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Denial Esports CEO Robby Rignalda and Black Dog Venture Partners CEO Scott Kelly have teamed up for a new esports consultancy firm: Black Dog Venture Partners.
The new firm will offer a variety of business coaching services, including branding, corporate and funding consultation, in addition to business development and sales training. Kelly can offer experience with the funding aspects, while Ringnalda has esports experience to monetise.
Denial has a mix reputation in the esports scene. While they’re now owned by investor Stephen A. Crystal and former NFL player Hank Baskett picked up Denial in March, but before this Denial was caught up in several alleged situations where players missed pay. This includes a Smash Bros. Melee player James "Duck" Ma, who was signed by the team in August 2016 and left the team in January 2017 in a dispute over pay. In 2015, the team’s Halo roster was also reportedly hit with pay difficulties.
Under new ownership, no complaints have emerged, but this move into esports consultancy could certainly be a lot more lucrative, as so many new faces are appearing in esports with no idea how to proceed. Experienced guides willing to take people through their faltering first steps could stand to do very well indeed as the industry continues to boom.
