CharityStars
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersCharlotte, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What CharityStars does
CharityStars is a private online charity auction marketplace founded in 2013 that connects celebrities, athletes, brands, and private collectors with buyers through auction and Buy Now sales of memorabilia and exclusive experiences. The platform serves two primary customer segments: high-net-worth collectors seeking authenticated sports, music, and celebrity memorabilia, and charitable organizations seeking innovative fundraising channels. The company also serves celebrities/athletes donating items and brands executing CSR campaigns. All listings carry a minimum 5% charity donation, with sellers able to allocate higher percentages (up to 80-87% on certain items).
The technology stack is a standard e-commerce/auction platform supporting real-time bidding, secure payment processing across major card networks and digital wallets, and social-login authentication. The product surface has expanded beyond the core auction marketplace to include Live Bidding for in-person gala events, Concierge for custom experience curation, Sweepstakes for prize-based fundraising, and Memberships subscription tiers, alongside vertical-specific catalogs covering football, basketball, F1, tennis, music, collectibles, and experiences.
CharityStars monetizes primarily through transaction-based fees: seller-side service fees of 12-15% on auction sales plus buyer premiums ranging from €8.40 to €175 depending on item value. The company operates as a global direct-to-consumer marketplace with a partner onboarding program for charities and private sellers. Cumulative platform impact includes $35M raised for 1,000+ charities across 30,000 auctions since inception, supported by partnerships with major NGOs (UNICEF, WWF, Save the Children, Feeding America), football clubs (Manchester City, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona), and athlete foundations (Novak Djokovic, Cannavaro Ferrara). The company has raised approximately $3.86M in equity funding across multiple rounds between 2013 and 2017, with no subsequent disclosed rounds.
CharityStars firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CharityStars
- Legal name
- CharityStars
- Website
- https://charitystars.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CharityStars industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Charity Auction Marketplace
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sponsorship Activation & Experiential Marketing (THAHAGAC)
Keywords
Where CharityStars is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charlotte
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
CharityStars business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel
Revenue model
- Auction Transaction Fees: CharityStars charges service fees on auction sales, typically ranging from 12-15% of the final sale price. These fees cover sourcing, quality control, storage, sale execution, and customer support. The platform also facilitates the charity donation portion from each sale.
- Buyer Premium: Buyers pay a service fee on top of their winning bid, with fees varying by item (e.g., €175 for high-value items like Ronaldo's shirt, €75 for vintage items like Baresi's shirt)
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Auction with 5% Charity Minimum |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
CharityStars product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CharityStars operates an online auction and Buy Now marketplace where celebrities, athletes, brands, and private collectors sell signed memorabilia, match-worn items, and exclusive experiences. The platform requires a minimum 5% charity donation from each sale, with charity portions on certain items reaching up to 80-87%. CharityStars handles secure payment processing, auction execution, quality control, storage, and fulfillment on behalf of sellers, earning revenue through service fees of 12-15% of sale price plus variable buyer premiums.
Product overview
CharityStars is a charity auction marketplace platform that operates through its core CharityStars Marketplace, enabling online auctions and Buy Now fixed-price sales of memorabilia and experiences. The platform is structured around a unified marketplace architecture with multiple product categories and auction types. The core offering includes football memorabilia (signed shirts, match-worn items), sports collectibles (Formula 1, basketball, tennis), music memorabilia (signed vinyl, instruments), collectibles (fashion, movie memorabilia), and experiences (travel, events). Additional services include Live Bidding for gala events, Concierge for custom experience curation, Sweepstakes for prize-based fundraising, and Membership tiers for exclusive access. The platform supports charities, private sellers, and companies through a partner program with a minimum 5% donation requirement per auction. Payment processing integrates with major card networks and digital wallets, with social login options for user authentication.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CharityStars Marketplace
- Live Bidding
- Concierge
- Sweepstakes
- Memberships Subscription tier offering exclusive benefits to platform members, including early access to auctions, special pricing, and premium features for engaged bidders.
Quantifiable outcome
- $35M raised for charity since 2013
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CharityStars
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CharityStars technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature1 record
CharityStars partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- EMERGENCYcoreEMERGENCY is an independent Italian humanitarian organization receiving support through charity auctions. Art experiences donated by artists like Riccardo Torti and Ennio Bufi at Caparezza concerts support this charity.
