GSC provides sponsorship and commercial management and consulting services to global sports stakeholders by combining cutting-edge technology solutions

Emerald Media — a pan-Asian VC fund which invests in media, entertainment, consumer tech and B2B industries — has acquired a significant minority stake in Global Sports Commerce (GSC), a Singapore-headquartered sports technology and management company, for US$80 million.

The deal comprises the secondary purchase of Asia-focused private equity firm FidelisWorld’s stake in Techfront, an affiliate of GSC, and the primary growth capital.

The growth capital will enable GSC and Techfront to explore inorganic acquisition opportunities, develop next-generation technologies for the sporting ecosystem, and expand its operations in the fast-growing digital sporting solutions markets across the globe.

With this, FidelisWorld, which had invested in Techfront in 2014, will be fully exiting the business. Asia-focused private equity firm ADV Partners, which funded GSC in 2015-16, will continue to hold a significant minority stake in the company.

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GSC provides sponsorship and commercial management and consulting services to global sports stakeholders by combining cutting-edge technology solutions in the fields of LED signage, sponsorship management, premium consulting, fan engagement, AR/VR, drone-based data acquisition, wireless tech and data-sciences.

The firm has 13 subsidiaries and affiliates, including Techfront, ITW, Qubercomm, Sportsgateway, Media Bay, Beyond Boundaries, Cartoon Mango and Nanoyotta. With 16 cities across 10 countries, the firm serves sports bodies, leagues, rights holders, stadiums and brands, such as FIFA, the English Premier League, NRL Australia, Australian Football league, IPL, Formula 1, Big Bash League, and Cricket Australia.

The company has offices in 16 cities in 10 countries including Australia, Hungary, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, and the US.

Rajesh Kamat, Managing Director of Emerald Media, said, “The introduction of digital technology into the world of sports has helped amplify fans’ appreciation of the games and has helped to create an alternative source of revenue for clients, besides the games themselves. GSC, with its 360-degree sports solutions, has transformed sports tech in India and across the globe by enhancing the way sports franchises interact with fans and capitalising on the ardor of their fan base.”

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Backed by global investment firm KKR, Emerald Media is primarily focussed on providing growth capital to media, entertainment and digital media companies. It also acquires controlling or significant minority stake in growing public and private media companies. The platform typically invests approximately US$15-75 million per investment.

Since inception, Emerald Media has made investments in YuppTV, an OTT video platform for South Asian content; Amagi Media Labs, a targeted-TV advertisement solutions firm; aCommerce, Southeast Asia’s leading e-commerce enabler and e-distributor; and Cosmos-Maya, an animation content producer in Asia.

Headquartered in Singapore, Emerald Media has offices in India and Hong Kong.

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