Mobile esports platform Skillz has partnered with the nonprofit Susan G. Komen Foundation on a charity tournament called Play for the Cure. The event starts March 3, and all proceeds will go toward fighting breast cancer. Skillz has set a goal of raising at least $100,000.
According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, breast cancer affects one in eight women every year in the U.S. Komen provides grants and funding toward breast cancer research, and it also hosts fundraising events such as the Susan G. Komen Marathon for the Cure.
The partnership with Komen isn’t Skillz’s first foray into charity tournaments. It has hosted benefits for the Special Olympics and for Hurricane Irma. Play for the Cure coincides with the beginning of Women’s History Month, during which Skillz is also planning a series of blog posts to highlight women’s roles in gaming.
The esports platform reports that more than half of its 12 million registered players are women, and its top performers reflect that. Last year, seven of its best players were women and took home a good chunk of the $2.7 million collectively earned by its top 10 athletes.
The esports market is predicted to hit $2.5 billion in revenues by 2020, and mobile esports are gaining popularity in regions such as China. Skillz is tapping into that market with a platform that hosts tournaments and enables players to turn any iOS or Android game into a competitive affair. It raised $25 million in December and some of its investors come from the traditional sports world as well as telecommunications companies.