Fanatics Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors

Fanatics was acquired by Kynetic in June 2011.

Fanatics acquisition price

Undisclosed

Acquired by Kynetic · Jun 2011

Fanatics revenue

$3.5B

Undisclosed stage · Dec 2022

Cumulative funding Fanatics raised

$4.8B

across 9 funding rounds

Key investors in Fanatics

  • Fidelity
  • Silver Lake
  • Major League Baseball
  • SoftBank Group
  • Insight Partners
  • Thrive Capital

Fanatics Overview

About Fanatics

Fanatics is an American sports commerce and entertainment company headquartered in New York City that sells licensed sports merchandise, trading cards and collectibles, and runs sports betting, events and media businesses. Its Fanatics Commerce division designs, makes and sells fan apparel and equipment online and through retail partners for professional leagues, clubs and colleges, holds long-term deals with Nike, the NFL and MLB, and since 2024 has been the exclusive jersey supplier for every NHL team; it owns Hat World and Mitchell & Ness. Fanatics Collectibles owns Topps, bought in 2022 for $500 million, and has a FIFA trading-card licence from 2031. Fanatics Betting & Gaming operates Fanatics Sportsbook, built on PointsBet's US business acquired from 2023, and Fanatics Casino, launched in May 2025, while Fanatics Markets, a prediction market run with Crypto.com, launched in December 2025; Fanatics Events stages the Fanatics Fest convention. The company in its current form dates from 2011, when Michael Rubin sold GSI Commerce to eBay for $2.4 billion and bought back its sports e-commerce business, which grew out of the Football Fanatics store opened in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1995. Investors including SoftBank, Silver Lake and the major US leagues have funded it, and a December 2022 round reportedly valued it at $31 billion. It employs about 22,000 people, with Rubin as chief executive.


Founded

2011

HQ

United StatesNew York City, NY

Status

Acquired

Customer focus

B2C

Revenue model

Product sales

Revenue

$3.5B (Dec 2022)

Valuation

$31B (Dec 2022)

Fanatics Acquisition

Fanatics was acquired by Kynetic for an undisclosed price on 17 June 2011.

Before the acquisition Fanatics had raised $4.8B across 9 funding rounds.

On 17 June 2011, at the closing of eBay's $2.4 billion acquisition of GSI Commerce, eBay divested 100% of GSI's licensed sports merchandise business, which had been combined with Fanatics after GSI bought it in March 2011, together with 70% of ShopRunner and Rue La La, to a newly formed holding company led by GSI founder and former chief executive Michael Rubin. The holding company, later named Kynetic, was financed with a $467 million loan from eBay and $31 million of cash invested by Rubin; eBay kept the GSI marketplace-services platform it wanted to compete with Amazon and retained 30% of Rue La La and ShopRunner. No separate price was disclosed for the Fanatics business. The transaction returned Fanatics to Rubin's control and established it as an independent company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, selling licensed apparel and merchandise for the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and hundreds of colleges through its own sites and partner stores, on a run-rate of several hundred million dollars of annual revenue at the time. Fanatics went on to raise $150 million from Insight and Andreessen Horowitz in 2012 and to become the dominant licensed sports merchandise platform.

Fanatics acquisition details
AcquirerDateType
  • Kynetic
17 Jun 2011Strategic M&A

Sources: ebayinc.com, techcrunch.com, sec.gov

Fanatics Valuation

Fanatics is currently valued at $31B, based on its undisclosed-stage round in December 2022. Read the announcement ↗

The $700M round was led by Clearlake Capital, with participation from Silver Lake, Fidelity, SoftBank Group and LionTree.

Fanatics' valuation has grown 21x from $1.5B at its undisclosed-stage round in June 2012 to $31B in December 2022, across 8 priced rounds.

