HomeStartupsHow Lucra raised $20M as an eSports play when every VC only wants AI

How Lucra raised $20M as an eSports play when every VC only wants AI

StartupsMay 21, 2026
2 min read
How Lucra raised $20M as an eSports play when every VC only wants AI
Slapping “AI” on your startup’s pitch deck is basically table stakes right now. When a founder raised $20 million from Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest for an e
Reading Settings

Slapping “AI” on your startup’s pitch deck is basically table stakes right now. When a founder raised $20 million from Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest for an eSports gamification loyalty startup without those two letters in the spotlight, it got us wondering how the conversation even started — especially when ARK had already been burned by a company operating in the same space. 

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Julie Bort sits down with Dylan Robbins, founder and CEO of Lucra, the white-label platform turning friendly competitions into loyalty programs for brands like golf courses, arcades, and pickleball clubs. 

Listen to the full episode to hear about: 

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. 

Source: TechCrunch - Startups

Share this article

Related Articles

ZEE5’s FIFA World Cup Gamble All Set For Litmus Test
Jun 106 hours ago

ZEE5’s FIFA World Cup Gamble All Set For Litmus Test

The acquisition comes alongside Zee's broader sports ambitions, including the launch of four sports channels under the Unite8 Sports banner Rather than asking how much money the 20

inc42.com11 min read
Read More