PlayVS: P Diddy invests in US high school esports project

Millionaire rapper and entrepreneur, Sean "P Diddy" Combs has become a major investor in a $96 million esports start-up focused on providing high school esports to all American states. 

Named PlayVS, it also has backing from Elsyian Park, NEA and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin. Led by Delane Parnell and operating out of Santa Monica, the company has been working on incorporating video games into education for two years now. 

Appearing on CNBC’s Squawk Alley, Parnell spoke a bit on the project: “Parents actually want their kids to have success in the student environment, and sports and activities have shown evidence of increasing student GPA, student engagement, student attendance. It’s giving kids a structured environment to do the things they love”

PlayVS is partnered with the National Federation of State High School Associations and multiple game publishers. This gives it the ability to integrate esports into high school sports. 

Schools and parents will be charged a participation fee of $64, and it is Parnell's hope that PlayVS spawns into a 100 million user subscription business.