Man Utd’s Ole Gunnar Solskjær enters esports with Ulti Agency investment

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær has entered the esports industry through an investment in Norwegian company Ulti Agency.

The player-turned-manager has acquired a significant interest in the esports agency alongside sports agent Jim Solbakken, both obtaining a 12.5% stake.

Established last year, Ulti Agency have been operating for just over six months and represent over a dozen Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players and coaches.

The agency claim to use a similar model to football when managing and representing talent, also providing “marketing advise and branding strategies.”

Ulti Agency

Ulti Agency claim they’re “one of only a handful of serious management agencies” in the industry.

Ulti Agency made a statement in February 2020 when they hired former journalist Jarek ‘DeKay’ Lewis as a media consultant and esports agent.

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They currently represent players such as EXREMUM’s Joakim ‘jkaem’ Myrbostad, Dignitas’ Håkon ‘hallzerk’ Fjærli, and Jakob ‘JUGi’ Hansen, who most recently played for Astralis. Coaches Jonatan ‘Devilwalk’ Lundberg, Luis ‘peacemaker’ Tadeu, and Neil ‘NeiL_M’ Murphy are also signed to the agency.

Financial details of the investment have not been disclosed at the time of writing. The founders of Ulti Agency believe that their new co-owners will help them realize their plans to expand into Asia and South America.

“Esports have become bigger than anyone would have dared to predict just a few years ago,” said Solskjær. “It spreads the joy of sports worldwide. That is exciting, and Ulti Agency is a company with big plans. They’re all about seeing the players and giving them a chance.”

“We receive many inquiries from many interesting investors,” added Asgeir Kvalvik, the agency’s chief executive. “The coming year will be very exciting for Ulti Agency.”