Fanatics valuation by funding round

Revenue multiple
Fanatics valuation by funding round
DateStageValuationRevenue Multiple
Dec 2022Undisclosed stage$31B8.9x
Mar 2022Undisclosed stage$27B5.4x
Aug 2021Undisclosed stage$18B5.1x
Mar 2021Undisclosed stage$13B4.3x
Aug 2020Series E$6.2B-
Sep 2017Series D$4.5B-
Jun 2013Undisclosed stage$3.1B-
Jun 2012Undisclosed stage$1.5B1.5x

Fanatics Revenue

Fanatics' latest recorded revenue is $3.5B, as of its undisclosed-stage round in December 2022. At a $31B valuation, that implies a 8.9x revenue multiple.

Revenue grew from $1B in June 2012 to $3.5B in December 2022, while the revenue multiple moved from 1.5x to 8.9x.

Fanatics revenue by funding round

Fanatics revenue and valuation multiple by funding round
DateRevenue *ValuationRevenue MultipleStage
Dec 2022$3.5B$31B8.9xUndisclosed stage
Mar 2022$5B$27B5.4xUndisclosed stage
Aug 2021$3.5B$18B5.1xUndisclosed stage
Mar 2021$3B$13B4.3xUndisclosed stage
Jun 2012$1B$1.5B1.5xUndisclosed stage

* Revenue (or ARR) figures are the values recorded alongside each funding round. Typically run-rate revenue at the time of the deal, or a reported LTM (last 12 months) revenue.

Fanatics Funding History

Fanatics has raised a total of $4.8B across 9 funding rounds.

Fanatics' first fundraising round was a $150M undisclosed-stage round in June 2012. The most recent completed round was a $700M undisclosed-stage round in December 2022.

