Sorare: the mobile app and reward experiences are coming soon

So-rare, that is, so rare, as rare as… some football stickers. He mentions Panini many times Nicolas Julia, co-founder and CEO of Sorare, the startup – a French unicorn with a second headquarters in NY – which, just a few years after its birth in 2018, already boasts over 5 million subscribers-customers-players (there were 3 in January) and, among the investors, athletes of the caliber of Leo Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Serena Williams, who also sits on the board as a consultant. And not just lore, though Sorare is one of the fastest growing startups in Europe and recently raised a $680 million Series B funding round at a $4.3 billion valuation.

And the planetary success (present in 180 countries) of the 36-year-old French company originates from the mythological figurines of the historic Modena-based publisher, mixed with fantasy football and with the “boost” of blockchain technology and NFTs.

How Sorare works explains it well Emanuele Capone here and here. In practice, you sign up and receive football player cards (but not only that, there are also basketball and baseball among the sports available), with which you can build a team of 5 elements (with free and paid cards, depending on their rarity index: there are only 10 cards of some players…): defender goalkeeper, midfielder, attacker and winger. And make her participate in various online tournaments by challenging other players’ teams. A complex evaluation system, based on dozens of different metrics (successful passes, tackles, km travelled, as well as obviously goals, assists, saves, yellow or red cards, etc.) and on a proprietary algorithm, will decide the placement at the end of the tournament, with related prizes.

Which certainly has no intention of stopping there. “We want to be number one in fantasy sports,” she says.
And to do so, in addition to increasing the number of sports, “but not in the immediate future” says Julia (Hockey and tennis could be good candidates), organizations and clubs (there are currently 300, including the Premier League, La Liga , Bundesliga, Serie A with 14 teams, MLS, NBA), there are currently two guidelines: the development of a mobile app and the increase in real “experiences” as prizes. With the application, ready within the year, it will also be possible from the telephone what is now possible from a PC: buying and selling one’s cards, and involving fans with the game. On the rewards side, however, “we want to continue to create a bridge between the physical and digital worlds by offering experiences: for example, if you win a tournament you can fly away with Milan, or play against Zidane’s team”.

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The NFTs and the Fantamondials of Sorare, with Leo Messi as ambassador

by Emanuele Capone

10 November 2022