Andy Dinh, 24
Founder, Team SoloMid
In the world of competitive video gaming, Dinh may be the next Michael Jordan or Nolan Ryan–a professional player turned team owner and sports icon. His Team SoloMid is North America’s top squad in the Tencent-owned game League of Legends, a hugely popular eSport which attracts 100 million players monthly and sells out arenas like Madison Square Garden for live competitions.”As I just competed more and more, eSports was taken a lot more seriously,” Dinh said. “[Now], you’re seeing billionaires buy teams in eSports.”After failing to persuade existing eSports organizations to pick up his team, Dinh formed TSM in 2009. He ran the organization while still serving as captain of the five-man team before stepping down in 2013 to focus solely on management. TSM’s YouTube channel has half-a-million subscribers, and their star player, Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg boasts 1.2 million followers on Twitch. Dinh has been aggressive about monetizing the business, bringing in sponsors like Geico, HTC, Red Bull and Axe.
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