Faves, a new athlete marketing platform built by pro athletes and fintech/adtech experts that lets brands tap real athlete influence, officially launched this fall with over 400 professional athletes already live in its ecosystem. As the performance economy reshapes how consumers make decisions, Faves provides the infrastructure brands need to activate athlete influence at scale alongside the tools athletes need to earn more from the products and tools they already use and trust. Simply put: Faves offers athletes opportunities to make a living doing what they love, brand partners the opportunity to drive affinity, credibility, and conversion, and consumers a discovery marketplace fueled by authenticity. To date Faves has raised over $3M from institutional investors including CMT Digital and Collider Ventures .
Faves arrives at a moment when sport is becoming one of the few AI-proof cultural forces as global sports viewership is up 34% since 2020, women’s sports are up 300%+, and athletes hold 3× more trust than traditional celebrity endorsers. Meanwhile, fitness and wellness has grown into a $1.5T market, where performance is becoming a modern status symbol, and consumers are looking to the people who live it every day: professional athletes.
“Faves was built by athletes, for athletes. Sport is in our DNA, and athletes are at the center of every decision we make,” said Thomas Salas, CEO of Faves. By meeting pros where they are and giving them a better place to manage the business of sport, we’re building partnerships that last longer, go farther, and maintain the credibility that makes this industry so uniquely positioned for what’s next in sport and in commerce.”
Faves founding team combines elite athletic experience with product and fintech expertise. Since its soft launch in July 2025, Faves has grown exponentially, surpassing 400 pro athletes, 100k+ fans shopping on Faves monthly, and $100k+ athlete earnings.
“I’ve been a pro athlete for almost a decade, and for years I relied on outdated methods of promotion while watching countless teammates struggle to understand how to properly monetize their influence. Faves brings the brand-athlete relationship into a new era. No more scattered links, no more guesswork, this is a seamless way for athletes to understand their value and get paid for it,” said Sam Parsons, Professional Runner, Five Time World Championship Qualifier, and Faves Cofounder.
Faves is the athlete marketing platform providing brands the most powerful distribution in sport. With 400+ professional athletes and growing, Faves helps brands activate authentic athlete influence at scale, while empowering athletes to own their data, earn more, and share the products they trust most. To learn more visit faves.xyz.
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