Alt
Alt is an online marketplace enabling users to buy, sell, auction, vault, and borrow against authenticated investment-grade trading cards across sports and Pokemon categories, serving collectors and investors via web and mobile apps with AI-powered valuations and integrated lending.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Alt does
Alt is an online marketplace founded in 2020 (legal name ALT.XYZ, headquartered in San Francisco, 101-250 employees) that enables users to buy, sell, auction, vault, and borrow against authenticated investment-grade trading cards across sports (basketball, football, baseball, hockey, soccer) and Pokemon categories. The platform operates via web (alt.xyz) and dedicated iOS/Android mobile applications and is led by founder and CEO Leore Avidar. It serves trading card collectors and investors ranging from casual enthusiasts to high-net-worth individuals seeking liquidity, authentication, and secure storage for an otherwise illiquid asset class.
The platform's technology stack centers on AI-powered valuation tools that process historical sales data and card characteristics to deliver automated pricing used across marketplace listings and card-backed lending underwriting, alongside a Market Trends analytics dashboard tracking 30/90-day price movements by category and player. Complementary infrastructure includes a Vault service offering digitization, professional storage, and insurance coverage ($5 per ungraded card), PSA grading submission integration (currently paused for Value tiers due to ~10M-card backlog), and a card-backed lending product supported by a $40M asset-based revolving credit facility from Trinity Capital. The platform also functions as an aggregator, displaying external inventory from eBay (~3.19M items), Fanatics Collect (~180K), Goldin (~2.1K), and Pristine Auction (~11.6K) alongside its own listings.
Alt's business model combines marketplace transaction fees, Vault storage fees, lending interest income, and an internal investment fund that acquires rare record-setting cards (including a $3.15M Kobe Bryant card). The company has raised over $100M across equity and debt since 2020, including a $75M Series B in November 2021 led by Spearhead with participation from Alexis Ohanian's Seven Seven Six and unnamed sports legends. Distribution is digital-first and product-led (self-serve marketplace with no disclosed sales team), supplemented by sports sponsorships (including Glasgow City FC), earned media from high-profile card acquisitions, and cross-marketplace integrations.
Alt firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Alt
- Legal name
- ALT.XYZ
- Website
- https://alt.xyz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Alt is an online marketplace enabling users to buy, sell, auction, vault, and borrow against authenticated investment-grade trading cards across sports and Pokemon categories, serving collectors and investors via web and mobile apps with AI-powered valuations and integrated lending.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Alt industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trading Card Marketplace
- NAICS
- Used Merchandise Retailers (4595), Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Collectibles Marketplace & Auction Platforms (CRAMAOAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Managed Consignment & Authentication-led Resale (CRAFAGAN), Sports NFTs & Collectibles Marketplaces (FSADANAH)
Keywords
Where Alt is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Alt business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Marketplace Transaction Fees: Alt generates revenue through transaction fees and commissions on sales conducted through its auction and fixed-price marketplace platforms.
- Vault Services: The company charges fees for secure storage, digitization, and insurance of cards stored in its vault, with a $5 per card fee for ungraded cards.
- Lending Services: Alt provides loan services using trading cards as collateral, generating interest income from borrowers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Vault storage fee for ungraded cards |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Alt product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Alt operates an online marketplace where users can buy, sell, and auction authenticated investment-grade trading cards (sports and Pokemon). It also provides secure vault storage with digitization and insurance, card-backed lending services using cards as collateral, and AI-powered valuation and market analytics tools. The platform is accessible via web and iOS/Android apps, and aggregates listings from third-party marketplaces such as eBay and Fanatics Collect.
Product overview
Alt operates as a unified trading card marketplace platform offering multiple buying and selling formats: live auctions (Alt Auctions), fixed-price listings (Exchange), and a card-backed lending service. The platform integrates third-party marketplace listings from eBay, Fanatics Collect, Goldin, and Pristine Auction. Additional services include the Alt Vault for secure card storage and Market Trends for price analytics. The company expanded in 2021 to support multi-asset classes including watches, NFTs, and LP interests. Available via web platform and iOS/Android mobile apps.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Alt Auctions Live online auction platform enabling real-time bidding on sports and Pokemon trading cards, with thousands of active listings across basketball, football, baseball, soccer, hockey, and Pokemon categories. Targeted at collectors and investors seeking investment-grade cards.
- Alt Fixed Price Exchange Fixed-price exchange where users can browse and purchase trading cards at set prices without waiting for auctions. Features nearly 3.4 million items aggregated from Alt's own inventory plus third-party marketplaces including eBay and Fanatics Collect.
- Alt Vault Secure storage service for trading cards that includes digitization, professional storage, and insurance coverage. Charges $5 per card for ungraded cards and passes grading fees through to PSA. Targeted at collectors seeking safe, insured custody of investment-grade cards.
