Share this article

ESPN, DraftKings Execs Join Soccer NFT Platform Sorare Following $680M Raise

The startup has been rapidly expanding since announcing its Series B in September.

Updated May 11, 2023, 7:08 p.m. Published Oct 7, 2021, 1:25 p.m.
Sorare recently added the Bundesliga as one of its leagues. (Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Sorare recently added the Bundesliga as one of its leagues. (Lars Baron/Getty Images)

European soccer non-fungible token (NFT) platform Sorare is continuing its growth with a slew of new hires.

  • The company announced Thursday Ryan Spoon has been appointed as chief operating officer, bringing experience from BetMGM and ESPN.
  • Michael Meltzer, who previously worked for sports betting site DraftKings, will be the company’s new VP of business development.
  • David Byttow, a tech veteran who’s worked for Lyft, Snap and Postmates, has been hired as principle architect and head of mobile.
  • Kiana Davari has been brought on as Sorare’s head of people. She oversaw international talent as the first-ever recruiter at Lyft.
  • Sorare raised $680 million in a Series B funding round that valued the company at $4.3 billion.
  • The Paris-based firm has plans to grow the business internationally, including opening a U.S. office.

Read more: European Football NFT Platform Sorare Raises $680M Series B

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

UPDATE (Oct. 7 13:55 UTC): Corrects spelling of Michael Meltzer’s name.

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

Foundation behind restaking protocol EigenLayer plans bigger rewards for active users

EigenLayer CEO Sreeram Kannan (University of Michigan, modified by CoinDesk)

An Incentives Committee would direct programmatic token emissions, focusing allocations on participants that secure AVSs and contribute to the EigenCloud ecosystem.

What to know:

  • The Eigen Foundation has unveiled a governance proposal aimed at ushering in new incentives for its EIGEN token, shifting the protocol’s reward strategy to prioritize productive network activity and fee generation.
  • Under the plan, a newly formed Incentives Committee would manage token emissions, prioritizing participants who secure Actively Validated Services and expand the EigenCloud ecosystem.
  • The proposal includes a fee model that channels revenue from AVS rewards and EigenCloud services back to EIGEN holders, potentially creating deflationary pressure as the ecosystem grows.