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ESPN, DraftKings Execs Join Soccer NFT Platform Sorare Following $680M Raise

The startup has been rapidly expanding since announcing its Series B in September.

By Eli Tan

Updated May 11, 2023, 7:08 p.m. Published Oct 7, 2021, 1:25 p.m.

Sorare recently added the Bundesliga as one of its leagues. (Lars Baron/Getty Images)

European soccer non-fungible token (NFT) platform Sorare is continuing its growth with a slew of new hires.

The company announced Thursday Ryan Spoon has been appointed as chief operating officer, bringing experience from BetMGM and ESPN.
Michael Meltzer, who previously worked for sports betting site DraftKings, will be the company’s new VP of business development.
David Byttow, a tech veteran who’s worked for Lyft, Snap and Postmates, has been hired as principle architect and head of mobile.
Kiana Davari has been brought on as Sorare’s head of people. She oversaw international talent as the first-ever recruiter at Lyft.
Sorare raised $680 million in a Series B funding round that valued the company at $4.3 billion.
The Paris-based firm has plans to grow the business internationally, including opening a U.S. office.

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UPDATE (Oct. 7 13:55 UTC): Corrects spelling of Michael Meltzer’s name.

Sorare NFTs Sports Hiring Hires

Eli Tan

Eli was a news reporter for CoinDesk who covered NFTs, gaming and the metaverse. He graduated from St. Olaf College with a degree in English. He holds ETH, SOL, AVAX and a few NFTs above CoinDesk's disclosure threshold of $1000.