Fanatics funding rounds

Fanatics funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedValuationDeal Summary
Dec 2022Undisclosed stageClearlake Capital (lead); Silver Lake; Fidelity; SoftBank Group; LionTree$700M$31BFanatics, a sports merchandising company expanding into betting and gaming, raised $700 million in a Series I funding round around December 6, 2022, led by Clearlake Capital with participation from Fidelity, LionTree, Silver Lake, and SoftBank Vision Fund. The investment, primarily in common stock, valued the company at $31 billion post-money and was earmarked for strategic M&A to support growth across divisions rather than operations. This followed a March 2022 raise of $1.5 billion at $27 billion valuation. New investors Clearlake and LionTree provided about two-thirds of the capital, with prior backers continuing support. Funds aim to accelerate global expansion, collectibles, and sports betting launches.
Mar 2022Undisclosed stageNational Football League (lead); Major League Baseball; Fidelity; DFO Management; Blue Pool Capital; Qatar Investment Authority; BlackRock; Major League Baseball Players Association; NHL; NFL Players Association$1.5B$27BFanatics, a sports merchandising giant evolving into a digital sports platform, raised $1.5 billion in a funding round closing around February 2022, led by the National Football League with participation from BlackRock, Fidelity, MLB, MLBPA, NFLPA, NHL, Qatar Investment Authority, and others. The round valued the company at $27 billion post-money, up 50% from its prior $18 billion valuation, with leagues and players' associations owning about 10% afterward. Fanatics projected $5 billion in revenue for 2022, a significant jump from $2.2 billion in 2017. The company operates in commerce (apparel and merchandise), collectibles (including Topps acquisition), NFTs via Candy Digital, and betting/gaming. This round supported expansion beyond core merchandising. Later rounds included a December 2022 $700 million raise at $31 billion valuation. Revenue grew to an estimated $3.5 billion in 2021 and $7 billion in 2023.
Aug 2021Undisclosed stageMajor League Baseball; Silver Lake; SoftBank Group; TWG Sports Media & Entertainment; Eldridge Industries; Insight Partners; Roc Nation$325M$18BFanatics, a leading digital sports platform specializing in e-commerce for sports merchandise, secured a $325 million Series G funding round on August 10, 2021, from investors including Eldridge Industries, Insight Partners, Major League Baseball, Roc Nation, Silver Lake, SoftBank Vision Fund, and TWG Sports Media & Entertainment. The round valued the company at $18 billion post-money, reflecting a 40.6% increase from its March 2021 valuation and supporting expansion into new sectors like ticketing, media, NFTs, gaming, and sports betting. The company reported $3.5 billion in revenue for FY 2021 from its commerce business, achieving a 5.14x revenue multiple at the $18 billion valuation. Fanatics has aggressively pursued licensing deals with major leagues like NFL and MLB, which also invested in prior rounds, and expanded internationally while acquiring brands to scale its verticalized e-commerce model. Post-round, Fanatics continued rapid growth, with subsequent rounds in March 2022 ($1.5B at $27B valuation) and December 2022 ($700M at $31B valuation) funding strategic M&A, sports betting launch, and collectibles. By 2023, revenue was projected at $8 billion, building on a fan database exceeding 94 million and partnerships like Nike for college apparel and Tokyo Giants.
Mar 2021Undisclosed stageBlackstone (lead); Franklin Templeton (lead); Major League Baseball (lead); Neuberger Berman (lead); Silver Lake (lead); Fidelity; Thrive Capital$320M$13BFanatics, a leading sports merchandise e-commerce retailer founded in 1995 and now headquartered in Jacksonville and Philadelphia, raised $320 million in March 2021 from existing investors including Blackstone, Fidelity, Putnam Premier IT (via Franklin Templeton), Major League Baseball, Neuberger Berman, Silver Lake, and Thrive Capital, achieving a post-money valuation of $12.8 billion, more than double its prior valuation. The funding round was led by Silver Lake, Fidelity, Neuberger Berman, Franklin Templeton, Thrive Capital, Blackstone, and MLB, with proceeds earmarked for acquiring licensing rights, mergers and acquisitions, international expansion including entry into China, and scaling its vertical e-commerce model that integrates ownership, design, production, and distribution of exclusive sports merchandise. The company reported its best year ever in 2020, with global e-commerce sales up over 30% year-over-year in early 2021 and projected sales reaching $3 billion for the full year. Recent moves included acquisitions of college headwear brand Top of the World and sports merch company WinCraft, plus partnerships with Lids and Barnes & Noble Education for college websites and bookstores, enhancing its differentiated product offerings. Fanatics' executive chairman Michael Rubin emphasized building a global vertical commerce business immune to commoditization. Despite the surging valuation amid a hot IPO market fueled by pandemic-driven sales growth, Fanatics stated no immediate IPO plans, focusing instead on expansion. This round preceded further fundraising later in 2021, including $350 million in September and additional investments, culminating in an $18 billion valuation by year-end as it diversified into trading cards, NFTs via Candy Digital, sports betting, and blockchain.
