EP17 - Unicorn Files - Sorare: The Digital Revolution of Sports and Collecting

From Panini sticker albums to multimillion-dollar NFTs: the story of Sorare, a French startup that united soccer, collecting and blockchain in a global fantasy game. Founded in Paris in 2018 by Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort, Sorare managed the feat of bringing millions of soccer fans into the world of digital assets without them even noticing.

The product is a fantasy football game where player cards are NFTs on blockchain: you can buy them, sell them, use them in weekly competitions. Real players' performances determine game scores, and rare cards of top players are traded for tens of thousands of euros. The key element is the agreement with over 300 clubs and leagues — including LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLB and NBA — which gives the cards official license value, turning an NFT from speculation to sports asset.

Sorare reached a $4.3 billion valuation with a round from SoftBank, making it Europe's first NFT unicorn. In this episode we analyze the partnership strategy with clubs, the balance between gaming and speculation, regulatory challenges related to NFT classification in Europe, and the pivot toward NBA and American baseball. You'll learn how Nicolas Julia and Adrien Montfort transformed a popular passion into financial infrastructure for global sports.

• 💡 Fondere passione popolare e tecnologia emergente è una leva potente.
• 💡 Gli asset digitali hanno valore se restano di proprietà dell’utente.
• 💡 Le grandi ambizioni richiedono un approccio globale dal day one.