In a nutshell:
- Romanian startup Nordensa, a fan-powered platform for football talent, secured €1.65M in a seed round.
- The round took place with the participation of 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. Other investors include Emiliano Marcondes, AFC Bournemouth player, Lasse Vibe, former Denmark international, and Mads Davidsen, who is the Group Head of Football at the Right to Dream Academy.
Their background story:
Nordensa was established in 2022 by Adrian Docea and Guilherme Fernandes, currently headquartered in Cluj-Napoca. The company provides a platform for scout use, where fans can support football players to join major European clubs, acting as their backers. So far, it is a one of a kind application, and users get rewarded if the player gets transferred.
Currently, the company operates across Europe, having established partnerships with clubs like Standard de Liege, Real Zaragoza, Kawasaki Frontale, and others, as well as several football academies around the world.
Last year, Nordensa signed Joseph Iyendjock, the world’s first-ever fan-backed footballer, to a European club.
In their own words:
“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,” Adrian Docea, CEO and Founder of Nordensa, shared with Romania-Insider.com.
Next steps:
Nordensa is aiming to further develop the product, while incorporating additional sports to the platform. The Romanian startup is also planning expansion to new territories.
