Arena Club

What Arena Club does

Arena Club, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based, privately held digital-first sports and trading card collectibles platform founded in 2022 by Brian Lee with Derek Jeter as Co-founder and Founding Partner. The company operates an AI-assisted card grading service — combining high-resolution scanning, computer vision sub-grade analysis (Centering, Corners, Edges, Surface) and three rounds of human expert review — paired with a 24/7 secured vaulting facility offering temperature/moisture control and full insurance, plus digital provenance tracking on the Polygon blockchain. Its marketplace monetizes through a 10% seller commission (described as the lowest in the hobby), buyer transaction fees starting at 0.8% capped at $5 for ACH, and physical card retrieval at $1 per card.

Arena Club generates the bulk of its consumer-facing revenue from mystery-style Slab Packs product drops ranging from $75 (Pikasso) to $2,500 (Legendary), plus premium Time Box tiers at $1,000-$5,000, distributed directly through its iOS/Android apps and website and exclusively on eBay for physical packs. Customer segments include individual collectors (primary), card dealers, breakers, and card investors, served via a product-led growth motion supplemented by event-driven physical card shows (Fresno Convention Center) and direct-to-consumer sports franchise partnerships with the San Antonio Spurs (NBA, January 2026) and Fulham FC (Premier League, May 2026). The company has raised approximately $20 million across funding rounds, with the December 2022 $10 million round led by M13 alongside Defy.vc, Elysian Park Ventures, Lightspeed Ventures, and BAM Ventures, and a publicly tracked Pop Report covering over 390,000 graded cards across at least seven categories.

Name

Arena Club

Legal name

Arena Club, Inc.

Website

https://arenaclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Arena Club is a digital-first sports and trading card collectibles platform offering AI-assisted grading, secure vaulting, blockchain provenance, a marketplace with a 10% seller commission, and tiered Slab Packs and Time Box drops, serving individual collectors, card dealers, breakers, and investors with distribution through sports franchise and eBay partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trading Card Collectibles Marketplace

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Sporting Goods Retailers (459110)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Collectibles Marketplace & Auction Platforms (CRAMAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Trading Cards Retail (CRALAGAA), Non-Sports Trading Cards Retail (TCG/Entertainment) (CRALAGAB), Collectible Card Games (CCG/TCG) Retail (CRALAGAC), Sports NFTs & Collectibles Marketplaces (FSADANAH)

Keywords

• Sports card grading
• Trading card marketplace
• Card authentication services
• Collectibles vault storage
• Digital card trading

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Card Grading Services: Charges $14 per card for Grade & Vault service (flat rate regardless of card value), and $15 per card for Grade & Return service. Turnaround time approximately 30 business days for modern cards.
2. Marketplace Commissions: Seller commission of 10% on all card sales through the platform. This is described as the lowest in the hobby. Vaulting is free for sellers; card-for-card trading is free.
3. Slab Packs Sales: Sale of physical Slab Packs containing graded cards, available in various tiers (Emerald $500, Diamond $1,000, Legendary $2,500, Special Series $75-$500) and Time Box products ($1,000-$5,000).
4. Buyer Transaction Fees: Buyers pay a transaction fee depending on payment method, as low as 0.8% with a maximum of $5 for ACH payments. Card retrieval is $1 per card plus shipping.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Arena Club operates an integrated digital trading card collectibles platform that combines AI-assisted card grading, secure climate-controlled vaulting, and a marketplace for buying, selling, and trading authenticated graded sports cards and TCG cards. The company sells its own Slab Packs® and Time Box mystery products containing pre-graded cards across tiers from $75 to $5,000, and offers digital showrooms, auctions, and a Pop Report population database to individual collectors, card dealers, and breakers.

