The French nugget Sorare accumulates the blows of brilliance. After signing the biggest fundraiser in the history of French Tech in 2021, the French fantasy football start-up, which relies on NFT technology, has recruited tennis player Serena Williams as an advisor to its board of directors. A "strategic" collaboration in several respects for the company which, after football, wants to replicate its winning tactics on other sports, especially women's sports.
“
Serena Williams is a legend, she is an ideal partner for our ambition to develop in other disciplines. It will help us reflect on how to develop the Sorare brand, which is today associated with football, other sports and otherother territories
explains Thibaut Predhomme, Director of Operations at Sorare.
Sorare is counting on her to help her accelerate her growth in these markets.
Athlete, creator and investor
Serena Williams will also advise the young French company on how best to develop its relationships with athletes around the world, as well as future impact initiatives to make Web3 more inclusive and diverse.
The athlete is already known for her qualities as an entrepreneur, brand creator and investor.
In 2014, she launched an investment fund Serena Ventures, which invested in around 40 seed-stage companies.
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Together, we will forge new ways for fans to engage with their favorite athletes.
says Nicolas Julia, CEO of Sorare.
"
We don't set any limits to the framework of our collaboration with her
," adds Thibaut Predhomme.
Revenue multiplied by 40 in 2021
Since its creation in 2018 by Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort, Sorare has experienced remarkable hypergrowth, particularly in the American market. Profitable from 2019, it claims a turnover of 325 million dollars in 2021, or 40 times its 2020 income (8 million dollars). She opened an office in New York. With the ambition pegged from the start to become "
the leader in entertainment in the world of sport
", Sorare thinks that he can now reach the billion dollar mark in the near future. Among its priorities for 2022: identifying the most obvious sports in which to replicate the Sorare strategy, continuing to forge partnerships with the greatest number of football leagues and releasing a mobile application, in order to be able to engage fans even more.
In December 2021, the game crossed one million user accounts and had 260,000 active players per month in 180 countries.
Sorare already works with 230 sports organizations - including La Liga, Real Madrid, etc. - which gives it license to create player cards in the form of NFTs, these certificates of authenticity based on blockchain technology. The clubs allow the start-up to use official player photos and logos on digital cards for a commission on sales.
By mixing online gaming and the possibility of investing, its economic model appeals both to football fans who find it a new way to connect with the clubs and players they love and to new speculators, in a market of NFT in full swing.
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NFTs have the potential to be a powerful tool to bring equity and investment to women's sport.
Sorare teams understand the relationship between athletes and fans like no one else in their industry.
“said Serena Williams for her part.