NIP Group (Nasdaq: NIPG) made history Friday as it rang the Opening Bell at Nasdaq, marking its public debut as the first Chinese esports company to list on the exchange.
Co-founders Mario Yau Kwan Ho, Hicham Chahine, and Liwei “xiaOt” Sun celebrated the milestone, which comes on the heels of the International Olympic Committee’s resolution to host the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025.
NIP Group, which operates the Ninjas in Pyjamas teams in Sweden and China, raised USD20 million by offering 2.3 million American depositary shares (ADSs) at USD9, the low end of the range.
The company, with a presence across Asia, Europe and South America, manages two brands: Ninjas in Pyjamas (founded in 2000 in Sweden) and eStar Gaming (founded in 2014 in China).
At the opening of the bell, Bob McCooey introduced the two founders as the “two youngest founders of NASDAQ Listed Companies from Asia and the Arab world.”
At 29, Mario Ho, the youngest son of the late Macau casino tycoon, Stanley Ho Hung-sun, is the controlling shareholder and now the youngest NASDAQ-listed company founder in Asia.
With 668 million gamers, China’s esports industry continues to grow.
NIP Group aims to bridge cultural exchanges between China and the world through esports.
“I hope NIP Group can connect more people with esports and Chinese culture,” Ho said. NS
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