Courtyard Secures $30M Series A Funding Led by Forerunner Ventures

Courtyard, a New York-based startup, has completed a $30 million Series A funding round led by Forerunner Ventures and involving NEA and Y Combinator. The company sells "blind box" trading cards and comic books via its digital vending machine website, allowing users to resell at 90% market price or store for free in Courtyard's warehouse. Proceeds will be used to expand the team, increase marketing investment, and broaden the product line.

New York-based startup Courtyard has completed a $30 million Series A funding round, led by Forerunner Ventures, with participation from NEA and Y Combinator. The funding will be used to expand the team, increase marketing investment, and broaden the product line [2].

Courtyard operates a digital vending machine platform that sells "blind box" trading cards and comic books. Users can resell items at a 90% market price or store them for free in Courtyard's warehouse. The company's innovative model has gained traction, with the funding round reflecting investor confidence in its growth potential.

The broader collectibles market has shown strong growth, with Courtyard positioned to capitalize on this trend. The startup's ability to leverage digital platforms for distribution and resale could drive significant market disruption, especially with the rising popularity of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and digital collectibles [2].

The funding round comes as the broader tech and AI sectors continue to evolve rapidly. For instance, Reka AI, a startup spun out of former Google and Meta research labs, recently secured $110 million in Series B funding, more than tripling its valuation to over $1 billion. This funding, led by Nvidia and Snowflake, underscores the growing potential of the enterprise AI market [3].

The success of Courtyard and Reka AI highlights the dynamic and rapidly evolving landscape of the tech and AI sectors. As investors remain optimistic about the future prospects of companies like these, Courtyard's funding round signals a strong commitment to innovation and growth in the collectibles market.

References:
[1] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nicolas-le-jeune_were-excited-to-announce-that-courtyardio-activity-7354167842650386432-UEgI
[2] https://fortune.com/2025/07/24/exclusive-forerunner-leads-30-million-round-in-collectibles-marketplace-courtyard/
[3] https://www.ainvest.com/news/nvidia-snowflake-fuel-reka-ai-billion-dollar-valuation-110m-funding-2507/