Delane Parnell is the founder and CEO of PlayVS, the official high school esports company that's raised $96 million in funding, has 42 employees and is now looking to change the landscape of high school sports forever.
Parnell has been in love with video games for a large chunk of his life. They kept the Detroit-native off the streets, helped him bond with his siblings and appealed to his competitive nature. Today, Parnell is on a mission to give more kids a chance to experience the benefits of gaming.
We spoke to Parnell about his journey from a neighborhood where 55 percent of kids lived below the poverty line to start-up founder and where PlayVS is headed next.
Here are his seven steps to disrupting an industry: