The hip-hop mogul has reportedly teamed up with Google and others to raise $20 million for Carry1st, a mobile game published based in Cape Town, South Africa, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Riot Games, Sky Mavis, Yield Guild Games, Chipper Cash, and Andreessen Horowitz Invest are among the other investors.
The additional funds will be used to develop Carry1st’s content, personnel, and user base, according to the company, which recently released Tilting Point’s SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off. In addition, the business plans to collaborate with several studios to develop “the infrastructure to support play-to-earn gaming.”
“We’re excited to partner with this world-class group of investors who, in addition to capital, bring expertise across gaming, fintech, and web3,” Carry1st co-founder and CEO Cordel Robbin-Coker said in a statement to THR. “In 2021, we launched multiple games and digital commerce solutions achieving really strong growth. Together we can accelerate this growth and achieve our goal of becoming the leading consumer internet company in the region.”
Carry1st was formed by Robbin-Corker, COO Lucy Hoffman, and chief technology officer Tinotenda Mundangepfupfu in 2018. Since its beginnings, the firm has purportedly raised approximately $30 million and employs 37 employees in 18 different countries.
Nas’ venture capital business, Queensbridge Venture Partners, has made a number of investments, including SeatGeek, PlutoTV, Dropbox, and RobinHood.
“When I heard the word ‘investment’ in school, I was hooked,” the rapper told FastCompany in 2014. “You invest your time, you can invest money and it was just a matter of time before it all fell into place for me. That’s one of the things that I thought a lot about as a young kid—the guys behind the scenes who make things happen, help build people up, make dreams come true.”