€15m · Other round · Sports · Zielona Góra, Poland
Sportano has raised €15m in equity from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to expand its specialist sports-commerce platform across Europe.
The Zielona Góra-based company says the capital will fund technology and AI-driven capabilities, logistics automation, inventory growth and the development of proprietary and exclusive brands. EBRD is joining existing backer bValue as a minority shareholder.
Founded in 2021, Sportano sells specialist products across more than 60 sports. EBRD says the company now operates in Poland and 12 international markets, with more than half of sales generated outside its home market. Founder Marcin Grzymkowski said Sportano reached profitability in the first half of 2026.
Inventory depth can make specialist retail travel
Specialist sports retail requires a broad catalogue while serving technical niches. Product availability and fulfilment are therefore central to the customer proposition, but inventory also ties up working capital. Sportano is directing equity into both stock and logistics automation: a larger range is useful only if the company can move it across borders without recreating the same operating cost in every country.
International markets already contribute more than half of sales, according to EBRD, so this phase is about making an existing cross-border model denser. Proprietary brands could improve margin and assortment control, while better demand data can guide where inventory sits. The commercial test is whether those gains offset the cash and forecasting risk of carrying more stock across 13 markets.
Sources checked: EBRD funding announcement; EBRD project record; Tech.eu Funding Explorer event; Tech.eu company profile; bValue shareholder update.
The display date uses Tech.eu's 14 September 2026 event date because the rendered EBRD announcement did not expose a visible publication date.
