There’s no greater American pastime than shouting at your television. Whether you’re watching an episode of Family Feud or Jeopardy, nothing feels more cathartic than yelling out the correct answer to a group of people that cannot and will never hear you.
But, imagine for a second they could. Instead of needlessly shouting your answers at an inanimate object, you turn to your phone to directly compete with those in the studio. Game developer PortalOne is working to make that dream a reality, and now the startup is getting a big financial boost to help.
PortalOne announced Thursday that it raised $60 million in an oversubscribed Series A round. The raise was led by a group of A-list investors including Tiger Global, Coatue and TQ Ventures, an investment fund co-led by Scooter Braun.
PortalOne bills itself as the world’s first hybrid gaming platform. Hybrid games are a new category of entertainment that seamlessly mix video games with live shows that are embedded directly inside said games, according to the company.
“Gaming, social, and media are converging, and we are fortunate to be at the very edge of that frontier,” Bård Anders Kasin, CEO of PortalOne, said in a statement. “Our company now enters an exciting new phase of scaling up on all fronts as we prepare to introduce hybrid games to the world.”
There’s no doubt Kasin is fit to lead a company like PortalOne given his ample experience in the entertainment industry. The startup leader previously worked as a technical director for Warner Brothers on several movies including The Matrix trilogy. His co-founder and brother, Stig Olav, has held key roles on several top TV shows including The Voice and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
“This is the next place to be in the world of immersive gaming, with unlimited content possibilities,” Braun said in a statement.
Proceeds from the latest raise will fuel PortalOne’s next phase of growth. The company, which is registered in the U.S. but primarily resides in Norway, has been operating in closed beta since August 2021. Now, the international team of 25 is poised to expand its U.S. presence with all sights set on LA.
PortalOne is now hiring for 11 roles spanning its engineering, design and social media teams, to name a few. Nearly every position up for grabs is available to work remote.
