Fanatics Trading Cards Receive $14.4 Billion Valuation

Fanatics Trading Cards latest Series A funding round has raised US$350 million (AUD$485 million), leading to a valuation of US$10.4 billion (AUD$14.4 billion).

Reports suggest private equity companies, Silver Lake, Insight Partners, and Endeavor led the funding round, which comes after Fanatics engaged in trading card partnerships across the NBA, MLB, and NFL Players Association (NFLPA).

These partnerships will see Fanatics distribute trading cards for major sporting leagues across the US when the deals begin.

After a number of earlier rounds of funding throughout the year, reports emerged Fanatics was aiming to cover more than just trading cards, with the company targeting digital collectibles, sports betting, gaming, retail, and media operations.

The company also holds a controlling 80%, with investors, partnered leagues and players associations owning the remaining 20%.

According to Reuters, the latest funding round has boosted the leagues and players associations stakes by about US$1.4 billion (AUD$2 billion).

Fanatics Trading Cards is part of the parent company, Fanatics, which is supported by SoftBank Group and recently received a valuation of US$18 billion (AUD$ billion) as part of its latest funding round.

Fanatics holds licensing agreements with the NFL and NASCAR in the US, along with a number of high-profile English Premier League clubs, selling products of over 300 clubs and brands around the world.

The latest funding round for Fanatics Trading Cards also revealed StockX co-founder, Josh Luber, will join the company as a co-founder and chief vision officer.