Racemates

What Racemates does

Racemates is a German motorsport startup founded in 2022 by Michael Sälzer and Duc Huy Bui, headquartered in Löhne/Gütersloh. The company operates a consumer-facing platform at the intersection of motorsport fandom, fantasy gaming, and Web3-based digital collectibles. Its core product is the Racemates Racing League, a free-to-enter fantasy/manager racing game hosted at league.racemates-nft.com, where users deploy driver collectible cards to compete based on real racing results. The card catalog is a finite lineup of limited-edition digital and physical driver collectibles — including Larry ten Voorde (Porsche Supercup), Luca Link (BMW M2 Cup), Fabienne Wohlwend, Ben Dörr, and two-time DTM Champion Timo Scheider — priced from €25 and structured in tiered (Gold, 1/10) editions.

The platform is built on a Shopify commerce backbone with Web3/blockchain integration for the digital card layer, and a tokenization partnership with Tokenize.it enables tokenized equity participation. Supporting products include the Racemates Podcast (YouTube-hosted motorsport interviews and insider content) and a merchandise line (hoodies and t-shirts at €19.95–€39.95) using a black-white-bronze design system. Distribution is multi-channel: DTC e-commerce across 28+ countries, organic social (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X), an email newsletter, and earned media via press releases and a 2023 VOX Die Höhle der Löwen appearance.

Revenue mechanics rest on four streams: one-time digital collectible card sales (€25+), merchandise hardware sales (€19.95–€39.95), sponsorship placements marketed to motorsport-affine brands, and tokenized investment participation via Tokenize.it. The target customer is the motorsport enthusiast — a persona-driven segment seeking collectible memorabilia, deeper engagement with specific drivers, and fantasy-style competition. Pricing is freemium for league entry with unit-priced card and merchandise upsells, and the GTM motion is community-led and event-driven, anchored by driver partnerships and media visibility.

Name

Racemates

Legal name

Racemates

Website

https://racemates.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Racemates is a German motorsport startup that runs a free-to-enter fantasy racing league paired with limited-edition digital and physical driver collectible cards (from €25), supported by a motorsport podcast and branded merchandise, sold DTC via Shopify to motorsport fans globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Motorsport Collectibles & Fantasy Racing

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Motorsports Fan Engagement & Membership Programs (Series/Team-Owned) (MPAKAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Motorsports & Racing Experiences (THAJAFAF)

Keywords

• Motorsport collectibles
• Fantasy racing league
• NFT driver cards
• Racing digital cards
• Motorsport fan engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Digital Collectible Card Sales: Sale of limited edition digital driver collectible cards (NFTs/digital cards) priced from €25. Cards feature professional racing drivers and are used in the Racing League.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded Racemates merchandise including hoodies (€34.95-€39.95) and t-shirts (€19.95) featuring the black-white-bronze design aesthetic.
3. Sponsorship & Partnership Revenue: Marketing sponsorship opportunities for brands targeting motorsport-affine audiences through the Racing League, digital cards, and community platform.
4. Investment Opportunities: Tokenization-based investment opportunities through Tokenize.it partnership, enabling crowd participation in company growth.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Racemates operates a motorsport fan engagement platform that combines limited-edition physical and digital (NFT-based) driver collectible cards with a free-to-enter fantasy Racing League. Fans purchase driver cards featuring professional racing drivers (e.g., Larry ten Voorde, Ben Dörr, Fabienne Wohlwend, Luca Link) and deploy them in the Racing League to build teams that compete based on real-world racing results. Supporting revenue lines include branded merchandise and sponsorship placements for brands targeting motorsport audiences.

Product overview

Racemates operates a platform combining physical and digital driver collector cards with a racing league competition system. The core offering consists of the Racemates Racing League platform where users purchase driver cards and build competitive teams, paired with NFT-style digital and physical collector cards featuring motorsport drivers (Larry ten Voorde, Ben Dörr, Fabienne Wohlwend, Luca Link). Supporting offerings include the Racemates Podcast for motorsport content and branded merchandise. The platform positions itself at the intersection of motorsport, gaming, and Web3 technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Racemates Racing League: A racing league where fans can use collectible driver cards to compete.
• Racemates Podcast
• Racemates Merch

