THE TEAM

We are a crew of esports veterans and passionate gamers with the mission to identify the greatest opportunities and smartest entrepreneurs in the esports industry. We support esports startups and entrepreneurs thought experience, network, and cash investment.  

Jens Hilgers

Jens is a Founding Partner of BITKRAFT Esports Ventures and is considered a Godfather of esports. Previously, Jens founded ESL in 2000. As CEO for ten years, Jens grew the company into the world's most prestigious esports brand and, along with it, paved the way for esports to go mainstream. In 2015, international entertainment company, MTG, acquired a majority stake in ESL, marking the first acquisition of an esports company by a traditional media organization. Since 2013, Jens has actively invested in startups with a visible focus on esports. 

Malte Barth

Malte Barth is Board Member at BITKRAFT Esports Ventures based in Berlin/Los Angeles. Since 2014 he serves as Head of Esports at Modern Times Groups, which holds one of the largest Esports portfolio globally with leading brands like ESL, DreamHack, ESEA and others. He holds Board roles at ESL and DreamHack and serves as an Industrial Advisor to EQT, a leading global Private Equity, since 2010. Malte graduated in Industrial Engineer and Business Management from Nordakademie and is active as an entrepreneurial leader, investor and operator in the Media, Games and eSports space for over 20 years.

Lenny Langenscheidt

Lenny is a Principal at BITKRAFT Esports Ventures. Previously, Lenny worked as an analyst at Auda Alternative Investments, a private equity fund in New York and collaborated on half a dozen startups. He joined BITKRAFT Esports Ventures as his true ambition lies in making the world understand and celebrate esports.

Markus Fuhrmann

Markus is a Venture Partner at BITKRAFT Esports Ventures. Previously, Markus co-founded Delivery Hero, the Berlin-based food delivery unicorn, which saw a $1.1 billion initial public offering in 2017. Prior to Delivery Hero, Markus was a Partner at Team Europe, co-founded the Web2Asia incubator, was an advisor at the Austrian VC firm Gamma Capital Partners and has made various angel investments in internet startups.​

Scott Rupp

Scott Rupp is an Advisor at BITKRAFT Esports Ventures based in San Francisco.  He has over 20 years experience in interactive entertainment as an entrepreneur, investor and operating executive, most recently as USA Managing Director for Modern Times Group, a global leader and active investor in games and eSports.  Scott held co-founder and CEO roles at influencer marketing and digital content companies Digital Artists Entertainment & Icebox and put together catalytic transactions in the online games industry when at Gazillion.  He advised the world’s largest leading media & entertainment company executives on the games industry while at McKinsey, and previously worked at Deutsche Banc and Carlyle Group.  He has an MBA from Kellogg and an MPA from Harvard.