Matthieu Dallon

Matthieu Dallon is one of the pioneers of competitive gaming in Europe. He began organizing LAN parties in the 1990s and, as president of Ligarena, created the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) in 2003 — one of the first global esports tournament series. He produced more than 70 international esports events, including landmark shows at Paris-Bercy and during Paris Games Week, and served as CEO across a succession of companies he built or led: Ligarena (2000–2005), Games-Services (2005–2009), and Oxent (2010–2016), where he co-founded the tournament-management platform Toornament.com in 2013.

Oxent (along with ESWC and Toornament) was acquired by media group Webedia. From September 2016, Dallon joined Webedia as Director of Strategy and Business Development for its gaming/esports activities. Around the same period he helped establish France Esports — the country's federative non-profit created together with the French Ministry of the Economy and major game publishers — and became its first President (2016–2017).

In 2018–2019 Dallon transitioned from operator to investor, founding Trust Esport, described as the first esports-dedicated venture fund in France (and among the first in Europe). The fund was co-founded with Fimalac, the investment holding of Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, and built with the support of international groups including Webedia, the Amaury group (owner of L'Équipe and ASO, organizer of the Tour de France), and Française des Jeux (FDJ). Reported fund size figures cluster around €20–25M. Dallon leads the fund as Founding Partner and President and sits (or has sat) on the boards of several portfolio companies.

• Invests exclusively in esports and gaming technology — companies that strengthen the broader ecosystem rather than single game titles.
• Targets seed and early-stage rounds, typically writing €0.5M–€3M checks (sweet spot near €1M).
• Focus areas span enhancing the viewing experience, monetizing audiences, and optimizing playing conditions — e.g., anti-cheat/player security, tournament tech, broadcast/streaming, immersive VR, and talent/agency infrastructure.
• Evaluates startups on three pillars he has publicly described: vision (a clear problem-solving approach), execution (the right team and product-market fit), and ecosystem value (a positive contribution to industry infrastructure).
• Brings operator credibility — two decades building ESWC, Toornament, and France Esports — as hands-on strategic support, not just capital.
• In his words: *"My career has been a continuous evolution alongside the growth of esports itself."*