PledgeSports
PledgeSports is an Irish-founded, web-based crowdfunding and sponsorship platform built specifically for sport, enabling individual athletes, teams, clubs, and brands across 40+ countries to raise money from sports fans through self-serve campaign pages on a transaction-fee basis.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What PledgeSports does
PledgeSports is an Irish-headquartered, privately held web-based crowdfunding and sponsorship platform founded in 2013 that is purpose-built for the sports vertical. It enables individual athletes, teams, clubs, university sports programs, sports brands, and para-athletes to create fundraising campaigns and connect with sports fans willing to pledge money toward competition, travel, equipment, and training costs. The company operates a self-serve product-led growth (PLG) model where users register and build campaign pages directly on the website, with the platform claiming reach across more than 40 countries (and references to 46 in some materials) and assistance to "10,000s of athletes" raising "millions" cumulatively.
The core product is a web platform that hosts individual project pages with funding goals, pledged amounts, and time remaining, exemplified by campaigns such as England Rugby Sevens' Road to Tokyo (£16,565 pledged), Volleyball Ireland's Team Green initiatives, and Heike Holstein's Dressage International Campaign. Around this core, PledgeSports operates a structured Sports Blog with 10 content categories (news, success stories, women in sport, ultra athletes, fundraising tips), and a parallel set of US-focused sports betting informational pages covering horse racing, boxing, UFC, tennis, soccer, and golf, including affiliate-style promo code pages for sportsbooks such as BetMGM and DraftKings. No mobile app, public API, or SDK is offered, and the technology stack is not disclosed beyond the WordPress-hosted web platform.
The business model is a transaction-fee / take-rate on funds raised through successfully funded campaigns; specific fee percentages are not publicly disclosed. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through the website, supplemented by organic social media presence on Facebook, X, and Instagram, content marketing via the sports blog, and SEO around sports betting keywords. The company has no disclosed venture funding, no reported management team, no disclosed headcount, and operates as a bootstrapped private entity with limited public financial transparency.
PledgeSports firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PledgeSports
- Legal name
- PledgeSports
- Website
- https://pledgesports.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- PledgeSports is an Irish-founded, web-based crowdfunding and sponsorship platform built specifically for sport, enabling individual athletes, teams, clubs, and brands across 40+ countries to raise money from sports fans through self-serve campaign pages on a transaction-fee basis.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PledgeSports industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sports Crowdfunding Platform
- NAICS
- Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Other Spectator Sports (711219)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Athletics Fundraising, Sponsorships & NIL Support (EDALAIAN), Performance & Incentive-Based Endorsements (Bonuses, Royalties, Affiliate/CPA Deals) (MPAKALAI), Athlete & Team Sponsorship Deals (Official Partners, Jersey/Kit Sponsors) (MPAKALAA)
Keywords
Where PledgeSports is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
PledgeSports business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Crowdfunding Platform Fees: The platform facilitates crowdfunding campaigns for athletes and sports organizations. Revenue is generated through platform fees on funds raised through the platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard crowdfunding platform |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
PledgeSports product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PledgeSports is a global crowdfunding and sponsorship platform purpose-built for sport. It enables individual athletes, teams, clubs, university programs, and sports brands to create fundraising campaigns and connect with sports fans and corporate sponsors who want to financially support them. The platform covers every sport across 40+ countries and charges fees on funds raised.
Product overview
PledgeSports is a crowdfunding and sponsorship platform for sport operating as a single unified platform. The core offering consists of the Sports Crowdfunding Platform, which enables athletes, teams, clubs, and individuals to create campaign pages to raise money from sports fans and sponsors, and Sports Sponsorship Services that connect athletes with potential sponsors. The platform also includes a Sports Blog content service and informational Sports Betting Information Guides covering various sports betting topics. PledgeSports has helped raise money in every sport across 40 countries and supports various project categories including athletics, swimming, rugby, equestrian, volleyball, motorsport, and many others.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sports Crowdfunding Platform
- Sports Sponsorship Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Helped 10,000's of athletes raise millions for sport across 46 countries
Companies that use PledgeSports
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PledgeSports technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
PledgeSports partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Brand PartnersminorPledgeSports mentions a Brand Partners page on their website, indicating relationships with sports brands. No specific brand partners are detailed in the provided source material.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
PledgeSports competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- OpenSponsorship: A marketplace connecting athletes with brands for sponsorship deals. Overlaps with PledgeSports' sponsorship services layer, though focused more on pro/college athlete endorsement matchmaking.
- Headstart: An emerging sports-focused crowdfunding and sponsorship platform targeting athletes and teams. Comparable in niche positioning to PledgeSports but at an earlier stage of traction and geographic reach.
Direct peers
- RallyMe: A US-based sports-specific crowdfunding platform serving athletes, teams, and youth sports organizations. The most direct sport-focused competitor to PledgeSports in terms of positioning and customer base.
- JustGiving: A leading UK and European crowdfunding and donations platform that serves many sports and charity fundraising campaigns. Comparable to PledgeSports in transaction-fee-based fundraising for athletes and teams.
- SponsorMyEvent: A sponsorship marketplace that connects event organizers and athletes with corporate sponsors. Closely comparable to PledgeSports' sponsorship matchmaking offering for sport.
- Kickstarter: Major rewards-based crowdfunding platform frequently used for sports products, teams, and athletic projects. Overlaps with PledgeSports in enabling creators and sports entities to fundraise from a broad supporter base.
- GoFundMe: The largest general-purpose crowdfunding platform, widely used by athletes, teams, and sports organizations to raise funds. Directly competes with PledgeSports for the same athlete fundraising use case, but lacks sport-specific positioning.
- FundRazr: Online crowdfunding platform popular with sports teams, athletes, and community causes. Provides similar campaign-creation tools and take-rate economics to PledgeSports.
- Indiegogo: Global crowdfunding platform used by sports brands and creators for product and campaign funding. Competes with PledgeSports for sports-related fundraising campaigns across consumer and SMB segments.
Others
- BBC Sport: Major sports media outlet referenced as having featured PledgeSports coverage of athlete crowdfunding. Adjacent ecosystem participant driving awareness and credibility for sports fundraising, not a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
PledgeSports social profiles
Digital presencePledgeSports financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PledgeSports leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
PledgeSports funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PledgeSports 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 PledgeSports
What does PledgeSports do?
PledgeSports is a global crowdfunding and sponsorship platform purpose-built for sport. It enables individual athletes, teams, clubs, university programs, and sports brands to create fundraising campaigns and connect with sports fans and corporate sponsors who want to financially support them. The platform covers every sport across 40+ countries and charges fees on funds raised.
Is PledgeSports a public or private company?
PledgeSports is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was PledgeSports founded?
PledgeSports was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is PledgeSports based?
PledgeSports is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does PledgeSports make money?
One revenue line is on record: crowdfunding Platform Fees.
Who are PledgeSports's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are OpenSponsorship and Headstart. Direct peers are RallyMe, JustGiving, SponsorMyEvent, Kickstarter, GoFundMe, FundRazr and Indiegogo. BBC Sport is listed as an others.
Does PledgeSports have an API?
No public API is recorded for PledgeSports.
What industry is PledgeSports in?
PledgeSports's product category is Sports Crowdfunding Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKAKAK, Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support), with a secondary code of EDALAIAN, Athletics Fundraising, Sponsorships & NIL Support. Its NAICS code is 7114 and its SIC code is 7310.