"The Biggest Challenge Was Finding The Right People Who I Can Trust" Medal Esports Founder Kabir Kohli Speaks On The Challenges Of Running an Esports Organization

In the past few years, the Indian gaming community has seen an increase in the emergence of new esports organizations. These young startups were ready to take on the challenges of making a name for esports in a nascent esports economy. One such story is the emergence of Medal Esports, which started its journey with Fortnite in 2021.

Here at Gossip, we had the opportunity to conduct an exclusive interview with Kabir Kohli, the CEO and Founder of Medal Esports, and talk about his journey as an esports entrepreneur. Currently, Medal Esports is competitive across several esports titles like BGMI, Valorant, and CS:GO, and here's how Kabir Kohli made it happen. 

Read more: Exclusive Interview | Hydrabad Hydra's Humanoid Shines At BGIS 2023 The Grind As Not Just A Heal-Battle Player
 

"I actually wanted to be a content creator at first" Medal Esports' Kabir Kohli Discusses His Career Growth 

Q. Hi Kabir, you've grown to be known as one of the youngest CEOs in esports history, can you share who Kabir Kohli is and how he entered the gaming world?

Well, I got my start in the gaming world at 8 when I saved up for a PS4 for Diwali and, with it, my first FPS, Black Ops 3.
 

Q. Most young esports enthusiasts aspire to become professional players or work in the industry. What inspired you to go down the road of starting Medal Esports?

I actually wanted to be a content creator at first and used to post pretty frequently on my YouTube channel, but then I decided to join a few teams that were competing in the Indian Fortnite scene in early 2020-2021. After seeing how an organization is run I decided I wanted to start my own and consulted my mother about it. Eventually, in February of 2021, the Medal Esports Fortnite team was born with financial aid from my parents.

 

Q. You might have interacted with all the stakeholders from our community, like Rushindra Sinha from GE, Anna from VLT, Rohit Jagasia from RNT, and Shiva Nandy from Skyesports. What are the learnings you adopted after interacting with them?

Well, I haven’t interacted at all with Anna but have been fortunate to talk to Rohit, Rushi, and Shiva. To be fairly honest I’ve never taken any “learnings” from them but have taken advice from them about specific things such as help with rosters and so on.
 

Q. Moving towards our country's most talked about game, BGMI. Medal Esports signed the four-man lineup with Paradox, Encore, Ky0ya, and Topdawg. The scouting was on point as the team is doing well in ongoing tournaments like BGMS 2023. What was the management’s mindset behind the formation of the team?
 

With the comeback of BGMI, our management was pretty interested in expanding our esports division so we started our scouting process a week before the game was to be released. Initially, we had talks with a couple of rosters but when we spoke with LeFP (currently Medal), our vision seemed to have clicked, so without any second thoughts we went on to sign the roster. Talking about performances, the team has a combination of experience & aggression so it seems to be working well.
 

Q. As a young entrepreneur, can you mention the biggest obstacles you faced? What helped you to tackle those obstacles and overcome the challenges?

The biggest challenge was finding the right people who I can trust. I would say I struggled with this for the first year of running Medal Esports but after that first year, I found trustworthy people with the same thought process as me.
 

Q. Valorant is another FPS title that the Indian audience loves. Recently, Medal Esports announced its roster for the OFF//SEASON tournaments. Behind the curtains, what were the discussions you and the management had while scouting for the players, and what are your plans for VCT 2024?

Well, during VCL SA 2023, the roster-making decisions felt rushed and not carefully thought out. While we housed greatly skilled players, it felt like something was missing. This time, we wanted a roster that had good chemistry with each other and an even greater level of skill. An all-Indian roster wasn’t our first choice but we decided to go ahead with it as we really believed this roster has what it takes to win. For the VCT 2024 circuit, our plans are not only to take this roster to ascension but also to win it.
 

Q. Lastly, as an owner of one of the most prominent esports organizations, what are the common mistakes you see aspiring players make while trying to enter the esports industry, and what would be your advice to these young talents? 

I would say for young talents, don’t expect to go to a tier 1 or high tier 2 team immediately because you reached a high rank in your game of choice. Maybe start with cafe tournaments or try out for some lower-tier teams and show your skills off. You’re not going to get that golden opportunity immediately. Once you’ve been a part of the scene long enough, a trustworthy agent can also help you join organizations.