Products and services

• Driver Collection Cards (NFT) Limited-edition physical and digital collectible cards featuring professional racing drivers, available in Gold tier (limited to 1/10). Cards are purchased by individual motorsport fans and used as in-game assets within the Racemates Racing League fantasy competition.
• Racemates Racing League A free-to-enter fantasy/manager motorsport league platform where fans assemble teams using their purchased driver cards and compete based on the real-world performance of those drivers. Open to individual motorsport enthusiasts and racing fans globally.
• Racemates Merchandise Branded Racemates apparel line including premium hoodies, organic hoodies, and t-shirts (men's and ladies' cuts) featuring the black-white-bronze motorsport-inspired design. Sold to motorsport fans and lifestyle consumers via the Racemates Shopify storefront.

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Die Höhle der Löwen (VOX)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2023Featured in Episode 7 of Season 14 (broadcast October 2023) of VOX Die Höhle der Löwen, Germany's prominent startup pitch show. Platform pitched to investors as revolutionizing motorsport, gaming, and Web3 integration.
• SPORT1coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Strategic media partnership with SPORT1 (major German sports broadcaster) for the Racemates Racing League concept. SPORT1 provides mainstream media visibility and credibility for the revolutionary motorsport-manager concept. Racemates is provider of physical and digital collectible cards allowing fans to engage with racing pilots.
• Luca LinkminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with up-and-coming motorsport talent Luca Link who achieved impressive results in BMW M Cup 2023. Featured as collectible driver card on platform. Drives engagement with younger racing audience.
• Timo ScheiderminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Two-time DTM Champion associated with Racemates through podcast content and platform credibility. Featured in Racemates Podcast discussing impressive career and motorsport insider insights.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Motorsport Games: Motorsport Games publishes official racing video games and esports products around licensed motorsport IP. It overlaps with Racemates on fan engagement within motorsport, though it focuses on simulation gaming rather than collectible cards.

Broad incumbents

• F1 Official Digital Collectibles: Formula 1's official digital collectibles platform sells tokenized F1 moments and driver content directly to the global F1 fan base. It represents the largest potential incumbent threat in motorsport digital collectibles and competes for the same premium motorsport-fan wallet.
• Topps: Topps is a long-standing sports and entertainment trading card manufacturer with a digital collectibles program. It is comparable to Racemates as a collector-card issuer operating at the intersection of physical memorabilia and licensed motorsport IP.
• Panini: Panini is the global leader in licensed sports trading cards and stickers, with established motorsport licenses including Formula 1. It is comparable to Racemates' physical-and-digital collectible card offering and represents the established competitor Racemates must differentiate against.
• NBA Top Shot: NBA Top Shot, operated by Dapper Labs, is the dominant sports digital-collectibles platform. It shares Racemates' Web3/NFT-based collectible model but operates at the scale of an NBA-licensed incumbent rather than an independent motorsport startup.

Others

• Pitchup / Karting & Fan Engagement Platforms (European hobbyist motorsport): European hobbyist and grassroots motorsport engagement platforms target similar motorsport enthusiast audiences in the same geography as Racemates. They are thematically related as adjacent motorsport community and experience providers, though not direct competitors in digital collectibles.
• FinalStraw (Tokenize.it portfolio comparable): Tokenize.it is Racemates' named tokenization partner for community equity participation. Comparable as a tokenized-investment platform that enables crowd-investment in private companies, useful context for Racemates' fundraising mechanics.

Direct peers

• Sorare: Sorare is the leading fantasy sports NFT platform, allowing users to buy, trade, and compete with digital player cards. It is the closest direct comparable to Racemates' collectible-card-plus-fantasy-league model, though Sorare focuses on football rather than motorsport.

Emerging players

• Collectable: Collectable operates a fractional ownership and trading platform for sports collectibles and memorabilia. It overlaps with Racemates on the digital collectibles and fan-investor angle, though Collectable focuses on high-value memorabilia rather than daily-fantasy engagement.
• Autograph (Tom Brady's platform): Autograph is a Web3 platform co-founded by Tom Brady for athlete-branded digital collectibles and fan experiences. It is comparable to Racemates' driver-centric collectible model, though at a broader, celebrity-anchored scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SaelzerRacing
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqrca4xKc5zunai6WnmF_7A
• Facebookfacebook.com/FullThrottle2016
• Instagraminstagram.com/racemates
• TikToktiktok.com/@racemates.de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/racemates1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Racemates