Karate Combat has announced a successful $18 million funding round led by BITKRAFT Ventures, with the participation of Delphi Digital, The Operating Group, Alpha Wave Global, Hashkey, Lattice, M13, Santiago Santos, RooxieXBT and other investors. The funding will be used to support the launch of the Karate Combat App and the $KARATE token on 10 May.
Founded in 2018, Karate Combat is a full-contact striking league that combines live-action martial arts with CGI environments powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. The league’s live broadcasts are the first to blend real-time virtual effects with real-life athletics, offering viewers an immersive experience.
With 4.5 million followers and 10 million views per event, Karate Combat is streamed and broadcast in over 100 countries worldwide, with distributors including Eurosport, Globo’s Combate, MatchTV, BeIN Sports, CBS Sports, and ESPN Deportes. The league boasts approximately 100 full-time exclusive fighters, including world champions Rafael Aghayev, Raymond Daniels, Luiz Rocha, Ross Levine, and UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten as the league’s lead announcer.
Karate Combat is the first sports league structured as a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), giving token holders control over the league’s direction. The $KARATE token, part of the new Karate Combat UP Only Gaming App, will gamify the live viewing experience and govern the league, with token holders able to vote on fighters and boost their favorite fighters’ potential prize pools.
Karate Combat Co-Founder Robert Bryan expressed his excitement at having BITKRAFT Ventures as an investor. He noted that the DAO would continue to enhance the league’s success and create a new entertainment category within Web3. Carlos Pereira, Partner at BITKRAFT Ventures, highlighted the league’s innovative use of Web3 tools to build direct relationships with fans, align incentives, and enable influence over every aspect of the league.
