DraftKings is already a major player in one rapidly growing industry, and now it’s entering another: NFTs.

The sports betting platform announced the new vertical Wednesday with a boost of star power. It will partner with Autograph, an NFT company co-founded by NFL legend Tom Brady. 

• DraftKings will become Autograph’s exclusive NFT distributor.
• Autograph announced exclusive NFT deals with Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, Derek Jeter, Naomi Osaka, and Tony Hawk on Wednesday. Hawk will join Autograph’s advisory board.
• Autograph is also partnering with Lionsgate and will produce NFTs related to its entertainment properties, such as “John Wick” and “Hunger Games.”

The vertical will exist in parallel with DraftKings’ sports betting and fantasy offerings, and users will be able to buy and sell NFTs with funds in their existing accounts.

The marketplace could help DraftKings increase its revenue per unique user, which was $61 per month in Q1. 

DraftKings went public via a SPAC merger in April of last year. Its stock shot up 6% with the Autograph news, closing at $48.88 on the day.

Editor’s Note: DraftKings is an FOS partner.

Virtually Human Studio, the developer behind blockchain-based digital horse racing game Zed Run, raised $20 million in Series A funding.

The round was led by private equity firm The Chernin Group, and also included Andreessen Horowitz and Red Beard Ventures.

Launched in 2019, Zed Run is structured so consumers not only collect NFTs but also use them to compete. Users purchase, breed, auction, and race digital horses.

More than $30 million worth of racehorse NFTs have been sold to date. 

• Prices of the digital racehorses range from $130 to $45,000.
• Free races are available, but users can pay up to $100 to enter races.
• The platform has more than 14,000 unique stable owners.

Between early May and July 20, monthly NFT sales declined 42% to $188 million, per The Wall Street Journal.

Despite the drop, NFTs are still a hot commodity.

Earlier this week, OpenSea, an NFT auction platform made famous by Beeple’s $69 million sale, raised $100 million at a $1.5 billion valuation. The round was led by Andreessen and included Kevin Durant, Ashton Kutcher, and Creative Artists Agency.

Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and U.S. gold medalist Shawn Johnson are among the high-profile individuals investing in nutritional powder maker Athletic Greens.

The investment was led by private equity firm SC.Holdings and included other big names like actor Hugh Jackman, model Cindy Crawford, and musician Steve Aoki. 

Financial terms were not disclosed, but Athletic Greens says it has a $100 million revenue run-rate. The company’s 30-serving powder package sells for $97 or $77 with a monthly subscription.

The new investment marks Athletic Greens’ first raise with strategic outside investors, but the company has been partnering with noteworthy entities for a while. 

• Last month, it announced a partnership with WRKOUT, a virtual personal training platform.
• In 2020, it became the first-ever supplement sponsor of the USA Cycling team.
• It became an official partner of Spartan Race in 2018.

Gainful, another sports nutrition supplements company, raised $7.5 million in Series A funding in January.

The overall global health and wellness category is expected to reach $7 trillion in annual revenue by 2024.

Editor’s Note: SC.Holdings is an investor in FOS and Athletic Greens is an FOS partner.