A DraftKings co-founder just launched a company to “build empires” for creators

Last year, DraftKings co-founder Matt Kalish invested $11 million in FaZe Clan as it ended its disastrous attempt at being a public company. His cash went into the FaZe Media half of the biz (separate from FaZe’s esports endeavors), and was chunky enough to give him 49% ownership.

While we haven’t heard much about FaZe’s profitability since the privatization, it did win Best Content Organization at the 2024 Streamer Awards.

And now, Kalish is planning to expand his efforts to other creators by launching HardScope, a company that describes itself as “the operating system for the creator economy, connecting brands and fans with the most influential streamers built to lead culture.”

It does that by “back[ing] the established and emerging talent shaping what’s next, and set the standard for creator led [sic] businesses,” HardScope says.

In practice behind the buzzwords, that means providing creators with support around content strategy, production, and distribution, plus social media management–all aimed, of course, at generating revenue from brand deals and putting ads in front of their Gen Z viewers.

Per The Wrap, Kalish’s team has so far worked with livestreamers including JasontheWeen, Lacy, Stable Ronaldo, Adapt, YourRage, Kaysan, and Silky. In October, it ran a subathon it said generated 1.8 billion views and 85 million engagements on social media.

“We take pride in being the battle-tested team of makers, who create valuable assets in-house and get results for partners in a sea of unaccountable middlemen,” Kalish said in a statement. “The mission of HardScope is to directly platform top talent that own the keys to Gen Z and invest in building their empires, while seamlessly onboarding brands into their universe through authentic integrated partnerships and collaborations that drive performance.”

Mandy Gardiner, HardScope’s SVP of Brand Partnerships, added, “Brands know the audience has shifted, but they struggle to navigate the fragmentation of the creator space. We’re making it simple to create authentic partnerships that place brands at the center of creator communities and culture, while driving powerful business results. Our native DNA and proprietary technology is able to turn streaming moments into movements that dominate feeds and drive sales.”

Kalish’s original investment into FaZe Clan wasn’t a surprise considering the org’s partnership with DraftKings, where he’s still on the board and serves as President, North America. And, honestly, we’re also not surprised that he sees the creator economy as the next place to make money–especially if he can keep working with esports-oriented creators who might similarly take DraftKings sponsorships and/or might be otherwise integrated into the ever-growing digital sports ecosphere.