Tom Brady makes crypto play with NFT startup Autograph

Future. Tom Brady’s NFT startup Autograph is stepping up its game. Fresh off a Series B raise and several key partnerships, the platform is finding its footing in the lucrative market of sports NFTs. With Autograph’s success, more elite athletes are becoming inspired to start making crypto plays of their own.

Busy Brady

Tom Brady’s been back and forth on whether he wants to retire or not, but the one thing he seems sure about are NFTs.

• Brady co-founded the NFT platform last year in August 2021 and, in a round led by a16z, raised $170 million in early January.
• Autograph most recently inked a lucrative multi-year deal to mint ESPN’s first NFT collection.
• Autograph has also made moves to ensure accessibility. It worked with DraftKings to allow credit card purchases (instead of just crypto) and is much more affordable than other marketplaces ($12 vs. $1,200).

Brady’s been quite the entrepreneur these past several months. Besides locking down deals left and right for Autograph, he launched a clothing line and even tapped into the streaming wars.

Shoot the gap

Sports memorabilia has surged in popularity with the nascent NFT boom. According to a recent report from Deloitte, up to 5 million sports fans are projected to purchase (or get gifted) an NFT this year, generating up to $2 billion. It’s a crowded market too — everyone from Dapper Labs to DraftKings have made aggressive forays into the space.

But Brady is insistent that Autograph can distinguish itself from the crowd; each of the platform’s NFTs are individually signed by celebs. “We’re going to create the most unique NFT experience in the world,” said Brady in an interview.