TCGplayer has obtained $35 million in financing from Vista Credit Partners, the credit-investing arm of Vista Equity Partners, the companies announced. The financing will be used to support growth and expansion into additional verticals including sports cards and comics, according to the announcement. TCGplayer raised $10 million in equity funding from Radian Capital back in 2018 (see "TCGplayer Raises $10 Million in Investment Capital").
TCGplayer has been growing rapidly, and is profitable, the company said. "We have maintained triple digit growth for the last 12 months and have been fortunate to fuel all of our hiring needs through our own profitability," TCGplayer founder and CEO Chedy Hampson said in a statement accompanying the announcement. That hiring has been substantial, growing the company’s headcount to over 450 employees with a freshly populated C-suite that now includes a Chief People Officer, Chief Product Officer (see "TCGplayer Adds Chief Product Officer"), and Chief Marketing Officer (see "TCGplayer Adds CMO").
Hampson expects further growth in the company’s core collectible games category. "Now as hobbyists return to their local stores that double as community centers, we anticipate another tailwind from in-store tournaments and player and artist signings," he said.
Vista Credit Partners is also bullish on the prospects. "TCGplayer is a business at an inflection point, Vista Credit partners President David Flannery said. “Having successfully capitalized on increased collector demand, the Company is now poised for rapid expansion as it continues to build a deep vertical connective tissue joining hobbyists, retailers and publishers."
In Growth Financing
Posted by Milton Griepp on June 30, 2021 @ 2:35 am CT