Washington Justice Hires Grant Paranjape as Vice President of Esports Business

WASHINGTON JUSTICE HIRES GRANT PARANJAPE

AS IT CONTINUES TO BUILD LEADERSHIP TEAM

Paranjape brings years of esports experience to the Overwatch League’s Franchise’s Management Team

WASHINGTON, DC May 13th, 2019 – The Washington Justice of the Overwatch League has hired esports veteran Grant Paranjape as its Vice President of Esports Business, the organization announced today.  A former pro gamer and experienced esports executive, Paranjape comes to the Justice from a senior esports role at Monumental Sports and Entertainment where he led the development of the inaugural NBA 2K League team, Wizards District Gaming.

In his new role with the Justice, Paranjape will lead business and team operations for the franchise and will look to expand the organization’s passionate local fanbase. The Justice are currently playing in their inaugural season in the Overwatch League and will soon be hosting matches locally in D.C. for the 2020 season.

“We are committed to building a world-class esports organization starting with the Washington Justice and expanding into other titles.  Bringing on an experienced industry veteran like Grant is critical to building our foundation for success,” said Washington Justice majority owner Mark Ein. “Grant’s proven business development expertise combined with his passion for esports is a terrific addition for our franchise’s leadership team.”

“I am incredibly excited to join the Washington Justice organization and continue their efforts in making the Justice a premier esports team,” said Paranjape. “They’ve done an impressive job of using the Overwatch League as a platform to quickly grow a substantial fanbase and to bring  the DC esports community together around the franchise.  I look forward to building on this early success and growing the organization for years to come.”

Prior to joining Washington Justice, Paranjape worked as Director of Esports Business and Team Operations for Monumental Sports & Entertainment. In that role, he directed strategy and business initiatives for MSE’s esports business operations, including the iconic sports brand’s NBA 2K League team.

In his new role, Paranjape will lead Washington Esports Ventures’ efforts to build an industry leading esports organization including adding additional esports teams across a variety of titles.

In addition to hiring Paranjape, Washington Justice has recently made a strategic hire to bring Katherine Valdivia onboard as the team’s Lead Designer. A noted designer in the gaming community, Valdivia has more than a decade of experience in graphic design and comes to Washington Justice from OverActive Media Group (OMG), Canada’s first professional esports ownership group, that also owns and operates another Overwatch League franchise, the Toronto Defiant. As lead designer, she will define long-term design strategy for Washington Justice’s branding and support the team’s continued growth.

The Justice also recently made significant roster acquisitions with the signing of experienced Overwatch support players Yeonjun "ArK" Hong from the New York Excelsior (NYXL) and Nikola “Sleepy” Andrews from the San Francisco Shock (SFS). ArK recently qualified as a starter for the 2019 All-Star match and will be representing the Atlantic division when the action kicks off May 16th.

For more information about Washington Justice, visit www.washington-justice.com or follow the team on Twitter @WashJustice, Instagram @WashingtonDCJustice or like Washington Justice on Facebook at Facebook.com/WashJustice.

For more information on the Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com.

About Washington Esports Ventures

Washington Esports Ventures was founded to purchase an Overwatch League team and build other esports teams that will represent the thriving Capital Region incorporating all of Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia—from Baltimore to Richmond.  The company is led by Mark Ein, a Washington-area businessman, civic leader, philanthropist, sports team owner, and native Washingtonian.  Mark and his ownership group believe in the power of sports as a platform to inspire people and bring communities together. The Company's esports assets, including the Overwatch League team, will be part of Mr. Ein's existing sports platform that owns the Washington Kastles, one of the most successful teams in the 45-year history of World Team Tennis, embraced by the Capital Region since its founding in 2008.  Joining Mr. Ein as investors and board members are Artist Capital Management, a New York-based growth equity firm as the lead financial partner and Dyson Dryden, Mr. Ein's business partner and a Baltimore native. Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia, is an anchor supporter of the team.

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