Romanian fan-powered platform for football talent secures EUR 1.65 mln for further development

Nordensa, the world’s first fan-powered platform for football talent, headquartered in Romania, announced that it raised EUR 1.65 million in its most recent seed round, which will help it secure resources to further develop the product and "attract the right people to an already impressive roster." Plans include expansion to other territories and the incorporation of additional sports to the platform.

This seed round also adds key names to the company’s Advisory Board, including Burnley FC club owner Alan Pace and former Saatchi & Saatchi CEO and Head of Marketing at Manchester City Football Club, Chris Kay. Notable investors include AFC Bournemouth player Emiliano Marcondes, former Denmark international Lasse Vibe, and the Group Head of Football at the Right to Dream Academy, Mads Davidsen.

Nordensa allows football fans to discover the world’s hottest new talent, already vetted by the platform’s team of Premier League and Bundesliga scouts, and buy shares in a player’s trial contract for EUR 30 each. The platform gives fans the chance to win up to 8% of their player’s salary for five years.

Nordensa made headlines last year after signing the world’s first-ever fan-backed footballer to a European club.

“Despite being the only anything (not just sport!) with over 5 billion passionate fans around the world, it is mind-blowing that ownership and decision-making in football has only ever been within the reach of club owners and a handful of extremely wealthy individuals, but we’re here to change that for good. And we’re doing so by giving not just a voice, but also the power to change someone’s life, to the most dedicated fans on the planet,” said Adrian Docea, CEO and Founder at Nordensa.

The Romanian startup said it will be announcing some fresh partnerships with European clubs and academies.

With a current valuation of EUR 15 million, the company has now launched a Bridge round for additional funding of EUR 1.5 million, ahead of a Series A round later this year in which it’ll be making 20% available to new investors.

Nordensa is a Romanian startup headquartered in Cluj-Napoca, central Romania, with operations across Europe and partnerships with clubs including Standard de Liege, Real Zaragoza, Kawasaki Frontale, Flyeralarm Admira, Dinamo Bucuresti, ETO Gyor and DAC 1904, as well as several football academies around the world.

(Photo source: the company)