Ohio-based gaming and esports company eFuse announced Tuesday that it has partnered with Waterstone Impact Fund, the venture capital fund backed by The Tebow Group (led by former NFL star Tim Tebow and his wife Demi-Leigh Tebow), WaterStone, and Caplin Ventures. Details on the partnership were pretty abstract, but it appears that this partnership includes an undisclosed amount of funding from the investment firm.
Partners/advisors for the fund include Tim and Demi-Leigh Tebow, Caplin Ventures Founder and Chairman Ricky Chaplin, Managing Partner Joel Chakra (also the managing partner at The Tebow Group), and The Tebow Group CEO Tommy Martin. The fund’s mission is to invest in technology startups led by faith-driven founders.
“Gaming presents an incredible opportunity to connect with younger audiences in a way that’s real and meaningful,” said Tim Tebow, general partner at Waterstone Impact Fund. “What drew us to eFuse wasn’t just their innovative media solutions—it was their commitment to building a platform where brands, communities, and causes can come together in a way that’s natural, and mission-driven.”
As for how it will utilize this new funding, the company plans to scale its existing business offerings while doing good by integrating charities and causes into creator-led charity streams, special events, or community campaigns, as examples. Those causes could include human trafficking, child exploitation, orphan care, profound medical needs, and special needs, as examples of charities and causes that could be aided by more support and deeper exposure to the audiences eFuse is targeting.
“This partnership is about more than just gaming — it’s about leveraging the power of gaming to drive real-world impact,” said Matthew Benson, CEO of eFuse. “Tim’s platform, paired with the Waterstone Impact Fund’s investment, will allow us to expand our reach, bring faith-driven storytelling into gaming, and activate communities in ways that truly matter.”
eFuse currently operates live-stream monetization and engagement platform Sidekick, esports/gaming publication Esports.gg, and tournament platform eRena. In March, eFuse announced a partnership with GameSquare to use its influencer marketing and intelligence platform Sideqik to further enhance the capabilities of Sidekick. Financial terms of that deal were not disclosed publicly.