Aug 2020Series EFidelity (lead); Thrive Capital (lead); Neuberger Berman; Franklin Templeton$350M$6.2BFanatics, a leading US-based sports apparel and memorabilia e-commerce retailer backed by SoftBank and Alibaba, closed a $350 million oversubscribed Series E funding round on August 13, 2020, co-led by Fidelity Management and Thrive Capital, with participation from Franklin Templeton, Neuberger Berman, and Putnam Premier IT. The round increased the company's post-money valuation to $6.2 billion, up from $4.5 billion in its prior 2017 round led by SoftBank's Vision Fund. Goldman Sachs acted as placement agent, and the financing exceeded the initial $250 million target. Fanatics operates a multi-channel platform selling merchandise for major US sports leagues including NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, and NASCAR, as well as European soccer clubs and over 300 teams, with expansions into esports. CEO Michael Rubin noted year-to-date e-commerce growth of 30% through mid-August 2020 despite five months without live sports due to Covid-19, with surges post-restarts: NBA over 100%, NHL over 200%, baseball 50%, and NFL 80% since January. This round marks the company's last private funding before a planned IPO, having raised about $1.5 billion total since 2011. Proceeds aim to accelerate rights acquisitions and M&A to expand divisions. Previous investments include $1 billion in 2017 from SoftBank with NFL and MLB adding $150 million, $170 million in 2013 from Alibaba and Temasek at $3.1 billion valuation, and $150 million in 2012 from Insight Partners and Andreessen Horowitz. Later rounds achieved higher valuations like $12.8 billion and $31 billion, but this 2020 Series E specifically matches the queried investors and date.
Sep 2017Series DSoftBank Group (lead); Major League Baseball; 32 Equity$1B$4.5BFanatics, a Jacksonville-based sports e-commerce company that sells licensed apparel and fan gear for leagues and teams, closed a $1 billion funding round in September 2017 led by SoftBank Vision Fund, with participation from the NFL and MLB. The round valued the company at $4.5 billion post-money. Prior to this, Fanatics had raised roughly $600 million from investors including Insight Venture Partners and Silver Lake. The investment came from SoftBank's newly launched Vision Fund, highlighting the strategic relationship between Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin and SoftBank's Masayoshi Son, stemming from earlier dealings with Rubin's prior company GSI Commerce. Fanatics continued aggressive expansion, with later rounds reaching $18 billion valuation in 2021 and $27 billion in a subsequent NFL-led round.
Aug 2015Undisclosed stageSilver Lake (lead)$300M-Fanatics Inc., an e-commerce company focused on sports merchandise, sold a minority ownership stake to Silver Lake for $300 million in August 2015. The investment consisted entirely of primary shares, meaning existing investors retained their stock. At the time, Fanatics was majority-owned by Kynetic LLC, an eBay spinoff that also included Rue La La and ShopRunner, and had previously raised $320 million from Andreessen Horowitz and Insight Venture Partners in 2012, plus $130 million from Alibaba Group in 2014. The company originated as a brick-and-mortar retailer for Jacksonville Jaguars apparel before expanding into online sales of licensed products across major sports leagues. This Silver Lake deal marked a significant early institutional investment amid Fanatics' growth in sports merchandising. Subsequent funding rounds highlighted Fanatics' rapid scaling, including a $1 billion investment led by SoftBank in 2017 assisted by the NFL and NBA for global expansion, particularly in soccer. Later valuations reached $6.2 billion in 2020 after a $350 million round, $18 billion in 2021, and $31 billion in 2022 following a $700 million raise.
Jun 2013Undisclosed stageTemasek; Alibaba Group$170M$3.1BFanatics, a US-based online sports apparel and memorabilia retailer, raised $170 million on June 6, 2013, from Alibaba Group and Temasek Holdings, achieving a post-money valuation of $3.1 billion. The company, majority-owned by e-commerce holding company Kynetic at the time, operated as the backbone for professional sports teams' websites, selling officially licensed jerseys, mugs, jackets, and other merchandise primarily online. Temasek gained a board seat as part of the investment. This round followed a $150 million equity funding from Insight Partners and Andreessen Horowitz in June 2012, which valued Fanatics at $1.5 billion. The 2013 investment highlighted growing investor interest in Fanatics' e-commerce platform, which spanned American and international sports merchandise. Fanatics continued aggressive growth post-2013, securing a $1 billion round in 2017 led by SoftBank’s Vision Fund at a $4.5 billion valuation, with investments from the NFL and MLB. Subsequent rounds included a $350 million Series E in 2020 at $6.2 billion led by Fidelity and Thrive Capital, additional funding in 2021 pushing to $18 billion, and a $700 million raise in 2022 reaching $31 billion.
Jun 2012Undisclosed stageInsight Partners (lead); Andreessen Horowitz$150M$1.5BFanatics announced on 6 June 2012 that it had received $150 million of equity funding led by Insight Venture Partners, an existing investor, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, alongside a $75 million line of credit led by Bank of America; press reports put the valuation at about $1.5 billion. The financing was announced together with the completion of Fanatics' acquisition of Dreams, Inc., a Plantation, Florida-based licensed sports products company, for about $158 million in cash plus $25 million of assumed debt. Fanatics, controlled by Michael Rubin's Kynetic holding company since eBay divested it in 2011, said its revenue had more than doubled since Insight's prior investment and that it expected to reach $1 billion of revenue in 2013. The company operates the e-commerce sites of the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and NASCAR as well as hundreds of collegiate and media partners, and sells licensed apparel and memorabilia through its own Fanatics.com and FansEdge sites. The capital funded the Dreams integration, technology and mobile investment, and further acquisitions.

