Upthrust Esports
Upthrust Esports is an India-based esports tournament organizer and event production company that creates and licenses mobile gaming IPs and delivers brand activation, white-label production, and media rights services to enterprise sponsors and competitive gamers across Mobile, PC, Console, and VR segments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersMumbai, India
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Upthrust Esports firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Upthrust Esports
- Legal name
- Upthrust Esports
- Website
- https://upthrustesports.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Upthrust Esports is an India-based esports tournament organizer and event production company that creates and licenses mobile gaming IPs and delivers brand activation, white-label production, and media rights services to enterprise sponsors and competitive gamers across Mobile, PC, Console, and VR segments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Upthrust Esports industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Esports Event Management
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (71132), Spectator Sports (71121)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Esports Event Production & Operations (Broadcast, Stage, Refereeing) (MPAKANAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Mobile Esports Tournaments & Leagues (MPAKANAK), Open Circuit & Qualifier Events (Online/Offline) (MPAKANAD), Esports Tournament Broadcast & Production (MPAGANAJ), Esports Tournament Sponsorships & Partnerships (MPAGANAM)
Keywords
Where Upthrust Esports is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mumbai
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Upthrust Esports business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Tournament Organization & Management: Organizing esports tournaments (BGMI, Free Fire MAX) with prize pools funded by brand sponsors and partners. Revenue generated from brand partnerships and tournament operations.
- IP Creation & Licensing: Creating and managing esports intellectual properties (IPs) such as the Crew War tournament series, Challenger Showdown, and Chillz Cup. These IPs attract brand sponsors and generate revenue through naming rights, media rights, and sponsorships.
- Media Content Production: Producing media content including broadcast production, graphics, and digital content for esports events and brand partners. Revenue generated from content production contracts with brands and media buyers.
- Media Rights Management: Managing media rights for esports tournaments and distributing content across platforms like YouTube. Revenue from media rights deals with streaming platforms and broadcasters.
- Brand Activation & White-Label Production: Executing brand activations and white-label event production for brands wanting to engage the gaming community. Revenue from brand marketing solutions and event execution fees.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Upthrust Esports product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Upthrust Esports is an Indian esports tournament organizer and event production company that creates, manages, and executes esports tournament IPs (such as Crew War, Chillz Cup, and Challenger Showdown) for brands and gaming publishers. It offers end-to-end services including IP creation, brand activation, white-label event production, media content production, and media rights management, serving clients across gaming hardware, consumer electronics, telecom, and consumer goods sectors in India.
Product overview
Upthrust Esports operates as a comprehensive esports solutions provider offering a portfolio of six interconnected service offerings: Curate IPs (esports intellectual property development), Brand Activation (marketing services), White Label Production (end-to-end event production), Media Content Production (content creation), Media Rights (broadcasting management), and tournament IPs (such as Crew War, Chillz Cup, Challenger Showdown). The company functions as a unified platform for esports event management, combining grassroots and professional level tournament organization, influencer and digital marketing, and brand advertising solutions across Mobile, PC, Console, and VR gaming segments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Curate IPs
Quantifiable outcome
- 150+ large-scale esports tournaments organized
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Upthrust Esports
Customer profileNamed customers30 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Upthrust Esports technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Upthrust Esports partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- WCG 2025 (World Cyber Games)flagshipWCG 2025 announced National Showdown India in collaboration with Upthrust Esports, positioning Upthrust as the official operational partner for India's national qualifier tournament. This represents a flagship partnership for a major international esports event.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Upthrust Esports competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NODWIN Gaming: India's largest esports company, organizing BGMI, Valorant, and CS:GO tournaments and owning international IPs (ESL, BLAST). Closest direct competitor to Upthrust in Indian esports tournament organization and brand activation.
- The Esports Club: India-focused grassroots-to-pro esports community and tournament organizer running campus, city, and national-level tournaments. Comparable to Upthrust's grassroots community-led tournament model.
- Skyesports: Indian esports tournament organizer running Skyesports League and multiple mobile/PC tournament IPs. Directly comparable business model to Upthrust — tournament IP creation, brand sponsorships, and esports event production in India.
- Penta Esports: Indian esports tournament and league operator (Penta Invitational, women's leagues). Directly comparable peer in mobile/PC Indian esports tournament production.
Emerging players
- Loco: Indian esports streaming and tournament platform (Pocket Aces). Comparable as a tournament-streaming peer in the Indian market; also an Upthrust distribution/distribution partner.
- Rooter: Indian esports streaming and community platform with tournament offerings. Comparable as an India-focused esports community/play layer that intersects with Upthrust's tournament participant funnel (Rooter is also a current Upthrust client).
- India Today Gaming: Indian esports media property covering tournaments and producing original gaming content. Comparable as an adjacent media-and-tournament participant in Indian esports; also an Upthrust client/partner.
Broad incumbents
- DreamHack: Global esports festival and tournament organizer (part of ESL FACEIT Group). Comparable as a large-scale esports event producer; less specialized in India's mobile-esports niche.
- ESL Gaming: Global esports tournament and league operator (ESL Pro League, Intel Extreme Masters). Comparable as a broad incumbent in esports tournament production; operates at much larger scale and PC-centric category.
- Riot Games: Game publisher operating major global esports leagues (League of Legends, Valorant). Adjacent peer — operates esports leagues in-house, demonstrating the publisher-owned tournament model that competes with third-party organizers like Upthrust.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Upthrust Esports social profiles
Digital presenceUpthrust Esports financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Upthrust Esports leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Upthrust Esports funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Upthrust Esports M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Upthrust Esports
What does Upthrust Esports do?
Upthrust Esports is an Indian esports tournament organizer and event production company that creates, manages, and executes esports tournament IPs (such as Crew War, Chillz Cup, and Challenger Showdown) for brands and gaming publishers. It offers end-to-end services including IP creation, brand activation, white-label event production, media content production, and media rights management, serving clients across gaming hardware, consumer electronics, telecom, and consumer goods sectors in India.
Is Upthrust Esports a public or private company?
Upthrust Esports is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Upthrust Esports founded?
Upthrust Esports was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Upthrust Esports based?
Upthrust Esports is headquartered in Mumbai, India, in the Asia region.
How does Upthrust Esports make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Tournament Organization & Management is the primary driver. The others are IP Creation & Licensing, media Content Production, media Rights Management and brand Activation & White-Label Production.
Who are Upthrust Esports's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NODWIN Gaming, The Esports Club, Skyesports and Penta Esports. Emerging players are Loco, Rooter and India Today Gaming. Broad incumbents are DreamHack, ESL Gaming and Riot Games.
Does Upthrust Esports have an API?
No public API is recorded for Upthrust Esports.
What industry is Upthrust Esports in?
Upthrust Esports's product category is Esports Event Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKANAO, Esports Event Production & Operations (Broadcast, Stage, Refereeing), with a secondary code of MPAKANAK, Mobile Esports Tournaments & Leagues. Its NAICS code is 71132 and its SIC code is 7900.