Greg Selkoe went from getting expelled in 5th grade to launching a $130 million e-commerce company at just 25. After stepping down as president of another huge esports organization, Greg’s focus turned to gaming culture. His new company, XSET, is a revolutionary gaming lifestyle and media brand. We wanted to know how Greg did it.
When we met Greg via video call, he was already on his feet. Greg sat down quickly in a gaming chair. “Let’s get this thing started,” he said, with surprising energy for a busy CEO taking a morning interview. Behind him was a high-rise window showing the Boston skyline–the city where he was born, raised, and launched his companies.
Greg’s t-shirt and energetic voice gave him the casual style of a Hollywood agent, or maybe a 90’s hip-hop producer (also an interest of his). A pleasant surprise, considering that Greg is a Harvard MBA who recently secured $15 million in funding. Here’s how he did it.
The Karmaloop Days
Greg’s entrepreneurial journey didn’t begin in gaming—it started with Karmaloop, an online retailer that defined streetwear culture in the early 2000s. He started the company in his family’s basement at just 25, maxing out his credit cards just to get Karmaloop off the ground. But the risk paid off.
“We grew Karmaloop to over a billion dollars in lifetime revenue,” Greg recalls, “but my passion for culture always kept me looking for new ways to innovate.”
After Karmaloop, Greg co-founded Wanderset, which later merged with FaZe Clan, one of the most prominent names in eSports and gaming. FaZe Clan helped turn gamers into the superstar influencers we know them as today–the kind that Greg is working with at XSET. With FaZe Clan, Greg got a firsthand look at how deeply intertwined gaming and lifestyle had become.
“At FaZe, we saw the rise of gaming as not just entertainment, but a lifestyle. But even then, I realized there wasn’t a true gaming lifestyle media brand out there,” he explains. This insight led to the birth of XSET, a brand focused not on gaming itself, but gaming’s intersection with fashion, music, sports, and culture. In short, everything that comes along with being a gamer.
The Birth of XSET: Solving a Gap in the Market
The gaming industry is beyond massive. At $200 billion, gaming is larger than film, music, and TV combined. But even with 3 billion gamers around the globe, there was still no lifestyle company for gamers. While plenty of brands offered gamers technical information and products, there was no lifestyle movement to connect to gamer culture. Until XSET came along.
Greg saw this as an opportunity to connect with an unmet lifestyle after his success with streetwear brands like KarmaLoop and FaZe Clan. “There are 3 billion gamers worldwide, and 45% of them are women,” Selkoe says. “But no one was speaking to them in the way we are.”
Founded in 2020, XSET was born out of Greg’s desire to merge the worlds of pop culture and gaming. “Gaming isn’t just about playing—it’s a culture, much like skateboarding or hip-hop was in the early days. But there wasn’t a media brand that truly captured that lifestyle.”
While XSET has certainly made a big splash in eSports after winning the EWC tournament, their focus is not on eSports–it’s the gamer lifestyle. From creating popular gaming clothes to curating gaming events with some of the most exciting gamers like Clix, XSET is connecting gamers in-game and IRL.
“If you look at sports, there are lifestyle media brands like Bleacher Report, Barstool Sports, or Overtime—but there wasn’t an equivalent in gaming. That’s the gap we’re filling,” Greg explains.XSET has already partnered with major names like McDonald’s, PepsiCo, Nike, and Samsung, integrating these brands into gaming culture in authentic ways. “We’re not just selling products,” Greg says. “we’re shaping gaming culture.”
Building a Team of Culture Creators
How does XSET change culture, specifically? Right now that means signing content creators, dominating eSports with their own teams, and designing gaming lifestyle merch. The key to all of the above is the creators.
Thankfully, Greg’s no stranger to working with gaming creators after his time at FaZe Clan. And he’s not stopping at gamers. Besides Clix, XSET has partnered with gamer Avori, NFL player Ezekiel Elliot, singer Ozuna, and many more. Quite the diverse roster. He’s even signed a life coach and a robot named Sophia.
While Greg is proud of the brand XSET has built, he’s even most proud of the team behind it. “In Y Combinator, they tell you to invest in a company for three reasons: team, team, and team,” Greg recalls. “At XSET, we’ve built an incredible group of people, from former CEOs of Lacoste and Diesel to our CMO, who worked with Steph Curry and Kevin Hart.
“XSET’s unique mix of talent doesn’t stop there. Celebrities and athletes like Lil Wayne, Swae Lee, and DeAndre Ayton are not just partners—they’re integral to the brand’s gaming lifestyle vision. “When we work with athletes and musicians, it’s not just about endorsements. They’re actively creating content with us and living the gaming culture,” Greg says. He repeated “Team, team” at several points in the interview. Network didn’t only play a huge role in Greg’s success but also helped make a splash amongst gamers.
Challenges Building During a Pandemic
Starting XSET during the global pandemic was obviously not easy. “It was challenging to build a company when everyone was remote, and the fundraising market was tough,” Greg admits. “But the strength of our vision and our ability to resonate with the gaming community helped us raise the capital we needed.”
The hardest part, Greg explains, was figuring out what worked and what didn’t. “We had to learn by doing. Some areas didn’t pan out, but that’s part of the process. We’ve honed our model now, and with the next round of funding, we’re focusing on the high-margin, high-revenue areas.”
Gaming Lifestyle over eSports
One of the key differentiators for XSET is its focus on gaming lifestyle rather than pure eSports. While many brands have gone all-in on competitive gaming, Greg sees a much broader market in the cultural aspect of gaming. “Only a small percentage of the 3 billion gamers are into competitive eSports,” Greg explains. “We’re about 95% lifestyle and 5% eSports. That’s the sweet spot for us.”
This approach has led XSET to dominate in games like Fortnite, which Greg calls a cultural phenomenon. “Fortnite taps into pop culture in a way that no other game does. From collaborations with the NFL to Marvel, it’s constantly evolving and surprising players with events like concerts. It’s the perfect fit for our brand,” he says.
Creating Culture and Building Relationships
At the heart of XSET’s success is the brand’s ability to build relationships and immerse itself in culture. “Whether it’s working with brands or partnering with celebrities, it’s all about creating authentic experiences,” Greg says. One example of this is XSET’s groundbreaking partnerships, like gaming activations at events like Rolling Loud, where hip-hop artists, gamers, and fans come together.
“We’re also about pushing boundaries,” Greg notes. “We were the first organization to sign a robot, Sophia, and we signed T Grizzley in the virtual world of GTA—not in real life.”
The Future of XSET: From Digital Skins to Influencer Product Lines
Greg has big plans for XSET, in and out of the game. “We’re going to launch a digital skin in a major game soon, which is huge because skins are a multi-billion-dollar industry,” he says. But that’s not all—XSET is also developing consumer products with some of its biggest stars, following in the footsteps of Jake Paul’s Prime or Mr. Beast’s Feastables.
“In five years, I see XSET as a globally recognized media brand with multiple content series on platforms like Netflix and YouTube, and a robust CPG division producing products tied to our influencers and gamers,” Greg says.
The Next Big Thing in Gaming Culture
When asked to sum up what XSET stands for in a few seconds, Greg says simply, “XSET is the dominant gaming lifestyle media brand, creating content, products, and events for a new generation of gamers.”
As XSET continues to grow, Greg remains laser-focused on building a brand that resonates with gamers and culture alike. “We’re not just in gaming,” Greg says. “We’re shaping the future of it.” For more updates on XSET, follow them on social media and stay tuned for their next big move—whether it’s in gaming, fashion, or culture, XSET is just getting started.
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