Product overview

Arena Club is a digital-first trading card collectibles platform offering a comprehensive ecosystem of products. The platform combines AI-powered grading services, secure vaulting, a digital marketplace, and exclusive Slab Packs products. Core offerings include Grading (AI + expert graders with sub-grade analysis), the Marketplace (buy/sell/trade authenticated cards), Slab Packs® (digital packs with pre-graded cards across multiple tiers), Showrooms (digital collection display), Vaulting (secure storage), Auctions (real-time bidding), Time Box (premium series), and the Native Mobile App. The platform supports card categories across sports (Baseball, Basketball, Football, Soccer, Hockey), Pokemon, One Piece, and other collectibles, with blockchain used for transparent ownership records.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grading AI-powered card grading service that combines computer vision with expert graders to provide sub-grades (Centering, Corners, Edges, Surface) and an overall grade, with approximately 30 business day turnaround for modern cards.
• Marketplace Digital marketplace for buying, selling, and trading authenticated graded trading cards across sports and TCG categories, with a 10% seller commission and real-time offers.
• Slab Packs® Digital packs containing pre-graded trading cards across sports and TCG categories, sold in tiers ranging from Special Series ($75–$500) to Emerald ($500), Diamond ($1,000), and Legendary ($2,500).
• Vaulting Secure storage service for graded cards in a 24/7 surveillance facility with temperature and moisture control, full insurance, and free vaulting for pre-graded PSA, BGS, SGC, and CGC slabs.
• Time Box Premium collectible card product line with Series One Twilight ($1,000) and Eclipse ($5,000) boxes containing high-value graded cards.
• Native Mobile App iOS and Android mobile application providing on-the-go access to the Arena Club marketplace, grading submission, showroom management, and trading functionality.
• Pop Report Public population report showing the number of cards graded by Arena Club across sports and TCG categories (Baseball 104,870, Basketball 119,310, Football 98,897, Soccer 10,525, Pokemon 35,849, and others), supporting market transparency and price discovery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cards can be retrieved from vault for $1 per card plus shipping
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• eBayflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive partnership for physical Slab Packs distribution through eBay's marketplace. Arena Club launched physical Slab Packs through this exclusive online marketplace relationship, expanding beyond digital offerings.
• San Antonio SpurscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFirst official NBA franchise collaboration. Partnership aims to enhance fan engagement through exclusive promotions, giveaways, and digital-physical collectible integration with the Spurs.
• Fulham Football ClubcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Trading Cards Partner with Fulham FC, a Premier League football club. Marks a commercial collaboration between the football club and the trading card company.
• The Wharton SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for educational content and business insights related to the collectibles market and trading card industry.
• YahoominorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as an industry partner for marketing and media collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator): The dominant card grading company and the de facto industry standard. Arena Club directly competes on grading fees, turnaround, and grade acceptance in the secondary market.
• Beckett Grading Services (BGS): Second-largest sports card grader and a frequent Arena Club benchmark on pricing and turnaround. Beckett sub-grades are similarly structured to Arena Club's Centering/Corners/Edges/Surface breakdown.
• Sportscard Guaranty Corporation (SGC): Established third-party grading service competing for sports card submissions, particularly in the vintage and modern baseball/basketball segments Arena Club serves.
• CGC (Certified Guaranty Company): Major third-party grading company expanding aggressively into trading cards (sports and TCG). Direct competitor for Pokemon, One Piece, and other TCG grading volume.
• PWCC Marketplace: Leading sports card marketplace and auction platform. Competes directly with Arena Club's marketplace and auctions for liquidity in graded sports cards.
• Goldin Auctions: Premier sports collectibles auction house. Competes for high-end card liquidity and competes in the same influencer/collector attention arena as Arena Club.

Emerging players

• TAG Grading: Newer grading entrant that, like Arena Club, is being tracked by GemRate alongside PSA and Beckett. Competes on turnaround and modern card turnaround time.
• Fanatics Collect: Fanatics' collectibles marketplace backed by deep capital and league relationships. Competes with Arena Club on digital marketplace, vaulting, and franchise partnership deals.
• Alt (sports card investing platform): Sports card investing and fractional ownership platform. Competes for the same investor-collector segment Arena Club targets with vaulting and authentication.

Broad incumbents

• eBay: Both a channel partner (exclusive Slab Packs distribution) and a broader marketplace competitor. eBay's collectibles vertical competes indirectly for buyer attention and seller liquidity.

Market position

Strengths6 records

Weaknesses6 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/joinArenaClub
• Facebookfacebook.com/joinArenaClub
• Instagraminstagram.com/arenaclub
• TikToktiktok.com/@arenaclubofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goarenaclub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arena Club