Fanatics is a designer, manufacturer, and distributor of fan gears and jerseys. It’s leading global digital platform features the largest selection of fan merchandise, NFT collectibles, iGaming, sports betting, trading cards, etc.
The funding round was led by Clearlake Capital Group LP. More than half of the money raised was from new investors such as LionTree LLC. Among other participants were existing investors – Silver Lake, SoftBank Group Corp., and Fidelity Management & Research Co. New capital will be used for strategic M&A with a goal for Fanatics to widen across divisions.
Fanatics, Florida, USA, was founded by Alan Trager, Michael G. Rubin, and Mitch Trager. As of now, Fanatics has exclusive licensing deals with the NHL, Major League Baseball, NFL, and NBA, as well as scores of universities and colleges. This year, the company acquired Topps trading cards. Fanatics employee team includes more than 8000 people in 40 offices around the world. Fanatics partners with Vineyard Vines, WEAR by Erin Andrews, Tommy Hilfiger, Darius Rucker, DKNY Sport, and others. The company is going to expand into new verticals such as gambling, gaming, trading cards, ticketing, media, etc.