Alexis Ohanian’s venture capital firm Seven Seven Six revealed on Thursday that its acquiring college sports trading card company ONIT, in a move that will help bolster a growing collectibles market in the era of student athlete name, image and likeness deals.
“It’s an opportunity to create a vehicle for underserved sports to reach their fans through sports cards, a product category I’ve been passionate about since I was a kid,” Ohanian said. “ONIT understands something fundamental about fandom and collecting that others have missed — it’s about community. The trading card hobby is growing fast and ONIT’s opportunity is to bring entirely new collectors into the space – not just serve the ones who already exist – by making collecting more accessible.”
ONIT sources its trading card roster from around two dozen collegiate sports and negotiates NIL rights with the athletes through school athletic departments and with OneTeam Partners to generate its collections. Every ONIT card is authenticated with many featuring autographs and other distinctive features that enhance its products.
The company offers several collections, including its ONIT Black, Gravity, Team Sets, College Clings, Timeless series and said it has seen revenue soar 244 percent in the past two years, including 57 percent year-over-year growth in 2025 which was a nearly 59 percent boost over that prior year.
Evan Parker, a former executive at NASCAR and The Athletic will be the new CEO at ONIT after helping build community platform Mantel with Ohanian and Brent Montgomery
“It’s a privilege to have the responsibility of being the only company that produces trading cards for many of the athletes we work with,” Parker said. “Whether they’re winning the Heisman Trophy or suiting up for the scout team, every player’s story can be told through collectibles and we take great pride in treating all of our athletes with the same care and respect.”
For the 2026-27 academic year, ONIT will be an officially-licensed trading card manufacturer for the fifth season of competition. The company said that products for 31 football teams will be released in August, with cards for 12 volleyball teams coming in September.
Seven Seven Six has aggressively invested in women’s sports in recent years along with other ventures and has quickly amassed a portfolio that includes Chelsea FC Women’s, Angel City FC, Los Angeles Volleyball of the LOVB league, TGL’s LA Golf Club and Athlos.
Athlos launched in 2024 and the all-women track and field showcase has drawn attention for its unique style of combining a concert-style atmosphere with competition — and the higher prize payouts compared to other league. This year’s Athlos meet returns to New York on October 2 but will also stage an event in London on September 18, its first international event.