- Avril Lavigne FoundationcoreCharity partner receiving donations from memorabilia auctions on the platform
- Feeding AmericacoreMajor US hunger relief organization supported through charity auctions
- Save the ChildrencoreGlobal charity organization benefiting from platform auctions
- UNICEFcoreUnited Nations children's agency supported through charity auctions
- WWFcoreEnvironmental conservation organization receiving support from platform auctions
- War ChildcoreCharity supporting children affected by conflict, partnered with platform
- Susan G. KomencoreBreast cancer research organization supported through charity auctions
- Ricky Martin FoundationcoreCharity foundation supported through platform auctions
- Novak Djokovic FoundationcoreTennis star's foundation benefiting from sports memorabilia auctions
- City in the CommunitycoreManchester City FC's charitable foundation supported through football memorabilia
- Fondazione MilancoreAC Milan's charitable foundation supported through club memorabilia auctions
- Fondazione Cannavaro FerraracoreFootball legend Fabio Cannavaro's charitable foundation supported through auctions
- Jude Harvey FoundationcoreUK heart health charity for young people, supported through music memorabilia auctions featuring items signed by artists like Mick Fleetwood
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
CharityStars competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Christie's: Christie's runs high-profile charity and celebrity-partnered auctions, including memorabilia sales, at the top of the HNW collectibles market; competes for premium celebrity-signed inventory and the same buyer demographic CharityStars targets.
- Bonhams: Bonhams operates across memorabilia, luxury, and charity-partnered auctions with a global HNW audience; competes for signed memorabilia and exclusive charity events at the upper price tier.
- Heritage Auctions: Heritage Auctions is a major US-headquartered auction house covering sports memorabilia, entertainment, and collectibles; overlaps on memorabilia categories and HNW bidder audience, with broader catalog and live-auction infrastructure.
- EBay for Charity: EBay's charity-integrated marketplace is the largest general competitor, enabling sellers to donate proceeds to nonprofits across a vastly broader catalog; directly competes with CharityStars for charity-conscious buyers, but at much larger scale and without a celebrity/athlete curation focus.
- Sotheby's: Sotheby's is a global auction house spanning collectibles, memorabilia, and luxury; intersects with CharityStars on signed celebrity items and charity partnership auctions (e.g., celebrity charity sales), but at far larger scale and price tier.
Direct peers
- PWCC Marketplace: PWCC Marketplace is a leading online sports trading card and memorabilia auction platform; competes directly for sports memorabilia buyers and authentication credibility, though without a charity-integrated positioning.
- Goldin: Goldin is a leading sports memorabilia auction house with strong athlete/celebrity supply, similar authenticated-item model, and similar collector buyer base; CharityStars competes most directly on signed and match-worn sports inventory, but Goldin is memorabilia-pure without the charity overlay.
- LiveAuctioneers: LiveAuctioneers is an online auction aggregation platform that, like CharityStars, runs time-based auctions of memorabilia, art, and collectibles reaching global HNW collectors; comparable mechanics (online timed auctions, buyer premiums) though broader category mix and no charity mandate.
- Omaze: Omaze runs celebrity-experience sweepstakes and charity fundraising with major celebrity partnerships (e.g., Star Wars experiences with Disney); the most analogous peer in terms of "money-can't-buy experience + charity" positioning, though using sweepstakes mechanics rather than auctions.
- Rally (Collective Jump): Rally is a fractional-investment platform for sports memorabilia and collectibles that has pivoted into direct auctions; targets the same authenticated-memorabilia HNW buyer and competes for sports celebrity-signed supply.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CharityStars social profiles
Digital presenceCharityStars financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CharityStars leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
CharityStars funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CharityStars 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 CharityStars
What does CharityStars do?
CharityStars operates an online auction and Buy Now marketplace where celebrities, athletes, brands, and private collectors sell signed memorabilia, match-worn items, and exclusive experiences. The platform requires a minimum 5% charity donation from each sale, with charity portions on certain items reaching up to 80-87%. CharityStars handles secure payment processing, auction execution, quality control, storage, and fulfillment on behalf of sellers, earning revenue through service fees of 12-15% of sale price plus variable buyer premiums.
Is CharityStars a public or private company?
CharityStars is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was CharityStars founded?
CharityStars was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CharityStars based?
CharityStars is headquartered in Charlotte, United States, in the North America region.
How does CharityStars make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Auction Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are buyer Premium.
Who are CharityStars's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Christie's, Bonhams, Heritage Auctions, EBay for Charity and Sotheby's. Direct peers are PWCC Marketplace, Goldin, LiveAuctioneers, Omaze and Rally (Collective Jump).
Does CharityStars have an API?
No public API is recorded for CharityStars.
What industry is CharityStars in?
CharityStars's product category is Online Charity Auction Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAKAK, Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support), with a secondary code of THAHAGAC, Sponsorship Activation & Experiential Marketing. Its NAICS code is 8132 and its SIC code is 8300.