- Card-Backed Lending Loan service allowing users to borrow money using their trading card holdings as collateral. Backed by a $40 million asset-based revolving credit facility from Trinity Capital Inc. to support liquidity services. Targeted at card collectors and investors seeking cash advances against their collections.
Quantifiable outcome
- Platform holds record sales for Bryant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Giannis Antetokounmpo trading cards
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Alt
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Alt technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability2 records
Feature2 records
Alt partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator)coreAlt offers grading submission services through PSA. PSA has temporarily paused new submissions for Value tier grading services through Alt due to a backlog of approximately 10 million cards. The pause affects Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, and Value Max tiers.
- Glasgow City FCminorGlasgow City FC has partnered with Alt in a sponsorship deal as part of its City Collective model to promote women's sport, equality, and empowerment. The partnership aims to serve as a blueprint for funding women's football.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Alt competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Goldin: Goldin is a leading online auction house and marketplace for sports cards and memorabilia, competing head-to-head with Alt on high-end graded-card auctions (PSA 10s, 1/1s) where both attract investment-grade collectors. Direct overlap on auction format, sports/Pokemon card categories, and seller base.
- PWCC Marketplace / Fanatics Collect: PWCC was a major sports card marketplace and auction platform that was acquired by Fanatics Collect. Direct competitor on live auctions and fixed-price trading cards; Alt is currently suing PWCC/Fanatics alleging shill bidding on its platform.
- Pristine Auction: Pristine Auction runs timed online auctions for sports cards, Pokemon, and memorabilia and is integrated into Alt's browse page as a third-party marketplace. Same auction format, same asset categories, overlapping seller/buyer base.
- COMC (Check Out My Cards): COMC is a long-standing online marketplace for trading cards with consignment, storage, and shipping services. Direct competitor on fixed-price card listings, grading submission integration, and multi-sport card categories.
Broad incumbents
- eBay: eBay is the largest generalist online marketplace and the dominant secondary venue for trading cards. Alt integrates eBay inventory directly while also competing with it for high-end authenticated card transactions, plus eBay has its own authentication program for trading cards.
- Heritage Auctions: Heritage Auctions is one of the largest collectibles auction houses globally with a dedicated sports card department. Competes with Alt on high-end vintage and modern card sales, though Heritage spans much broader categories (coins, comics, fine art).
- StockX: StockX operates an authentication-led resale marketplace for sneakers, apparel, watches, and increasingly collectibles. Comparable as a marketplace model pairing authentication/authenticity verification with bid/ask trading that Alt also applies to trading cards.
Emerging players
- CardLadder: CardLadder provides trading card sales data, indices, and market analytics used by investors. Overlaps with Alt's Market Trends product and serves the same investor-collector segment seeking data-driven pricing on sports and TCG cards.
- Courtyard.io: Courtyard is a tokenized collectibles marketplace with authentication and vaulting for trading cards, watches, and sneakers on-chain. Comparable as an alternative approach (NFT/blockchain) to Alt's authentication-and-vault model for the same investor-collector segment.
Regional players
- Robert Edward Auctions (REA): REA is a long-running sports card auction house focused on vintage and modern cards. Competes for the high-end traditional sports card auction segment and shares the auction-format distribution model with Alt, but is primarily US-focused with a collector-skewed base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Alt social profiles
Digital presenceAlt financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Alt leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Alt funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors22 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Alt M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Alt
What does Alt do?
Alt operates an online marketplace where users can buy, sell, and auction authenticated investment-grade trading cards (sports and Pokemon). It also provides secure vault storage with digitization and insurance, card-backed lending services using cards as collateral, and AI-powered valuation and market analytics tools. The platform is accessible via web and iOS/Android apps, and aggregates listings from third-party marketplaces such as eBay and Fanatics Collect.
Is Alt a public or private company?
Alt is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Alt founded?
Alt was founded in 2020. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Alt based?
Alt is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Alt make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Marketplace Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are vault Services and lending Services.
Who are Alt's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Goldin, PWCC Marketplace / Fanatics Collect, Pristine Auction and COMC (Check Out My Cards). Broad incumbents are eBay, Heritage Auctions and StockX. Emerging players are CardLadder and Courtyard.io. Robert Edward Auctions (REA) is listed as a regional player.
Does Alt have an API?
No public API is recorded for Alt.
What industry is Alt in?
Alt's product category is Trading Card Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMAOAI, Sports Collectibles Marketplace & Auction Platforms, with a secondary code of CRAFAGAN, Managed Consignment & Authentication-led Resale. Its NAICS code is 4595 and its SIC code is 5945.