Gaming and esports firm NODWIN Gaming has appointed Arnd Benninghoff, Government Vice President of Gaming at Trendy Instances Group (MTG), to its board as the corporate prepares to lift contemporary capital forward of a deliberate public itemizing.

The appointment comes as the corporate begins a pre-IPO fundraising spherical, which is able to embrace a mixture of major capital to help world enlargement by way of natural progress and strategic acquisitions, in addition to a secondary sale to offer liquidity for current shareholders.

NODWIN has additionally appointed UBS as lead advisor for each the pre-IPO spherical and the deliberate IPO.

Benninghoff’s background

Benninghoff has been with MTG since 2014, the place he leads strategic investments and portfolio enlargement. Over his profession he has additionally held senior roles together with Chief Digital Officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media, Managing Director at SevenVentures and CEO of Holtzbrinck eLAB.

An entrepreneur by background, he has based 15 firms and commenced his profession as a journalist with Deutsche Presse-Agentur and a number of other tv networks.

Commenting on the appointment, Benninghoff stated: “I’ve lengthy admired NODWIN Gaming’s unimaginable trajectory and its distinctive potential to construct vibrant, community-first ecosystems on this planet’s most dynamic markets. The corporate sits on the intersection of sports activities, leisure, and expertise, making it probably the most thrilling gamers within the world gaming panorama as we speak. I’m honored to affix the Board and look ahead to working carefully with Akshat and the crew to leverage my expertise in strategic funding and digital media to assist drive NODWIN’s subsequent chapter of progress and innovation.”

Welcoming him to the board, NODWIN co-founder Akshat Rathee stated Benninghoff’s expertise throughout gaming, media and funding could be priceless as the corporate expands its mental property and youth leisure portfolio.

“Arnd is a uncommon chief who understands your entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground actuality of constructing startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion greenback world portfolios,” Rathee stated.

“His imaginative and prescient for the way forward for interactive leisure aligns completely with our objective to grow to be the definitive voice of gaming and youth tradition within the World South.”

NODWIN’s enterprise and enlargement

Based in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN Gaming operates throughout esports, gaming and youth leisure. The corporate builds and monetises youth-focused content material by way of leagues, tournaments, stay occasions and digital properties.

NODWIN has expanded past South Asia to markets together with Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Center East. Its ecosystem now spans esports, gaming, music and youth tradition, with properties akin to DreamHack India and Comedian Con India.

The corporate’s enlargement has additionally included acquisitions akin to StarLadder, an esports organiser recognized for main tournaments in titles together with Counter-Strike: World Offensive and Dota 2.

NODWIN grew to become an affiliate entity of Nazara Applied sciences in July 2025 after Nazara selected to not take part in its newest funding spherical, lowering its stake to under 50%. Rathee described the transfer as an evolution somewhat than a separation, noting that the corporate required entry to bigger swimming pools of capital than Nazara usually invests.

The deconsolidation had a major impression on Nazara’s reported financials. Within the third quarter of FY2026, Nazara’s esports income fell 85% 12 months on 12 months to Rs 34 crore following the change. Throughout the identical interval, NODWIN’s income rose 58% 12 months on 12 months to Rs 261 crore, with EBITDA of Rs 40 crore.

The corporate has additionally reported a return to EBITDA profitability and 58% year-on-year income progress to $58.5 million within the first 9 months of FY2026.

Over time, NODWIN Gaming has attracted backing from buyers together with Krafton, JetSynthesys, Sony Group and Innopark. The corporate final raised $28 million in 2023 at a post-money valuation of $410 million, with plans to broaden its esports platform, pursue acquisitions and develop its worldwide presence.