What does it take to forge successful partnerships in the fast-paced world of esports? This month, we spoke with Yufei Tong, GRID’s Head of Partnership Operations, to understand how he navigates the complexities of this evolving industry and ensures mutually beneficial collaborations. He offers a glimpse into the strategic and operational demands of his role and the importance of data-driven solutions.
1. What led you to specialize in partnership operations, and what excites you most about working with GRID’s partners in the esports ecosystem?
When it comes to partnership operations, you need to be passionate, patient, and clearly understand your partner’s needs to maximize a win-win situation for both parties. As Head of Partnerships Operations, I’m excited to ensure our collaborations are executed seamlessly. Ultimately, what drives me is the chance to contribute to the professionalization of esports data. By aligning GRID’s cutting-edge tools with our partners’ visions, we can collectively elevate the ecosystem, making it more engaging for fans and more sustainable for stakeholders. It’s about shaping the future of an industry I’m passionate about, one partnership at a time.
2. If you had to explain your role in Partnership Operations to someone outside the industry, how would you describe it in just three sentences?
The GRID partnership team acts as a bridge between GRID and our partners, ensuring smooth collaborations from day one. Our role is about turning great opportunities into reality so fans get better experiences and partners grow together in esports. From building up the collaboration to maintaining long-term mutually beneficial partnerships, our goal is to ensure our partners get the most value from GRID technology and our expertise in esports data.
3. Esports is an ever-evolving space—what’s the biggest challenge in ensuring smooth and successful partnerships in the fast-paced world of gaming and data?
The biggest challenge lies in balancing speed with precision. Esports moves at lightning speed—new games, formats, and fan expectations emerge constantly—and partners often want to capitalize on trends now. But successful partnerships require aligning GRID’s data infrastructure with each partner’s unique needs, which demands careful planning, technical integration, and clear communication. Our role is to act as both accelerator and stabilizer, enabling agility without cutting corners so partners can innovate confidently while ensuring every collaboration delivers measurable, long-term value.
4. Partnerships often require both strategic vision and operational execution. How do you balance long-term goals with the day-to-day needs of managing partnerships?
It starts with embedding the ‘why’ into the ‘how.’ We anchor every operational task — whether it’s resolving a partner’s technical issue or negotiating a contract — to GRID’s broader mission of revolutionizing esports through data. For example, a routine integration of GRID’s API isn’t just a checkbox; it’s a step toward empowering a league to deliver hyper-personalized fan experiences that align with our vision. Meanwhile, we prioritize flexibility as well. In esports, trends shift overnight — a new game launch or regulation change can upend priorities. By maintaining a ‘modular’ roadmap with clear KPIs, my team can pivot operations swiftly while keeping long-term goals intact. It’s about being a gardener: tending to daily needs while nurturing the seeds of tomorrow’s growth.
5. If you could teleport anywhere for a 24-hour break from work, where would you go and what would you do?
I might choose to teleport to a South Pacific island, lay in a recliner from morning until night, put my phone on airplane mode, prepare a cup of herbal tea, and read all day until sundown. Like traditional sports, esports have off-seasons and off-periods. In addition, GRID promotes flexibility and work-life balance. We don’t really need to be on our toes all year round throughout the year. There is plenty of time for rest and family time.
Look out for the next edition of Meet the Team!
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