VeeFriends: building a trading card game brand from scratch

Executive overview

Most IP brands are inherited or licensed. Gary Vaynerchuk is building one from zero, in public, starting with a trading card game called VeeFriends. The idea began in 2018 as a desk-toy concept to combat workplace misery, pivoted into NFTs, and is now a physical TCG with characters, animation, and a beta tournament circuit.

Character-driven IP is the long game; the tournament was proof the game works.

Origin of the idea

• Workplace misery DMs inspired a toy concept called Workplace Warriors in 2018
• COVID shelved the idea; NFTs revived it
• VeeFriends reframed the core theme: strangers → acquaintances → friends → family
• Described as "Sesame Street meets Pokémon" — character values wrapped in collectible IP
• Original hand-drawn characters have since been converted into production-ready form

VeeFriends as a brand

• Active outputs: TCG, animation, graded collectible cards, physical events
• Goal: a non-sports card brand recognised by millions
• Accountable Ant cited as the flagship character — accountability as the core cultural message
• Cards bridge web3 (NFT series) and physical collectibles in a single ecosystem

The inaugural tournament

• 52 competitors in a beta Compete & Collect tournament
• Winner received a one-of-one CTC Black Label graded champion card — the rarest VeeFriends card in existence
• 52 commemorative sample cards also distributed to all competitors
• Winner (Raul) opened 107 boxes to build his deck; pulled zero autos — the championship card replaced them
• Outcome validated game mechanics: losers immediately wanted a rematch

Earning vs. being given

• A 10-year-old asked for a YouTube sponsorship; Gary gave him $120 and a lesson instead
• Core point: shortcuts feel good at 10, hollow by 20
• Build subscribers by making videos people want to watch — not by chasing shout-outs
• Earned wins compound; given wins are spent fast