*By Jacqueline Corba*
The Chinese gaming firm Huya made its public market debut Friday, trading up as much as 41 percent from its IPO price of $12.
"We are very glad," said Huya's chief financial officer, Henry Sha, in an interview with Cheddar shortly after the company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. "The e-sports environment in the U.S. market is quite good. A lot of gamers, a lot of e-sports are enthusiastic here, so we believe that the U.S. investor, the U.S. market can understand more about our company."
Huya's live-gaming platform has an average of 40 million active monthly users on mobile. In 2017, revenue was $344 million.
Sha said China is the primary market for Huya, but there is great potential among gamers in the United States.
Huya aims to raise $165 million in its public offering, Sha said, with the intention of using the capital to invest in e-sports and content creators.
Chinese entertainment giant Tencent is the second-largest stakeholder in Huya, and will maintain its 39.5 percent ownership. "We are very excited about future collaboration with Tencent," said Sha.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/huya-soars-in-market-debut).
Disney has secured a patent for a digital world simulator for headset-free augmented reality expected to be accessible in parks by tracking smartphones and projecting personalized 3D displays, an indication that the entertainment giant is gearing up for its entry into the metaverse.
John Deere is getting on board the autonomous vehicle craze with its own self-driving tractors. The farming and forestry equipment manufacturer made the announcement at the 2022 CES convention in Las Vegas. Jahmy Hindman, chief technology officer at John Deere, spoke to Cheddar about the shift to self-driving to agriculture and how it will help farmers produce even more food as the world's population continues to grow. "It's all about trying to do more with less in farming," he said. "Labor's already a problem on the farm, and it's only getting to be more of a problem in the future. And we really view autonomy as a way to solve that problem."
It is 'game on' for sports bettors in the state of New York, as mobile betting kicks off on four major betting operating platforms this Saturday. The state, with over 20 million residents, will be the most populous state with legal online sports betting. Max Bichsel, VP of US Business for EmpireStakes.com joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Far too often, Americans are forced to navigate a tangled web of outdated government websites, offices way out of their reach, and hours of time 'on hold' to access the simple government services they depend on. A recent executive order, signed by President Biden, is intended to improve, streamline and modernize the 'customer' experience when accessing government services. Mina Hsiang, the administrator of the United States Digital Service, joins Cheddar News to discuss how the tech workforce is impacted by this executive order.
Cheddar has been following all things innovative, fascinating, and downright cool from CES 2022. Watch the full episode, hosted by Cheddar's Ken Buffa and Michelle Castillo.
