FanAI names Randy Stude and Karim Varela as new hires

Esports sponsorship data platform FanAI has announced two new hires, appointing Randy Stude as its Vice President of Sales & Marketing and Karim Varela as its Vice President of Technology.

FanAI currently provides sponsorship data to the likes of Cloud9, OpTic Gaming, Overwatch League’s Los Angeles Valiant and NYXL, and Cavs Legion GC.

Stude previously spent 13 years leading the gaming marketing efforts at Intel. He also spent time as the Director of Strategy at AMD. Varela’s professional background has seen him responsible for managing, analyzing, and presenting data, as well as bringing products to market at the likes of Fandango, Coffee Meets Bagel, and Tinder. 

Johannes Waldstein, Founder and CEO of FanAI discussed the hires in a release: “FanAI delivers actionable social and ethnographic data, the likes of which many companies have never seen before. As we expand our model to reach new markets, our in-house talent needs to grow alongside our strategic business objectives. Both Karim and Randy will be integral to our continued growth, as they truly represent the next evolution of FanAI, both on the backend as well as consumer-facing fronts.”

In January, FanAI announced the acquisition of data startup Waypoint Media. A year prior, the platform closed a $2.5 million (£2.0 million) funding round which saw investment come from BITKRAFT Esports Ventures, Rosecliff Ventures, Sterling.VC, and more. 

Esports Insider says: Fielding your organisation with the best of the best is key. Both Varela and Stude have significant experience that will no doubt be highly beneficial to FanAI so we’re interested to see where the company goes from here.