IDL Raises $7M Seed Round Led by Elysian Park Ventures to Launch the First Global Professional Dance League

Funding accelerates the creation of the next generation of global sport and entertainment ahead of IDL’s 2026 debut season

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, November 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- IDL (International Dance League), the first global professional sports league for dance, today announced the close of a $7 million Seed round led by Elysian Park Ventures, the private investment arm of the Los Angeles Dodgers ownership group.

Additional investors include KB Partners and Apex Group along with angel investors Nick Tran (President of CÎROC and Lobos 1707; former CMO at TikTok), Tammy Henault (former CMO at NBA), and Taryn Crouthers (CEO of SPCSHP, former President of ATTN).

The funding will accelerate the buildout of IDL’s core technology and event production infrastructure, which powers the league’s global ecosystem and live competition experience. It will also support team operations and logistics for the inaugural 2026 season, which kicks off in March with six large-scale events across six major international cities.

Dance is one of the world’s most-watched and most-practiced disciplines, yet it has never had a professional league structure. IDL fills that gap by bringing the best dance teams together to compete as professional organizations, with contracts and global fanbases, just like traditional sports.

“For decades, dance has shaped music, fashion, and youth culture, but dancers have never had the infrastructure to thrive as professional competition dancers. IDL changes that,” says IDL Founder & CEO Connor Lim. “This funding lets us build a league where the world’s best can compete and be seen on the biggest stages.”

From the founders of STEEZY, the world’s leading digital dance platform, IDL marks their second venture advancing the dance industry, this time building a professional league designed for global competition, live events, and media scale.

“IDL is the most entertaining new sports property we’ve seen in a very long time. Their events are already cultural phenomena, both IRL and online, and their audience is young, global, and digital native,” says Pete Vlastelica of Elysian Park Ventures. “Dance as a sport is going to capture the imagination of the entire world, and the fantastic team at IDL are going to lead the way.”

Steve Ahern of KB Partners adds, “KB Partners invests where sports, culture and technology converge, and IDL embodies that intersection. The IDL team is creating more than a new competition format - they're building a youth-to-professional pathway and global community around one of the world's most passionate participant groups.”

“At APEX we believe every sport should have a bottom and top of the pyramid,” says Koen Bosma of APEX. “The cultural relevance and that it truly means something in every culture, deserves a professional platform where unique talent will be showcased globally. This is why we invested in IDL and are proudly backing Connor and Evan in achieving this mission.”

The investment will accelerate the buildout of IDL’s core technology and event production infrastructure, which powers the league’s global ecosystem and live competition experience. In its first year, IDL will prioritize high-impact events while laying the foundation for media rights, team development, and league operations across domestic and international markets, leading into the inaugural 2026 season that kicks off in March across six major cities worldwide.

About IDL™ (International Dance League)
IDL is a global professional league transforming dance into a global sport. Founded by the creators of STEEZY, IDL unites elite teams from around the world under a structured season with contracts, major prizes, and championships. Combining the rigor of professional sport with the spectacle of live entertainment, IDL is redefining what competition looks like for a new generation.
Website: https://www.idl.pro/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/idl.co/

IDL Contact:
Andrea Chen
Head of Marketing
IDL
andrea@idl.pro

Media Contact:
RAGDOLL PR
info@radgdollpr.com

Sydney Kuhn
RAGDOLL PR
sydney@ragdollpr.com

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.