Courtyard is revolutionizing the $400 billion USD collectibles market by introducing a unique blockchain-based approach to merge the physical and digital worlds of assets. By creating “connected collectibles” using cutting-edge technology, the platform provides collectors with a secure and convenient way to authenticate, insure, and safeguard their high-value physical assets in Brink’s vaults. At the same time, collectors can trade their digital counterparts of these collectibles worldwide as NFTs with ease.

Courtyard’s head of community, Jake Spinowitz, emphasized the importance of trust when it comes to vaulting valuable physical possessions, and the platform has an exclusive partnership with Brink’s, a renowned company for secure storage and logistics. This ensures that collectors can feel confident that their assets are being safeguarded and can be shipped straight to their door in over 150 countries at any time.

The innovative aspect of the process is that Courtyard creates 3D-rendered digital clones of the physical collectibles stored in the vaults, minted on-chain as NFTs. This eliminates the challenges faced by buyers and sellers in the collectibles market, such as shipping issues, high fees, and storage constraints.

Although some collectors may still be skeptical of the concept of NFTs, Courtyard’s mission is to help educate the physical collector base on how on-chain solutions can enhance, protect and advance collectible trading markets. The platform offers a new level of liquidity and transparency to the collectibles market, unlocking fresh opportunities for previously dormant assets. Connected collectibles can be showcased in digital showrooms worldwide or used to earn commissions by curating collectibles to be sold online.

Courtyard’s team comprises experienced professionals, including a former Apple senior software engineer and ex-Google partnerships lead. The platform has successfully completed Y Combinator’s accelerator program and raised $7 million USD in funding from notable participants like Gary Vaynerchuk, OpenSea, and Brink’s.

The platform has also achieved other significant milestones, including the release and rapid sale of $500,000 USD worth of vaulted Pokémon cards as NFTs, onboarding over 1,000 physical collectibles to the blockchain, and developing SNEAKS, a platform for limited-edition collectible sneakers.

Physical collectors interested in turning their assets into blockchain-backed connected collectibles can join Courtyard’s waitlist. Although the offering is currently limited to graded cards, comics, and coins from collectors within the U.S., the platform plans to expand its offerings to include more assets and countries in the near future.

Courtyard is also collaborating with various brands to help them leverage the power of connected collectibles. The platform’s upcoming partnerships include the release of 222 gold egg sculptures with Jeremy Fall’s Golden Egg Club and a project with a prominent NFT brand, to be revealed soon.

Overall, Courtyard’s primary goal is to help empower and expand the realm of physical collectibles through on-chain mechanics that provide increased security, value, trust, and enjoyment for the collector.