After Serena Williams, Gerard Piqué and Rio Ferdinand, also the French champion Kylian Mbappe joins the dream team of Sorarethe start-up that unites the logic of fantasy football with that of videogamesthe old mechanism of collecting stickers with the contemporaneity of the Nftdigital ownership certificates of intangible assets.
Specifically, it is based on virtual cards of limited or very limited edition champions, which can be bought, sold, deployed on the field to challenge other subscribers and win prizes using their skills as coaches. With a transparency bonus: as Nft, the cards are traceable at any timemaking full confidence in those who exchange them.
The formula was very popular with athletes, exceeding 2 million users. He has conquered the world of sport: Sorare has tightened links with 250 teams scattered among the Spanish LaLiga, the German Bundesliga, several noble clubs in our league, from Milan to Rome, from Juventus to Sampdoria, plus many others. Above all, it convinced investors: last year has arrived a Series B loan of $ 680 millionthe largest ever in Europe, which brought the French company’s valuation to $ 4.3 billion.
The partnership with Mbappé, who becomes ambassador, investor, partner for the social impact of the start-up, represents a further development resource: «We can say that we have grown together. Our foundation dates back to 2018, that year Kylian made himself known with an extraordinary performance against Argentina at the World Cup. From there, for both of them, it was a crescendo »he tells in video call to Panorama.itThibaut Predhomme, Sorare’s chief of staff. “We want to create together something special, extraordinary, consistent with our history and our philosophy”.
As already happened with the tennis legend Serena Williamswhich last January became a member of Sorare’s board of directors and has certainly increased the platform’s already high recognition rate, “Mbappé will use its channels to talk about us, tell the fans out there what we’re doing and what we intend to do. Both in football and in other sports. In addition, your contribution will be very useful for create connections full of meaning with various athletes ».
Let’s be clear, it’s not like hiring an influencer who acts as a sounding board or testimonial for a product. Sorare understands his agreements in a much more rounded way: «We are interested in the man behind the player. With Kylian we share the intent of impact the communityto give back something important ».
Thibaut Predhomme, Sorare’s chief of staff
The French champion has his own philanthropic enterprise, “Inspired by KMWhich does something much more practical than giving food or providing financial support to disadvantaged young people. It helps them to know and take advantage of the potential offered with intelligence from Web3 technology, the decentralized and participatory network thanks to the mechanisms of the blockchain. A practical, spendable insurance on their future. «This type of knowledge is fundamental» Predhomme comments a little: «Those who do not have them fall into the same pattern that occurred many years ago, when those who did not have access to the network were cut off. Through our product, we want to impact the lives of our fans. And, in the same way, we bring the idea of helping to get everyone aboard the train of new opportunities. IS Kylian’s message and ours too».
Sorare’s inspiration, according to that of the chief of staff, is interpret the present, reviewing some cornerstones of the past: «The collection of stickers» he underlines «is certainly nothing new, just as video games are not. Only that they both have a limit: Once the album is complete, there is not much left to do. While in a videogame you don’t have the feeling of owning what you are playing with “. The start-up has mixed planshas rewritten the rules by translating them into digital: «With technology we have increased something that even the most grown-up loved from an early age».
In the meantime, football is not a goal: while it wants to expand the number of teams and leagues available on the platform, Sorare will expand the number of sports in which it reproduces its winning formula. An intent that has not remained firm on paper: it dates back to just over a month ago the partnership with the MLB, the oldest American baseball league. An expansion of both areas and territory: “An opportunity for discovery also for the fans, who in the traditionally more exhausted months for football like the summer ones, can approach other disciplines”.
Other development trajectories see the enhancement of the mobile platform (“Alongside the product on the web, the community has embraced it with enthusiasm”), but also the desire to bring the virtual into reality: “We are so fascinated by the idea of organize physical experiencesbringing the athletes together with the fans ».
In the background, on the other hand, before the Nft, the incentives of gamification, the pleasure of exchanging bits of bits, sport remains. Social engine from its origins, even before social networks: «Fans have always found ways and places to meet and discuss with each other. New technologies have known increase this connection. If you pour gasoline on an already strong fire, something great is released. Sport has always been an industry of passion ».
