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On the back of key player signings ahead of the upcoming Major League Cricket season, San Francisco Unicorns have made a splash off-field after announcing a slew of investors, including Adobe chief executive Shantanu Narayen, YouTube boss Neal Mohan and actor Kunal Nayyar.
Embracing its Silicon Valley identity, the Unicorns' investor group also includes WhatsApp chief business officer Neeraj Arora, Iconiq Capital chief executive Divesh Makan and Dropbox chief technology officer Aditya Agarwal among others.
The Unicorns are the latest partnership between co-owners Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan. They were founding partners of early ecommerce company Junglee, which was acquired by Amazon in 1998 for $250 million.
They also later founded Kosmix, which was acquired by Walmart and were early investors in Facebook.
"This world-class group of investors brings deep strategic expertise and a shared vision for growing the game of cricket in the Bay Area and across the United States," Rajaraman said.
"With their support, we're building a team that reflects the global spirit of the sport and the innovation-driven culture of the Bay Area."
They've also tapped into Hollywood with British-born Indian actor and producer Kunal Nayyar, who became world famous for his role as Raj Koothrappali on The Big Bang Theory, is also part of the Unicorns' investor group.
"Growing up in New Delhi, cricket has always been close to my heart. It's a game that unites people across cultures and continents," Nayyar said.
"I'm proud to support the San Francisco Unicorns as they help bring world-class cricket to the U.S. and inspire a new generation of fans."
It's been a heady period for Unicorns, who finished runners-up in last year's second edition, as they prepare for the season launch against defending champions Washington Freedom on June 12 at the iconic Oakland Coliseum.
There will be nine matches played in Oakland from June 12-18 before the 34-game, monthlong tournament shifts to Dallas, with its former baseball stadium in Grand Prairie becoming the hub of American cricket, and then Broward County in Florida.
Currently a one-season arrangement, the games in the East Bay looms as a trial run for the Coliseum with the ballpark recently purchased by African American Sports and Entertainment Group, an Oakland-based group of developers and investors.
The Unicorns also recently announced Qualys, a leading provider of cloud-based IT, security, and compliance solutions, as its major partner.
Qualys will have its logo take prime position on the front of the Unicorns' match and training jerseys. It is the Unicorns' most significant commercial partnership to date.
Unicorns' bid for a first-ever MLC title was boosted by the signings of rising Australian international cricketers Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett, who will both make their debuts in the well-heeled American T20 competition.