February 2, 2021 Article

Rise of CDN in Esports: “Content is King” and how Blockchain Transforms the Esports Landscape Amidst the Pandemic

The International Trade Council (ITC) hosted the virtual event, “The StartUp Summit” held last January 19 - 21, 2021 where more than 3,000 guests from North America and across the world convened for the online summit. The virtual summit’s guests and speakers included global thought leaders, entrepreneurs, startup ventures, incubators, C-level suite executives, investors, and government officials.

As a response in dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event utilized the Zoho Meeting webinar software that enabled the speakers and guests from all over the world to interact, learn, and participate while observing proper social distancing indoors.

David Drake, the Chairman and founder of LDJ Capital and The Soho Loft Media Group, was one of the keynote speakers in this virtual summit. He recently delivered his crypto predictions for 2021 and stated that 2021 will be the year for blockchain and crypto market growth.

Together with some of the esteemed keynote speakers like Chad Stender of SeventySix Capital, Chris Joyce of Gusher, Derek Distenfield of GSD Venture Studios, Max Menke of GrowthX, and Meera Tenguria of Aarohan Communications, the keynote presentations were pre-recorded due to time restraints but the event’s platform offered the guests networking opportunities and and 1-on-1 or group mentoring session in between the programs.

David Drake, a well-seasoned veteran in the family office scene and an active speaker in events for the past 20 years, discussed the role of blockchain and how it affects the global landscape of content delivery networks (CDNs) in esports. He said, “The esports industry and its market reached new heights in 2020 despite the ongoing pandemic. The imposed lockdowns brought about the huge increase in the hours spent watching esports content and gamers streaming on Twitch and other platforms. The esports market has been the most profitable market during this pandemic.”

In his presentation, he explained the changing landscape of content delivery networks (CDNs) in the esports industry, how blockchain is poised to impact the CDNs in esports, and that CDNs were servers that provided quick delivery of internet content. The gaming community and companies have been relying on CDNs to help distribute content and deliver a better experience for their users. Drake also stated that blockchain technology will offer even more opportunities for the esports industry and its community that will bridge the gap in managing online and offline assets for gamers and game developers. Through the use of blockchain technology, there will be an increased level of convenience in transactions, security, and transparency that will help resolve the issues prevalent in esports.

“Blockchain technology is gaining prominence in not just the esports industry but across different industries like finance, investments, healthcare, technology, real estate, and more. Blockchain helps innovate the functions and transactions in traditional platforms. I am looking forward to the growth of blockchain-based projects and cryptocurrencies in the future,” Drake says.

The virtual summit also featured topics about increasing revenue through crowdfunding, funding for startups and capital, doing businesses in certain countries and jurisdictions, business ideas during the pandemic, and many more.

The International Trade Council is a non-profit chamber of commerce that has been representing global trade agencies and government leaders and creating local and international investment opportunities for more than 60 years. The Council will continue to hold virtual events for companies and trade agencies for the rest of the year.
Visit The StartUp Summit website for more information about the online summit.