The Israeli gaming world received a significant boost on Wednesday with the joining of singer-songwriter Static as an investor and brand ambassador of the Israeli eSports group, Team Finest. According to industry estimates, the investment is estimated at hundreds of thousands of shekels.
Finest is currently Israel’s only professional eSports team. Founded in January 2019 by Ruvik Milkis, the team started out with humble beginnings the gamers had lives and employment on their own and didn’t play games as a full-time job.
In addition, the team didn’t have any big-name sponsors and all the arrangements were paid out of Milkis’ pocket. But in August of the same year, the team found success in a tournament in Greece, beating out professional gamers to win the top prize.
As the pandemic hit Israel, Milkis was joined by CMO Yotam Nachshon, a gamer with a background in marketing, and together they transformed Team Finest into a fully functioning start-up. Since then, Finest has made it its mission to grow Israel’s eSports scene, find new talent and give players the chance to hone their skills, play full-time and compete with the best players in the European eSports scene. The funding and growth are carried out by a combination of sponsorships and efforts to find and grow local talent. The team holds monthly tournaments which double as fundraising and advertising opportunities. Static is the most recognizable sponsor to join this far.
As part of the cooperation between the parties and in his capacity as the Finest brand ambassador, Static will take part in a variety of activities on behalf of Finest, including competitions and initiatives in various media channels, events and meetings, as well as in the creation of original content with the rest of the organization’s members.
Finest, which in recent months announced commercial collaborations and agreements with electronics giants Logitech and Eiser, as well as the establishment of Israel's first women's eSports group, is continuing its trend of expansion. The group enjoys the financial support of the Raderzero Media Investment Group, which invested 2 million NIS in Finest in late 2020, as well as its professional support and extensive connections in the international gaming industry. Finest is the only Israeli eSports that became a proprietary limited company and that operated in a fully professional manner. Along with Milkis at the helm, Yotam Nachshon is the CMO and is a co-founder of the group.
"Finest competes at the highest level with four different game versions. All of us at Finest work day and night to turn our love of gaming into a profession, and we were looking for a person who would inspire us and fit our vision, make the most of ourselves and continue to lead the Israeli gaming scene to greater achievements. That's why we chose static - a talented writer, singer-songwriter, music pioneer and most importantly, a real gamer, one of our own," said Nachshon. "We are delighted to have static join our family as an investor and ambassador of the group. With him we are confident in our ability to lead the Israeli gamer community to new heights. static is a strategic partner, and will be an integral part of the content that is passed on to all of Finest fans in Israel.”
According to Static: "Gaming occupies a large part of my world - I am delighted to be joining the only true computer game industry, which will grow a creative and high-quality generation of young people who will be the best version of themselves. I am a big believer in the Team Finest and in the gaming world, and my decision to join stems from this belief".
