SteelSeries is a leading Danish gaming peripherals manufacturer founded in 2001 by Jacob Wolff-Petersen as Icemat (originally Soft Trading) in Copenhagen, Denmark, before rebranding to SteelSeries in 2007. The company emerged from Wolff-Petersen's passion as an avid Counter-Strike player who identified the need for better gaming surfaces, leading to the creation of the world's first glass mousepad, the Icemat, designed for maximum precision in gaming. In 2007, SteelSeries recruited Bruce Hawver, who previously had success growing Motorola's accessory division, as CEO, driving tremendous growth through portfolio expansion, channel development, the SteelSeries Engine platform creation, and extensive esports partnerships. The company pioneered several gaming firsts, including the world's first gaming headset, the Siberia, in 2004, and developed iconic gaming mice like the Ikari, Kana, and Sensei in collaboration with professional esports players. SteelSeries manufactures comprehensive gaming peripherals including headsets, keyboards, mice, controllers, and mousepads, with global teams across Copenhagen, Chicago, Atlanta, Lille, and Taipei. The company was acquired by GN Store Nord in 2021, having raised $37.2M in funding with a valuation of $417M. SteelSeries maintains market leadership with esports professionals winning more prize money using their products than any other brand, positioning them at the forefront of gaming hardware innovation and esports culture.