Stakes
Stakes is a New York-based web3 platform that enables US sports fans to make free, friendly sports predictions and earn NFTs as digital bragging rights, combining blockchain-verified results with community-driven social wagering on a freemium model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Stakes does
Stakes is a New York-based web3 social wagering platform that enables US sports fans to make free, friendly sports predictions and earn non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as digital bragging rights rather than monetary winnings. The platform combines elements of sports, social media, gaming, and NFTs, using blockchain technology to record and verify wagering results for transparency. The product is positioned as a community-driven alternative to traditional sports betting, emphasizing social engagement and digital collectibility over financial risk.
The company's underlying technology stack is a self-serve web3 platform with proprietary NFT-based reward mechanics and blockchain-verified results architecture. Its business model is freemium, with no publicly disclosed pricing or monetized tiers, and it reaches users through a product-led growth motion targeting the consumer sports fan segment horizontally. Stakes does not operate native mobile apps and distributes exclusively through digital/web3 channels.
Founded circa 2019 (with some sources indicating a 2022 incorporation or product launch milestone), Stakes closed a $5.3 million seed round in May 2022 led by Digital Currency Group, with participation from FBG Capital and several other crypto-native investors including Cadenza Ventures, CMS Holdings, LD Capital, Matrixport, Sterling Select Group, Visary Capital, and BIT. The company is led by founder & CEO Kevin W., operates with a 1-10 person team, and has appointed former NBA Vice President Sam Li as a strategic advisor to support sports industry positioning. There is a notable discrepancy in publicly observable assets: the company's listed website (playwithstakes.com) currently operates as a sweepstakes casino review and affiliate content site, which is a materially different business model than the web3 NFT social wagering platform described in the company data.
Stakes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stakes
- Legal name
- Stakes
- Website
- https://playwithstakes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Stakes is a New York-based web3 platform that enables US sports fans to make free, friendly sports predictions and earn NFTs as digital bragging rights, combining blockchain-verified results with community-driven social wagering on a freemium model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stakes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Sports Wagering Platform
- NAICS
- Other Gambling Industries (713290)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fantasy Player Props & Pick’em (Skill-Based Fantasy) (MPAEAHAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sports NFTs & Collectibles Marketplaces (FSADANAH), Digital Sports Collectibles Retail (NFTs) (CRAMAOAK), Betting Exchanges & Peer-to-Peer Sports Betting (MPAEACAL)
Keywords
Where Stakes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Stakes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Free social sports predictions with NFT rewards: Platform allows users to participate in free, social sports predictions and earn NFTs as digital bragging rights rather than monetary winnings
- Web3 experience combining sports, social media, gaming, and NFTs: Combined web3 experience targeting sports fans seeking social engagement through predictions and gaming
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Stakes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stakes operates a social wagering platform that lets US sports fans place free, friendly sports predictions and earn NFTs as digital bragging rights. The platform uses blockchain technology to record and verify wagering outcomes, combining sports, social media, gaming, and NFTs into a community-driven experience that emphasizes social engagement over monetary betting.
Product overview
Stakes is a single unified product offering — a social sports wagering platform that allows users to participate in free, friendly sports predictions and earn NFTs as digital bragging rights. The platform combines sports, social media, gaming, and web3 elements to create a community-driven wagering experience targeting US sports fans.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Stakes Platform A web3-based social sports wagering platform that allows US sports fans to place free, friendly sports predictions and earn NFTs as digital bragging rights. The platform leverages blockchain to record and verify wagering results, combining sports, social media, gaming, and NFTs into a community-driven experience for individual sports enthusiasts.
Companies that use Stakes
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Stakes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Stakes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Sam LicoreFormer NBA Vice President appointed as strategic advisor to support growth and expansion efforts. Brings deep sports industry expertise.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Stakes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Novig: Peer-to-peer sports prediction exchange taking a commission-free sweepstakes-style approach. Closely comparable on the 'social wagering' positioning that Stakes also targets.
- Sleeper: Social sports platform that has expanded into DFS and pick'em products. Comparable on social/community layer serving sports fans, with broader fantasy-league product.
- Sorare: NFT-based fantasy sports game where users collect and trade digital player cards. Overlaps with Stakes on the sports-fan x NFT x prediction gameplay combination.
- Polymarket: Crypto-native prediction market with sports markets. Comparable on the web3 x sports-prediction intersection that defines Stakes' positioning.
- ProphetX: Peer-to-peer sports betting exchange with social and trading mechanics. Comparable to Stakes on social wagering and prediction-style formats targeted at US sports fans.
Direct peers
- Betr: Social-first micro-betting and pick'em platform explicitly positioned around social, gamified sports wagering for younger US sports fans — very close in positioning to Stakes' social-wagering thesis.
- PrizePicks: Largest US daily fantasy operator for player props and pick'em contests. Most directly comparable to Stakes in targeting US sports fans with skill-based prediction mechanics, though PrizePicks offers real-money entry.
- Underdog Fantasy: DFS operator focused on pick'em and best-ball formats for US sports fans. Direct overlap with Stakes on audience (US sports fans) and prediction-style product surface.
Broad incumbents
- DraftKings: Incumbent US sportsbook and DFS operator. Overlaps on US sports-fan audience and prediction-style products; much broader portfolio including real-money betting.
- Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot): Operator of NBA Top Shot and other licensed sports NFT collectibles. Comparable on the sports-fan x NFT intersection, though focused on officially licensed digital collectibles rather than prediction-based NFTs.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Stakes social profiles
Digital presenceStakes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stakes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Stakes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stakes 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 Stakes
What does Stakes do?
Stakes operates a social wagering platform that lets US sports fans place free, friendly sports predictions and earn NFTs as digital bragging rights. The platform uses blockchain technology to record and verify wagering outcomes, combining sports, social media, gaming, and NFTs into a community-driven experience that emphasizes social engagement over monetary betting.
Is Stakes a public or private company?
Stakes is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Stakes founded?
Stakes was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Stakes based?
Stakes is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Stakes make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Free social sports predictions with NFT rewards are the primary driver. The others are web3 experience combining sports, social media, gaming, and NFTs.
Who are Stakes's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Novig, Sleeper, Sorare, Polymarket and ProphetX. Direct peers are Betr, PrizePicks and Underdog Fantasy. Broad incumbents are DraftKings and Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot).
Does Stakes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Stakes.
What industry is Stakes in?
Stakes's product category is Social Sports Wagering Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAEAHAG, Fantasy Player Props & Pick’em (Skill-Based Fantasy), with a secondary code of FSADANAH, Sports NFTs & Collectibles Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 713290 and its SIC code is 7900.