Sporta Closes Crowdcube Round as Community Backs AI-Native Bank for Sport, Leisure and Wellbeing

Sporta, the emerging AI-native bank designed to serve the sport, leisure and wellbeing sectors, has closed its latest Crowdcube campaign with £122,923 raised from community investors.

The crowdfunding element forms part of Sporta’s second seed round and was designed to give individuals, clubs and early supporters - many of whom engaged during Sporta’s market-research phase - the opportunity to invest at levels that were previously inaccessible.

Sporta’s leadership emphasises that this raise is about establishing trust and community ownership at a formative point in the company’s journey toward full regulatory approval.

This fundraising is part of the wider journey to become the leading bank that powers sport, leisure and wellbeing. Sporta is the world’s first AI-native challenger bank built for the UK sports ecosystem, a £100B economy with 43 million participants but no dedicated financial infrastructure.

With the initial seed round completed in May 2025, Sporta expects to complete its UK banking licence submission and build its MVP during 2026, targeting licence approval in Q3 2026.

Andrew Smith, Founder of Sporta, said: “This round was never about scale, it was about inclusion. From day one, people across sport told us they wanted to be part of what we’re building, even if they couldn’t meet traditional investment thresholds. Crowdcube let us honour that. Raising £122,923 at this stage is a strong signal of trust, but more importantly it shows we’re building the bank for this community with this community.”

Sporta confirmed its valuation has increased by 75% since its initial seed close reflecting rapid progress in building its proprietary technology, recruiting core talent and shaping its regulatory pathway.

Smith added, “The journey continues. Securing our banking licence, delivering our first products and deepening our technology build remain our focus. Today’s announcement marks another step forward - measured, deliberate and aligned with our long-term mission to create a bank that genuinely serves and empowers everyone in sport, leisure and wellbeing.”

Sporta anticipates returning to crowdfunding again as part of its planned Series A raise. This will take place once a banking license has been secured but with restrictions. This forms part of its defined core strategy of balancing institutional capital with accessible community investment - a model used effectively by several standout UK fintechs in their formative stages.