Courtyard

Courtyard.io operates a platform that merges the physical and digital worlds for the collectibles market, specifically targeting graded trading cards and comic books. The company was established in 2021 by co-founders Nicolas le Jeune, who serves as CEO, and Paulin Andurand, the CTO. Le Jeune brings over eight years of experience in sales and partnerships from his time at Google and YouTube, while Andurand spent more than seven years as a software engineer at Apple before co-founding Courtyard. This venture emerged from their shared interest in the challenges and potential of the NFT space.

The firm's core business involves a tokenization service where physical collectibles are vaulted, insured, and represented as digital assets on the blockchain. Partnering with Brink's for secure, fine art-grade storage, Courtyard allows owners to send in their graded collectibles, which are then authenticated and digitized. This process creates a digital token, or NFT, that is backed 1:1 by the physical item, which can then be traded instantly on Courtyard's marketplace. This model addresses the friction, risks, and time involved in traditional collectible trading, such as shipping and susceptibility to scams, by enabling global transactions without the physical asset needing to move. The company targets both seasoned collectors and investors as well as newcomers to the collectibles space.

Revenue is generated through its marketplace, which features zero seller fees for items stored in its vault. A key offering is the 'digital vending machine' or mystery packs, where users can purchase randomized, graded items. After a purchase, the buyer is shown the revealed card and can choose to accept an immediate buyback offer, hold the asset in their digital collection, or have the physical card shipped to them. The company also provides an incentive where original owners who vaulted their cards earn a 1% commission each time their tokenized asset is resold on the platform. Having participated in the Y Combinator Winter 2022 batch, Courtyard has since secured significant capital, including a $30 million Series A round, to expand into new collectible categories and develop a mobile application.

Keywords: physical collectibles, digital ownership, tokenization, collectibles marketplace, trading cards, blockchain, NFTs, vaulting services, graded cards, asset-backed tokens, Nicolas le Jeune, Paulin Andurand, Y Combinator, Brink's partnership, mystery packs, digital vending machine, comic books, onchain collectibles, collectibles liquidity, secure trading, passive income collectibles