Fanatics is a vertically integrated sports commerce company that designs, manufactures and distributes licensed apparel, trading cards, collectibles and fan merchandise. The company also operates sports-betting and digital experiences that connect fans to teams and athletes. Fanatics controls licensing agreements, direct-to-fan retail, event retail and collectibles production, enabling fast turnaround on trendy merchandise. Its integrated model blends manufacturing, e-commerce, retail partnerships and media to deliver official products and fan experiences globally.
What Is Fanatics and What Does It Do?
Fanatics, founded in 2011 by Michael Rubin, Brent Trager and Alan Trager, is a New York City–based (United States) sports tech, licensed merchandise and e-commerce company that sells official team apparel, memorabilia, trading cards and operates betting platforms.
Fanatics employs 1,001-5,000 people. The company vertically integrates licensing, manufacturing and distribution to bring official merchandise quickly to fans worldwide. Fanatics’ strategy extends into digital collectibles, authenticated memorabilia and betting products creating a full-funnel fan commerce ecosystem that monetizes fandom at scale.
How Much Funding Has Fanatics Raised?
1. Series E
- Amount Raised: $700M
- Date: October 24, 2022
- Lead Investors: Clearlake, LionTree, Fidelity, Silver Lake, SoftBank Vision Fund
- Motivation: Accelerate global expansion, collectibles and betting offerings.
2. Series E (earlier tranche)
- Amount Raised: $1.54B
- Date: December 15, 2021
- Lead Investors: Fidelity, BlackRock, MSD Capital, SoftBank Vision Fund
- Motivation: Scale licensing and trading-card verticals.
3. Series D
- Amount Raised: $325M
- Date: August 10, 2021
- Lead Investors: RocNation, Silver Lake, MLB (strategic)
- Motivation: Platform growth and strategic partnerships.
Total Funding Raised: $4.85B
Current Valuation: $31B (as of December 2022)
Latest Funding Date: October 2022
Key Investors
1. Silver Lake
- Details: Global tech-focused private equity firm backing digital platforms.
- Investment Focus Areas: Consumer commerce, platforms, marketplaces.
- Notable Investments: Airbnb, Alibaba (partial), Silver Lake portfolio companies.
2. Fidelity Investments
- Details: Large institutional investor participating across growth financings.
- Investment Focus Areas: Consumer brands, tech, finance.
- Notable Investments: Uber, Peloton, SpaceX.
3. SoftBank Vision Fund / Clearlake
- Details: Large scale growth capital and PE partners supporting international expansion.
- Investment Focus Areas: High-growth consumer and platform businesses.
Where Is Fanatics’ Headquarters?
Fanatics is headquartered in New York City, United States, giving it proximity to major sports leagues, teams and commercial partners.
What’s Next for Fanatics?
Fanatics will continue expanding collectibles production, deepen sports-betting and iGaming offerings where regulated, and pursue global licensing to convert fandom into multi-channel commerce while scaling authenticated memorabilia and digital product lines.
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