Envy Gaming was originally founded by Tosh "Stainville" Mcgruder and Skyler "Foreplayy" Johnson as a professional team in 2007, known as Team EnVyUs. The team brought on Mike "Hastr0" Rufail in 2009 as a team member; Rufail would eventually become the team's owner. Envy Gaming, LLC was officially established in North Carolina on October 31, 2012. The company was officially incorporated on May 25, 2016 as Envy Gaming, Inc.
2017–present
After a reportedly million investment from Hersh Interactive Group in September 2017, Envy Gaming relocated their headquarters from Charlotte, North Carolina to Dallas, Texas. The deal also allowed Envy to purchase the Dallas-based Overwatch League franchise spot for an estimated million, making them one of twelve teams competing in the league's inaugural season. Envy Gaming filled the roster by transferring all of the members and staff from the Overwatch team of Team EnVyUs, which officially ended EnVyUs' Overwatch division. On October 5, 2017, the Dallas-based franchise name was revealed as the Dallas Fuel. On June 28, 2018, Envy Gaming hired former COO for the Circuit of the Americas and EVP of sales and marketing for the Dallas StarsGeoff Moore as its first President and COO. Envy established their second franchised team in May 2019 with the purchase of a slot for Activision's Call of Duty League for a reported million. The team's name, Dallas Empire, and branding were revealed on October 19 and chosen as a callback to the organization's roots. In October 2019, Envy Gaming established their headquarters and training facility at Victory Park in Dallas. The will include space dedicated to team training, content creation, player development, and wellness training.
Investors
Envy Gaming acquired several investors in 2017. In March, it was revealed that prior to becoming chief business officer of Team Envy, John Brock had invested a seven-figure sum into the team. Months later, in September, Team Envy owner Mike Rufail confirmed that the organization had secured a reportedly million investment from Hersh Interactive Group. The deal entailed Hersh serving as strategic partners to the organization, whilst Rufail would remain as the principal owner and operator of the team. Two months later, World Series of PokerHigh Roller winner Fedor Holz invested in Envy Gaming to become a minority owner. In July 2018, Preston Arsement, known as the YouTube personality PrestonPlayz, joined Envy Gaming as an investor and content creator. In January 2019, Envy announced it had raised million in external capital; they did not reveal the identity of the investors and only described them as "a mix of prominent local investors and Texas families, as well as a select set of national investors."
