’m Sergey. As well as my involvement with EIPlatform, I am the CEO and Co-owner of Team Empire — one of the oldest sports organizations in the world which has been around since 2004. We have huge experience and expertise in the esports market and have some great partners such as HP, Seagate, Unilever and Intel.
You have both been involved in investing in cryptocurrency for a long time. Can I ask what your first crypto investments?
Yury: I invested in 1000ETH for 1USD each. I sold them at 100USD.
Sergey: I bought 100BTC at 10USD each. I sold when they reached 20USD
Nice profits. Cryptocurrencies took a big hit at the start of this year, which caused a lot of uncertainty about the future of crypto. Does this worry you?
Sergey: As a new and immature market, the cryptocurrency market is still very volatile. As it continues growing it will become more predictable and more stable. It is a very promising market in my opinion.
Yury: I don’t worry for the future because I make this future)))
When did you first see the potential of the esports market?
Yury: About five years ago.
Sergey: Around 10 years ago, when my partner and I first started to invest in Team Empire as a business project.
So, when did you first start to see the problems currently facing the esports market.
Yury: About two to three years ago. We could see more and more brands and companies wanting to get into esports, but they had no idea what it was all about and how to get into it.
So, how was the EIP project born? When did you first start to think about using blockchain technology to solve these issues?
Sergey: About a year ago, we tried to set up some systems ourselves. We realized that with blockchain everything could be made easier and more transparent.
Why is blockchain technology vital for this project and what does it make possible?
Yury: Blockchain gives us an easy and transparent tool to encourage our audience to participate in brands’ activities. From the other side, it gives us a possibility to give unique and transparent info and direct access to the audience for the big companies.
EIPlatform is being built to be a global platform. In general terms, what is the plan for this global expansion?
Yury: We are creating a new world. Let’s wait and see — You will understand everything in the near future))
When will the alpha version of the EIPlatform be ready?
Yury: It will be ready at the end of June and available to be tested by our team and representatives from the esports community. English, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Malay, Vietnamese and many more languages will be supported.
Thank you for your time. A final question, what is your favorite esport and why?
Yury: PUBG, because it’s the most amusing and interesting multiplayer shooter.
Sergey: I play DOTA 2, PUBG, LOL and CS:GO. But my favorite is DOTA2. In my opinion, it’s the best MOBA game in the world.
Thanks for your time. I’m very much looking forward to watch how EIPlatform develops.
You can find out more about EIPlatform and the EMI Token Sale on the official website and social links below.
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