Splink
Splink (FanCollex) is a Lisbon-based sports technology company that designs officially licensed phygital mini jersey collectibles embedded with AR and NFC technology, selling direct-to-consumer worldwide across 150+ countries through its MyJersey product line.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersLisbon, Portugal
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Splink does
Splink is a Lisbon, Portugal-based sports technology company founded in 2020 that operates commercially through its FanCollex brand. The company designs and sells officially licensed phygital sports collectibles under the MyJersey product line — physical mini jerseys made from vinyl, acrylic, and biodegradable plastics, embedded with Augmented Reality (AR) and NFC (NFC) technology. Customers scan or tap the collectible with a smartphone to unlock digital content including player biographies, positional data, and interactive experiences spanning current players, legends/retro editions, and season-specific kits, plus a lower-priced Mini Blind Bag format.
Splink/FanCollex monetizes through direct-to-consumer e-commerce on a Shopify-based storefront with worldwide shipping to 150+ countries, localized currency, and 11 language options. Products are priced between $6 and $26, with promotional discounts of up to 30% and a pre-order mechanism for upcoming drops. The company holds official licensing agreements with over 60 sports organizations across La Liga, Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, Liga Portugal, Brasileirão, the NBA, and the NHL, and distributes through select official club retail channels (e.g., Manchester United's store). A dedicated FanCollex mobile application hosts the AR experience. The company raised approximately $8.97M in a Series A round in July 2021 led by The Riva Group, with participation from Albuquerque & Associados, and operates with an 11-50 employee headcount.
The go-to-market is product-led growth: collectible drops, pre-orders, and limited editions drive acquisition, while the AR experience functions as organic marketing as customers share scans socially. The primary customer segment is individual sports fans and collectors (with a secondary segment targeting sports clubs and leagues for B2B licensing and merchandise partnerships), and customer testimonials indicate positive sentiment around AR functionality and service quality.
Splink firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Splink
- Website
- https://splinkofficial.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Splink (FanCollex) is a Lisbon-based sports technology company that designs officially licensed phygital mini jersey collectibles embedded with AR and NFC technology, selling direct-to-consumer worldwide across 150+ countries through its MyJersey product line.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Splink industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sports Collectibles
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Collectibles (Non-Card) Retail (e.g., coins, pins, figurines) (CRAMAOAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sports Collectibles, Fan Gear & Licensed Merchandise Retail (CRAMABAO)
Keywords
Where Splink is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lisbon
- HQ country
- Portugal
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Splink business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Physical Collectible Sales: One-time purchase revenue from selling officially licensed mini jerseys and phygital collectibles. Products are sold at fixed price points ranging from $22-$26 for standard items. The company also offers mystery boxes at $6 for mini blind bag editions. Pre-orders are available for upcoming products with specified shipping dates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Player Jerseys - $22-$24 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Season/Club Jerseys - $23-$26 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mini Blind Bag Mystery Boxes - $6.00 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Splink product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Splink operates under the FanCollex brand to sell officially licensed phygital mini jersey collectibles featuring embedded Augmented Reality (AR) and NFC technology, with a supporting mobile app that unlocks digital player content. Products are manufactured from Vinyl, Acrylic and Biodegradable Plastics and span current players, legends/retro editions, season kits and mini blind bag collectibles covering more than 60 sports teams worldwide. Sales occur through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront shipping to over 150 countries.