Who has invested in Fanatics?

26 investors have backed Fanatics across its funding rounds, including Fidelity, Silver Lake, Major League Baseball, SoftBank Group, Insight Partners and Thrive Capital.

Lead investors include Clearlake Capital, National Football League, Blackstone, Franklin Templeton, Major League Baseball and 6 other investors.


Fanatics Investors

Investors in Fanatics by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Major League BaseballUnited StatesNew York City, NY4LeadSep 2017
Silver LakeUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA4LeadAug 2015
FidelityUnited StatesBoston, MA4LeadAug 2020
SoftBank GroupJapanTokyo3LeadSep 2017
Neuberger BermanUnited StatesNew York City, NY2LeadAug 2020
Thrive CapitalUnited StatesNew York City, NY2LeadAug 2020
Insight PartnersUnited StatesNew York City, NY2LeadJun 2012
Franklin TempletonUnited StatesUnited States2LeadAug 2020
TemasekSingaporeSingapore1ParticipantJun 2013
DFO ManagementUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantMar 2022
Blue Pool CapitalHong KongHong Kong1ParticipantMar 2022
Qatar Investment AuthorityQatarDoha1ParticipantMar 2022
BlackstoneUnited StatesNew York City, NY1LeadMar 2021

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Acquisitions by Fanatics

Fanatics has acquired 10 companies to date.

Last acquisition by Fanatics was on July 26th 2026. Fanatics acquired Water Street Labs for undisclosed valuation.


Latest Acquisitions by Fanatics

Water Street Labs
CX Clearinghouse
Fexpro
Epi
Description
Water Street Labs is a financial infrastructure provider that supplies technology supporting trading operations in capital markets.
CX Clearinghouse is a transaction intermediary that handles the completion, settlement, and risk assurance for financial deals.
Fexpro is a Netherlands-based wholesaler distributing licensed sports and apparel brand merchandise to retailers worldwide. The company manages product design, brand development, and supply chain logistics for official collectibles from leagues like UEFA Champions League and NFL. Fexpro sources from licensed manufacturers in Asia and Europe, offering items such as jerseys, accessories, and memorabilia through its B2B platform.
Epi is an Italian e-commerce and retail specialist in sports merchandise, particularly for professional soccer and basketball clubs. Headquartered in Milan, the company manages official stores for Serie A teams like AC Milan and Inter Milan, plus brick-and-mortar outlets in Rome, Turin, and Naples. Epi oversees product design, customization, event sales, and logistics for fan apparel, accessories, and memorabilia across Italy.
HQ Country--PanamaItaly
HQ City
-
-
Panama City
Milan
Deal Date26 Jul 202626 Jul 202613 Jun 20235 Apr 2023
Valuationundisclosedundisclosedundisclosedundisclosed
EV/Revenue
EV/EBITDA

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Investments by Fanatics

Fanatics has invested in 1 company to date.

Latest investment by Fanatics was on September 30th 2025. Fanatics invested in Scorability in their $40M Undisclosed stage round.


Latest Investments by Fanatics

Scorability
Description
Scorability is an American college sports recruiting software company headquartered in Austin, Texas, that matches high school and club athletes with college programmes. It is led by co-founder and chief executive Brian Cruver, founder and former CEO of emergency-communications company AlertMedia, with co-founder Brett Andrew, AlertMedia's former chief revenue officer. Its platform lets college coaches find, verify and evaluate prospects using structured academic, athletic and mentality data, AI-driven insights and an interactive map, while athletes and parents get a guided path through recruiting and high school and club coaches manage team pages. More than 4,000 college programmes and over a million athletes use it, and it earns revenue from software subscriptions sold to college athletic programmes. It launched in October 2023 with an $11 million seed round from Next Coast Ventures and Silverton Partners alongside its co-founders, and in September 2025 raised $40 million led by Bluestone Equity Partners with affiliates of Luther King Capital Management and its existing investors. In November 2025 it acquired Ryzer, the Des Moines-based camp registration and events platform used by more than 25,000 camps a year, to combine recruiting analytics with college camps.
HQ CountryUnited States
HQ City
Austin, TX
Deal Date30 Sep 2025
RoundUndisclosed stage
Raised$40M
InvestorsBrian Cruver; Silverton Partners; Luther King Capital Management; Next Coast Ventures; Bluestone Equity Partners
Valuationundisclosed
EV/Revenue
EV/EBITDA

