Entropiq in the Spotlight: Interview for Aktualne.cz

Team Entropiq's founder Martin Kabrhel and managing director Ondřej Drebota have been interviewed by Aktuálně.cz. The Czech news outlet asked our main protagonists about the origins of the organization, plans for the future, and more.

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What were your initial steps when exploring the new field?

Drebota: I'd already had some experience. I worked as deputy editor-in-chief at Score (a gaming magazine) on the brink of the century. My competence included esport, among other things. I remember the true origins of the Czech scene; the emergence of the first teams such as Neophyte in 1999, the beginnings of eSuba, and the first Invex events where professional gaming gained its first publicity.

Kabrhel: My gaming past — in Starcraft — halted around 20 years ago. At the time, I decided to dedicate the majority of my time to mathematics and sport. I've been a part of many projects involving applied mathematics, and the latest one of them — Ematiq, which focuses on data-analysis and probabilities in sports and esports — sparked the idea of establishing Entropiq.  

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How did you assemble the team?

Kabrhel: We invited the best players from the Czech and Slovak scene to a big office and introduced them to our vision of a professional organization. Then we held individual talks with everyone. Our requirements for the players are quite high, not only when it comes to the skill and maturity but also considering the mindset, work ethic, how the individual fits into the team, the language abilities, social media, the winning mentality, and many other aspects.

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What remains on your scouting list?

Kabrhel: We definitely want to add CS:GO and Dota 2 teams to our lineup. While we've been actively working on it, we're yet to find the players who would meet our standards. At the moment, we're looking beyond the Czech-Slovak pool.

What are Entropiq's short-term and long-term goals?

Drebota: Within our scope, we want to dominate on the home soil. Almost all of our players are the reigning Czech champions or, at least, have won major tournaments in the last two years. Our ambition for the first year is to establish ourselves among the top five organizations in Central Europe and the top 20 within the whole continent. That applies for results as well as the size of the brand.

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What are the financial requirements for such project, and can it be profitable in the Czech Republic?

Kabrhel: We're talking eight figures in Czech crowns. Travelling around the world, players and staff salaries, marketing...all these things are costly, of course. It's common to have an investor that helps with financing the operations, even for the organizations from abroad.

Nothing is guaranteed, however, and it's a relatively risky investment. The first steps require a lot of work. Moreover, a project of such magnitude would be impossible on a local level so we need to aim beyond the border.

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The extended interview can be found at Aktuálně.cz.