Scorbit, a connected gaming platform bringing classic and modern arcade experiences online, announced today it has closed a seed round of just over $5 million led by Detroit Venture Partners, with participation from Grand Ventures, Weiser Family Office, Michigan Rise / Red Cedar, Invest Detroit Ventures, Eberg Capital, Ann Arbor SPARK Capital, Mudita Venture Fund II LLC, Precursor Ventures, Side Door Ventures, Wakestream, and Gambit Ventures, along with several angel and individual investors.
Notable investors who converted from Scorbit’s pre-seed round include Matthew Prince (Cloudflare), Matt Mullenweg (Automattic), Marissa Mayer (Sunshine, Google, Yahoo), Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers), Bevan Slattery (Megaport, Superloop, NEXTDC), Rob Hayes (First Round Capital), Robert Abbott (HashiCorp), and Jordan Lowe (ServerCentral), among others.
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Scorbit was co-founded by Jay Adelson, an internet pioneer known for founding and leading companies such as Equinix and Digg, and Ron Richards, a veteran of the media and technology industries and former Marvel/Disney executive. Together, they are leading Scorbit’s mission to connect physical play with digital community and competition, bridging nostalgia with innovation.
The seed funding enables Scorbit to expand its Ann Arbor-based team, complete its MVP, and advance R&D for new hardware, the Scorbit Console (B2B platform for venues), and expanded app features for payments, competitions, and global gameplay support. Jared Stasik of Detroit Venture Partners joins Scorbit’s board of directors, and Nathan Owen of Grand Ventures joins as board observer.
“This investment underscores what we’ve believed all along: Michigan is still one of the most inventive places on earth,” said Stasik. “Scorbit is transforming nostalgia into a modern, connected experience and putting the Midwest at the center of the next chapter in social gaming.”
“Scorbit’s platform is proving the massive opportunity in reimagining physical play for the digital era,” said Nathan Owen of Grand Ventures. “It’s not just about connecting machines, it’s about connecting people.”
Scorbit’s beta launch is already showing strong market validation. Since launch, inbound venue interest has surged by more than 500 percent, signaling growing demand from bars and arcades eager to reinvent the player experience through connected gameplay. The app launch also marked a clear inflection point in platform engagement, with double-digit growth in new users and gameplay activity across the network—early proof of strong product-market fit.
“We’re seeing incredible excitement from operators and players,” said Adelson. “Bars, arcades, and entertainment venues are looking for ways to bring people back together. Scorbit is giving them a platform to do that while unlocking new revenue and social experiences.”
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