Rahul Sood
Rahul Sood is the Founder and CEO of Irreverent Labs, and serves as Investor and Chairman of the Board at MAINGEAR, as well as Investor and Advisor at Virtually Human. He previously founded Unikrn and VoodooPC, both of which were acquired, and is recognized for his expertise in technology, gaming, and AI.
OpenAI's Sora, a new Amazon book, and 5 days a week in the office
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, stick around to the end for a late-breaking addition to the show — a bonus segment about OpenAI's new AI video generation technology Sora. Joining the show is Rahul Sood, CEO and co-founder of Irreverent Labs, a Seattle-area startup that is working on AI to turn images and text into video. We also discuss the Seattle-area startups that are bringing employees into the office five days a week; look ahead to the upcoming release of what appears to be a juicy Amazon book, due out in April; and preview the GeekWire Awards in advance…
Seattle Startup Irreverent Labs Secures Samsung NEXT Funding After AI Video Generation Pivot
Seattle startup Irreverent Labs pivoted from an NFT-based video game to developing an AI video generation model, securing funding from Samsung NEXT. The company aims to offer API tools for creators and developers to generate video content using AI.
Seattle startups push into crypto, blockchain and Web3 amid investor caution and regulatory shifts
The article lists Seattle startups building products and services around crypto, blockchain, and Web3, noting the region’s talent but limited local investor interest and regulatory uncertainty. Industry leaders cite Seattle’s potential as a cloud-computing hub while warning entrepreneurs face funding disadvantages compared with other jurisdictions.
Irreverent Labs, led by Rahul Sood and backed by Andreessen Horowitz, raises $5M and unveils MechaFightClub — a Solana-based AI + NFT fighting game
Irreverent Labs, a Seattle startup led by Microsoft veteran Rahul Sood that raised a $5 million seed round backed by a16z, unveiled MechaFightClub, a Solana-based, cruelty-free play-to-earn fighting game using AI, NFTs and an in-game currency called nuggets set to release this spring. The game features unique tradable ‘mechabots,’ genetics/breeding systems, and aims to attract traditional gamers by offering character ownership and monetization.
Andreessen Horowitz leads $5M round for Rahul Sood’s Irreverent Labs to build NFT, blockchain and AI-powered metaverse game
Seattle startup Irreverent Labs, led by entrepreneur Rahul Sood, raised $5 million in a round led by Andreessen Horowitz to build an NFT- and blockchain-based metaverse game that uses AI-powered, ownable characters and will debut its first game next month.
Entain acquires Seattle esports betting startup Unikrn; terms undisclosed, Unikrn pauses services
Entain has agreed to acquire Seattle-based esports betting startup Unikrn, which temporarily halted services during the deal; terms were not disclosed. Unikrns roughly 40 employees will join Entain, which hired ex-Twitch exec Justin Dellario to lead esports operations as it targets a projected $20 billion addressable esports and social casino market by 2025.
Unikrn to pay $6.1M and disable UnikoinGold after SEC says its $31M ICO was unregistered
Seattle eSports betting startup Unikrn agreed to a $6.1 million SEC settlement and will disable its UnikoinGold (UKG) cryptocurrency after the agency charged the company with conducting an unregistered initial coin offering that raised $31 million; the company neither admitted nor denied the charges and said it will discontinue UKG to focus on its platform.
Rahul Sood
Rahul Sood started his first company when he was just 17 years old. VoodooPC went on to sell to HP in 2006, where he spent four years as their CTO. Rahul then spent a few years at Microsoft, where he says he “learned everything and got a crash course in how the best leaders are created.” In 2014, he started his current company, Unikrn, an esports betting and news company that’s backed by big names like Ashton Kutcher, Mark Cuban, Elisabeth Murdoch, Shari Redstone and many others. Unikrn has received over 10 million in funding and is on the front…
Organizations
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Irreverent Labs Founder & CEO 2021–present · current
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Virtually Human Investor and Advisor 2019–present · current
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MAINGEAR Investor and Chairman of the Board 2014–present · current
Education
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Henry Wisewood 1988–1990
