Autograph, Tom Brady’s $3.1 billion NFT venture, is joining forces with digital fitness firm, Future. Brady will take a seat on Future’s board as co-chair as a result of this collaboration.
Established in 2021 by Brady, Autograph aimed to bridge the gap between fans and celebrity athletes and artists. Launching an NFT marketplace, it successfully raised over $200 million, based on Pitchbook’s data. The relaunched version removed its NFT aspect, transforming into a platform for tracking fan interactions and rewarding them. It enjoyed impressive backing from Lightspeed Venture Partners and Andreessen Horowitz, and advisory board members included Tony Hawk and Naomi Osaka.
On the other hand, Future’s platform enables users to connect with digital fitness coaches who tailor-make workout routines for them.
2019 saw Autograph facing challenges when the NFT market underwent a slump and the fallout from the crypto market crash. Layoffs in 2023 reduced the team to 30, as Fast Company reported.
Future’s acquisition was announced on LinkedIn by co-founder and CEO, Rishi Mandal. He noted the decision to merge rather than partner was an outcome of discussions with Brady. The company will continue under the banner of ‘Future,’ and while it’s early days to reveal new product details, Mandal hinted that Future aims to merge Autograph’s celebrity cache with Future’s fitness goal, to provide clients with training from top athletes and expert coaching.
According to Pitchbook, Future has raised over $100 million and was last evaluated publically at $275 million.
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