Product overview
FanCollex is a phygital sports collectibles platform offering officially licensed mini jerseys integrated with Augmented Reality (AR) and NFC technology. The core product is MyJersey, which includes three sub-categories: Players (current players), Legends & Retro (historic players), and Season (specific kit editions). The company also offers MyJersey Mini Blind Bags as a smaller collectible format. All products are officially licensed by over 60 sports teams worldwide across football (soccer), NBA, and NHL. The product portfolio spans multiple sports leagues including La Liga, Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Liga Portugal, Brasileirão, and various national teams. A mobile APP provides AR functionality for the collectibles.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MyJersey: The company's flagship product line featuring officially licensed mini jerseys with AR and NFC technology, sold as phygital sports collectibles
Products and services
- MyJersey Players
Quantifiable outcome
- Positive customer reviews citing AR functionality as attractive and engaging feature
Companies that use Splink
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Splink technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Splink partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Official Sports League and Club Licensors (La Liga, Premier League, Bundesliga, NBA, NHL, FPF, etc.)coreFanCollex operates under official licensing agreements with numerous sports organizations including football leagues (La Liga, Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Liga Portugal, Brasileirão), national football federations (FPF - Portugal), NBA teams, NHL teams, and individual clubs (Real Madrid CF, FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Sporting CP, SL Benfica, FC Porto, Valencia CF, West Ham United, etc.). These licensing partnerships enable the company to produce officially authenticated and licensed merchandise.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Splink competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sorare: Paris-based digital sports collectibles platform combining licensed football player cards with blockchain-backed scarcity and game mechanics. Most directly comparable to FanCollex on the phygital sports collectibles thesis, though anchored in digital rather than physical mini-jersey form.
- Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot): Creator of NBA Top Shot, a marketplace for officially licensed digital sports collectibles (video "moments") using blockchain. Closely comparable to FanCollex on the digitally-enhanced sports collectible thesis, though purely digital and NBA-anchored.
- McFarlane Toys: Manufacturer of officially licensed sports figure collectibles (NFL, NBA, MLB) featuring player likenesses in miniature form. Closely comparable to FanCollex on the small-format licensed sports figurine product, though without AR/NFC digital layer.
Broad incumbents
- Fanatics: Dominant global sports merchandise platform holding long-term licensing rights with NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS and major clubs. Operates as the primary scale competitor in officially licensed sports merchandise that FanCollex is attempting to disrupt with phygital differentiation.
- Topps: Long-established sports and entertainment trading card company (now part of Fanatics Collectibles) producing officially licensed football, basketball, and baseball collectibles. Comparable on officially licensed sports memorabilia and collectible format, though predominantly cards.
- Panini: Global collectibles and trading card publisher with deep football licensing relationships (FIFA World Cup, UEFA, major clubs). Comparable to FanCollex on officially licensed sports collectibles and multi-region football catalog, with stronger incumbency in physical card/sticker formats.
Emerging players
- Funko: Pop culture collectible figure and vinyl producer with a sports line and growing digital collectibles strategy (Digital Pop! on the WAX blockchain). Comparable to FanCollex on the miniaturized licensed collectible form factor and phygital extension, but pop-culture-anchored rather than sports-first.
Others
- Manchester United Direct / Official Club Stores: Official club-operated e-commerce channels that both compete with and distribute FanCollex products (e.g., Manchester United collectibles available via store.manutd.com). Comparable as a licensing and distribution counterparty in officially licensed football merchandise.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Splink social profiles
Digital presenceSplink financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Splink leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Splink funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Splink 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 Splink
What does Splink do?
Splink operates under the FanCollex brand to sell officially licensed phygital mini jersey collectibles featuring embedded Augmented Reality (AR) and NFC technology, with a supporting mobile app that unlocks digital player content. Products are manufactured from Vinyl, Acrylic and Biodegradable Plastics and span current players, legends/retro editions, season kits and mini blind bag collectibles covering more than 60 sports teams worldwide. Sales occur through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront shipping to over 150 countries.
Is Splink a public or private company?
Splink is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Splink founded?
Splink was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Splink based?
Splink is headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, in the Europe region.
How does Splink make money?
One revenue line is on record: physical Collectible Sales.
Who are Splink's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sorare, Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot) and McFarlane Toys. Broad incumbents are Fanatics, Topps and Panini. Funko is listed as an emerging player. Manchester United Direct / Official Club Stores is listed as an others.
Does Splink have an API?
No public API is recorded for Splink.
What industry is Splink in?
Splink's product category is Sports Collectibles. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMAOAD, Sports Collectibles (Non-Card) Retail (e.g., coins, pins, figurines), with a secondary code of CRAMABAO, Sports Collectibles, Fan Gear & Licensed Merchandise Retail. Its NAICS code is 45912 and its SIC code is 5945.