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ew Los Angeles-based company, Queens Gaming Collective has raised USD$1.5 million (AUD$2 million) in its seed round, led by Bitkraft Ventures, to build the women-led gaming lifestyle brand.

Queens Gaming Collective was co-founded by CEO, Alisa Jacobs, and chairman, Justin Giangrande, and aims to provide women creators, streamers, and competitive gamers equal access to the infrastructure, resources, and agent representation necessary to build equitable and profitable careers in gaming.

In an interview with GamesBeat, Jacobs said the goal is to build a group of women gamers into a more powerful group of influencers and media celebrities than they could be on their own.

“We see a lot of value in letting women tell their gaming stories,” Jacobs said.

“Our roster has esports athletes, self-identified gamers, streamers, cosplayers, [and] crossover artists that identify first as a champion athlete or a DJ but spend 90% of their off-hours in Discord or gaming.

“We’re a lot of things but at the core we are a media and management company, with a lifestyle brand.

“All of the merchandising and retail that comes out of that really starts with being the premier brand in gaming.

“So I think it’s anchored as a media company because it’s truly about incredible content.

“But we do brand representation for these women.

“If you think about where women are in the business right now, and you think about where diversity is, quite candidly, it isn’t at the level of the highest men in the industry like Ninja.

“They have had great opportunities and built brands.

“But a lot of it has been under-resources and under-represented.

“The brands don’t know who they are,” she said.

The seed funding round was led by esports venture capitalist company, Bitkraft Ventures, along with retail entrepreneur, Rosie O’Neill, entertainment executive, Amy Finnerty, fashion expert, Dre Hayes, and Muse Capital founders, Assia Grazioli-Venier and Rachel Springate.

The group has also established an advisory board with industry experts from The H.Wood Group, and senior executives from Amazon, Twitch, TikTok, and Spotify, along with an ambassador network featuring former NBA star, Baron Davis, and digital marketer, Karen Civil.

“Culture can’t evolve in silos,” Jacobs said.

“We cannot change the narrative or dismantle the patriarchy or do any of these buzzwords in corporate jargon or anti-racist America without their support.

“If we want to start to change the face of the industry from very white, very male, very wealthy, at the corporate level, then we actually need their support…

“Revenue is king, but culture is queen.

“Queens is changing the game.

“Gaming is a lifestyle, and Queens is a global movement built for and led by diverse women dedicated to radical representation, economic inclusion, and collaboration over competition.

“Beyond a lifestyle brand, we’re building a community that celebrates the successes and advancement of our creators,” she said.

To mark its launch, Queens Gaming Collective is set to hold a live stream event on Twitch on December 5, with ‘The Queens Court’ joining ‘Queens Talent”.