Jackson Dahl opens up about the joy of building the 100 Thieves brand ahead of his departure

100 Thieves is undoubtedly a market leader when it comes to esports lifestyle brands. The organisation has an estimated net worth of $190 million and was founded only four years ago in 2017. Jackson Dahl, who was one of the 100 Thieves founding team, has announced his departure from the organisation. However, not before posting a very candid update on Medium entitled "Reflections on Building 100 Thieves".

Check out the full Medium Post: Reflections on Building 100 Thieves.

For those unaware of Jackson's role at 100 Thieves, Jackson Dahl was in charge of business development, in particular the organisation's apparel and entertainment business. In 2021 he was named in Forbes 30 Under 30.

Jackson Dahl had prior experience as an analyst for two venture capitalists firms, and met 100 Thieves' Matt "Nadeshot" Haag through a mutual friend Blake Robbins. Blake Robbins' current firm Ludlow Ventures was one of 100 Thieves original investors.

In his Medium post, Jackson Dahl is very direct about not knowing much about Nadeshot and being "concerned he would be all talk and little substance". However, despite his early scepticism, Jackson Dahl was convinced of Nadeshot's vision for his new org after having dinner together.

"After meeting him, it was profoundly clear to me that this wasn’t a side hustle for Matt. This was it. He had a vision to bring his audience on a journey with him, return to the competition that formed him, and establish a brand that was actually more substantial than 'Nadeshot'," said Jackson Dahl.

Jackson Dahl, who was only 23 at the time, went on to say that Nadeshot's vision to create something bigger than himself was a major factor in him joining the project.

"We didn’t know exactly how we’d do it, but Matt’s early ideas about building an apparel brand and working with entertainers alongside competitors made me realize this could be something special."

"I was fortunate to work with two incredible early-stage investors early in my career at Lowercase Capital: Chris Sacca and Matt Mazzeo. One of the most important things I learned from them was to bet where the deck is stacked in your favor — where you have unfair advantages. And most importantly, when the founder has that little extra special quality that makes you want to run after them."

Although not versed in the esports sphere when he joined the 100 Thieves project, Jackson was well aware of its potential. In a very insightful comment, Jackson pointed out the rather precarious approach by many teams when it comes to building their brand.

The overall vibe of the Medium post is one of love. In his closing statement Jackson Dahl said that what brought him the most pride was that 100 Thieves was bringing joy to their fanbase. "I think we’ve made a lot of people smile in the last four years," said Jackson Dahl. "And hopefully even helped them meet new friends or make the days a little easier."

"There may be easier, more lucrative, or maybe even more fun jobs," he added. "But there is no more fulfilling work to me than running in one direction and trying to make something new with the right group of people. That’s what I’ve taken away from this experience, more than anything else."

There are plenty more quotes and pictures to enjoy. I highly recommend taking a look at Jackson Dahl's Medium post to see them all. Alternatively check out our Gaming News section!