Rahul Sood
Rahul Sood | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, CEO |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
| Known for | CEO and co-founder of Irreverent Labs; former CEO of Unikrn; founder of VoodooPC |
Rahul Sood serves as the CEO and co-founder of Irreverent Labs. He previously held the position of CEO at Unikrn and is the original founder of VoodooPC. Among his early investments was the AR/VR firm Vrvana, and he has also backed blockchain-driven horse racing game ZED Run along with premium PC gaming company MAINGEAR.
In 2007, Sood was placed 83rd on Business 2.0 magazine’s "Who matters now?" list. Following HP’s acquisition of VoodooPC, he stepped down in November 2010 to join Microsoft as General Manager for System Experience within the Interactive Entertainment Business division. Subsequently, he established and headed Microsoft Ventures until November 2014. That same month marked the launch of Unikrn, an esports wagering platform, which initially raised $2.5 million in seed capital. By July 2015, Unikrn had attracted an additional $7 million from investors such as Mark Cuban and Advancit Group. Sood has publicly forecasted that esports could reach a popularity level comparable to the NFL and has addressed fundraising hurdles faced by entrepreneurs in Seattle. In 2019, he presented a TedX Talk focused on the expansion of esports.
Under Sood’s guidance, Unikrn introduced the Unikoin token in 2015, migrating it to Ethereum’s public blockchain by 2017 and securing $31 million through an initial coin offering (ICO). The subsequent development of UnikoinGold attracted regulatory attention from the SEC, culminating in a $6.1 million settlement in 2020. Although there was no definitive ruling that UnikoinGold constituted a security, Unikrn voluntarily ceased its development to enable refunds for token holders.
In November 2020, Sood acquired co-ownership of the Jaffna Stallions cricket team ahead of the 2020 Lanka Premier League. The franchise claimed victory in the league’s inaugural championship in December 2020. As of 2021, his net worth is estimated to be approximately $30 million.
External links
- [1] Rahul Sood on Twitter
- Jaffna Stallions Official Site
- Unikrn Esports | Esports Betting, News, Statistics & Results Unikrn.com