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Fanatics Competitors

Fanatics competitors include listed companies like adidas, ANTA, Nike and On, and private ones like Vuori and Gymshark.

Public and private companies comparable to Fanatics
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
adidasGermanyGermanyPublicly listed$28B$3.5B$33B1.3x
ANTAChinaChinaPublicly listed$12B$4B$28B2.1x
NikeUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$46B$4.6B$57B1.3x
OnUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$3.7B$396M$12B2.8x
VuoriUnited StatesSan Diego, CAPrivate$1B-$5.5B5.5x
GymsharkUnited KingdomBirminghamPrivate$343M-$1.3B3.9x

Fanatics Public Comps

Fanatics is no longer listed, but its public comps include H&M, adidas, ANTA, Tapestry, Kering, NEXT, Ralph Lauren, Shein, ASICS and Titan Co..

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
H&M$23B$4B1.4x1.4x8.0x8.0x
adidas$28B$3.5B1.4x1.3x10.8x9.3x
ANTA$12B$4B2.3x2.1x6.8x7.0x
Tapestry$8B$2.1B3.7x3.6x13.9x13.9x
Kering$16B$3.4B2.3x2.3x10.8x8.9x
NEXT$9.3B$2.2B2.8x2.7x12.3x12.3x
Ralph Lauren$8.1B$1.4B2.9x2.8x16.6x14.2x
Shein$42B$2.3B0.2x-3.6x-

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Common questions about Fanatics

When was Fanatics founded?Fanatics was founded in 2011.
Where is Fanatics headquartered?Fanatics is headquartered in New York City, NY, United States.
Is Fanatics publicly listed?No, Fanatics was acquired by Kynetic in June 2011.
Who acquired Fanatics?Fanatics was acquired by Kynetic in June 2011.
What is Fanatics' valuation?Fanatics was last valued at $31B in its undisclosed-stage round in December 2022.
How much funding has Fanatics raised?Fanatics has raised $4.8B across 9 funding rounds.
What was Fanatics' last funding round?Fanatics' last funding round was a $700M undisclosed-stage round in December 2022, led by Clearlake Capital.
Who are Fanatics' investors?Fanatics' investors include Major League Baseball, Silver Lake, Fidelity, SoftBank Group, Neuberger Berman, Thrive Capital, Insight Partners, Franklin Templeton, Temasek, DFO Management and 16 others.
What is Fanatics' revenue?Fanatics' latest recorded revenue is $3.5B (December 2022).
What is Fanatics' revenue multiple?Fanatics' latest valuation implies a 8.9x revenue multiple ($31B valuation on $3.5B of revenue).
Which companies are comparable to Fanatics?Companies comparable to Fanatics include adidas, ANTA, Nike, On, Vuori and Gymshark.
How many companies has Fanatics acquired?Fanatics has acquired 10 companies, including Water Street Labs, CX Clearinghouse, Fexpro, Epi and Mitchell & Ness.
What was the largest acquisition by Fanatics?The $500M acquisition of Topps in January 2022 is the largest acquisition Fanatics has made to date.
How many companies has Fanatics invested in?Fanatics has invested in 1 company, including Scorability.
What was Fanatics' last investment?In September 2025, Fanatics invested in Scorability's $40M undisclosed-stage round alongside Brian Cruver, Silverton Partners, Luther King Capital Management and 2 other investors.

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