Why We're Building Skillrift: The Platform Esport Coaches Deserve

Every esport coach I've talked to has the same story.

They started coaching because they loved the game. They were good at it — Diamond, Master, maybe Challenger. Friends asked for help. Then friends of friends. Eventually, someone offered to pay.

And that's when things got complicated.

Suddenly, they weren't just coaches. They were also accountants, schedulers, customer support reps, and content managers. They had to figure out invoicing, chase payments, manage a calendar, and keep track of dozens of conversations across Discord, Twitter, and email.

The passion that started it all? Buried under admin work.

That's the problem Skillrift exists to solve.

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The duct-tape reality of esport coaching

Let me paint you a picture of what coaching looks like today.

A typical coach uses:

• Discord for client communication
• Calendly or Google Calendar for bookings
• PayPal or Stripe for payments (manually invoiced)
• Google Drive for storing VODs and content
• A spreadsheet to track clients and sessions
• Twitter/X to find new clients
• Maybe Notion to keep it all organized

That's six or seven tools minimum — none of which were designed for coaching.

The result? Chaos that looks like organization.

Messages get lost. Payments fall through the cracks. Clients can't find their session links. Coaches spend more time managing tools than actually coaching.

And here's the worst part: this fragmentation makes coaches look unprofessional. A client's first impression shouldn't be "let me DM you on Discord, then check my Google Calendar, then send you a PayPal request."

It should be: "Here's my page. Pick a package. Book a time. Done."

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What we're building with Skillrift

Skillrift is the first platform built specifically for esport coaches. Not adapted from generic business tools. Built from scratch for how coaching actually works.

One page for everything

Your Skillrift page is your professional hub:

• Showcase your rank, achievements, and client reviews
• Display your packages and pricing clearly
• Let clients book sessions without back-and-forth
• Accept payments automatically

No more "DM for rates." No more scheduling ping-pong. Clients see what you offer, pick what they want, and book instantly.

Client management that makes sense

Track every client in one place:

• Session history and notes
• Gaming info (rank, role, champions/agents)
• Conversation threads
• Progress over time

When a client books their fifth session, you shouldn't have to dig through Discord to remember what you worked on last time.

Async VOD reviews built in

This is where Skillrift really shines.

Upload a gameplay video. Add timestamped comments. Draw directly on the screen — circles, arrows, annotations. Send it to your client.

They watch on their own time. No scheduling required. You can review VODs at 2am; they can watch at noon. Time zones don't matter.

For coaches, this means:

• More clients (you're not limited by live session hours)
• Better feedback (you can pause, rewind, think)
• Scalable income (async reviews take less time than live calls)

For players, this means:

• Flexible learning (watch when it's convenient)
• Replayable feedback (revisit the review anytime)
• Lower cost (async is cheaper than live)

Payments without the headache

Set up your packages once:

• One-time sessions
• Session packs (5 sessions for X price)
• Monthly subscriptions

Clients pay when they book. Money hits your account automatically. No invoicing. No chasing. No "hey, did you send the payment yet?"

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Why now?

Esport coaching has existed for years. Why hasn't anyone built this before?

Two reasons.

First, the market wasn't ready. Five years ago, esport coaching was niche. Most coaches were pros helping friends or semi-pros making side income. The idea of "professional esport coach" as a full-time career was rare.

That's changed. The esports industry hit $1.8 billion in 2025. Coaching has gone mainstream. Players at every level — from Bronze to Challenger — are willing to pay for improvement. The demand is there.

Second, the tools didn't exist. Building a platform like Skillrift requires modern infrastructure: real-time databases, video processing, payment integrations, calendar APIs. The technical stack to make this seamless simply wasn't accessible until recently.

Now it is. And we're building it.

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Who we're building for

Skillrift is for coaches who are serious about their business.

You might be:

• A high-elo player who coaches on the side and wants to scale
• A full-time coach who's tired of tool chaos
• A former pro transitioning to coaching
• A content creator who wants to add coaching as a revenue stream

If you've ever thought "there has to be a better way" — we're building that better way.

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What's coming

We're currently in development. Here's the roadmap:

Q1 2026 — Private Beta

• Public coach pages
• Package creation with Stripe
• Client management
• Basic booking

Q2 2026 — Public Launch

• Real-time messaging
• Async VOD review tool
• Calendar sync
• RIOT API integration for client tracking

Q3 2026 — Growth Features

• Coach marketplace
• Team coaching
• AI assistant
• Certifications

Early adopters will shape the product. If you join the beta, you're not just getting early access — you're getting a voice in what we build.

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Join the waitlist

Skillrift launches in private beta Q1 2026. Waitlist members get:

• Priority access before public launch
• Founding member pricing locked in forever
• Direct input on features and roadmap

We're not building this in a vacuum. We're building it with coaches, for coaches.

If you're ready to stop duct-taping your coaching business together, join the waitlist.

The future of esport coaching starts here.

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Questions about Skillrift? Find us on Twitter or join our Discord.