FansTake Raises $6.25 Million to Expand Fan-Led NIL Crowdfunding Platform

FansTake, a digital platform that enables college sports fans to directly support athletes through Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) contributions, has raised $6.25 million in a seed funding round to scale its operations and enhance platform functionality.

The fundraising was led by Courtside Ventures, with additional participation from Susa Ventures, Will Ventures, Scrum Ventures, Myriad Ventures, Alumni Ventures, and several angel investors. The capital will be used to expand FansTake's user base, onboard more NCAA athletes, and improve the fan experience across its digital platform.

FansTake operates a crowdfunding model tailored to college sports, allowing fans to pledge financial support to athletes as a way of influencing recruitment or retention at specific schools. When an athlete commits to the fan’s preferred team, the pledged funds are converted into an NIL deal. If the athlete chooses a different school, the pledge is returned to the fan.

CEO and co-founder Greg Glass described the product as a “legal and compliant mechanism” for fan-driven support within the NIL landscape. “We're not offering bounties or violating NCAA rules,” Glass told Sportico. “We're trying to align fan enthusiasm with athlete benefit in a transparent, structured way.”

Founded in 2023 by Glass alongside Alex Boisvert and Donnie Flood, all of whom previously built and exited successful technology companies, FansTake seeks to address a market gap by combining the passion of college fan bases with a compliant NIL funding mechanism. The platform functions similarly to other crowdfunding sites, but with the added requirement that funding is contingent on athlete school choice.

The company has emphasised regulatory compliance from the outset. Pledged funds are held in escrow until a player’s commitment is finalised, and all NIL disbursements are managed in accordance with school compliance offices and state law. The team engages legal counsel and university compliance departments to ensure the model aligns with the evolving legal framework around NIL.

With the seed investment, FansTake plans to expand its reach across more Division I programmes and deepen its technological infrastructure. The startup also intends to enhance athlete and fan onboarding processes and explore improved mobile and user interface capabilities.

Courtside Ventures, which led the round, cited FansTake’s potential to reshape fan engagement and athlete compensation models. “They’ve created a platform that gives fans a stake in the future of their team while ensuring athletes benefit directly,” said a spokesperson for the firm.

As college athletics continues to evolve in the NIL era, FansTake represents a new category of engagement platform - offering a structured, compliant alternative to booster collectives and traditional NIL marketplaces. The $6.25 million raise positions the company to further develop its model and scale operations within the rapidly growing intersection of sport, technology, and direct-to-athlete funding.