At first, Haag founded 100 Thieves as a way to design and sell apparel. But in 2017, he received a message from Blake Robbins, a recent Michigan State graduate who was working at Ludlow Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Detroit. Robbins had known about Haag from his massive online following and thought 100 Thieves could expand into esports and gaming. Robbins helped Haag connect with Gilbert, who had invested in a Ludlow fund and was interested in investing in an esports company.
. The company last month was named the Esports Organization of the Year at the Esports Awards. It also has contracts with 15 content creators who spend time playing video games live on Twitch and other streamers, make videos on YouTube and are active on TikTok, Instagram and other platforms. And the company’s apparel business generates millions of dollars per year, according to Robinson.
So far this year, 100 Thieves claims its revenue is up 111% from a year ago, although it wouldn’t disclose how much revenue it generates on an annual basis.