Meet Daniel Clarke | Co-Founder of Ambr Grading

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniel Clarke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
As a team, we were looking for a way to improve an industry that had not been measurably improved in thirty years – The TCG Card Grading and Authentication industry. There was a lot of room for disruption and we possess a complement of skills that make us ideal for creating an improved product in the space.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Ambr Grading offers grading and authentication services for trading card games. We evaluate cards for authenticity, then for condition, encapsulate them in an acrylic housing, and provide a detailed report for our customers. We joined the grading industry during a massive surge of demand in 2021. While we wanted to jump right in and take advantage of the steep growth opportunity, we held back until we could offer a product that solved some of the major issues that customers experience. Things like inconsistent grading practices, absurdly long return times measured in months and years, and ill-fitting cases meant for sports cards. There was a clear need for a service that would focus on TCG cards rather than sports cards- which were, at the time, the market’s largest segment. After a successful Kickstarter campaign and months of design and development work, we created a new case and a method of printing our labels directly to our case that is unique to the industry. We solved the long return times by creating a queue system and tackled subjective grading with a scientific approach that proved far more reliable. We have a service that we are proud of, and that our customers love.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Go hiking!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We are incredibly grateful for the University of Arizona’s Center for Innovation and Start-Up Tucson. Both organizations have been instrumental in our success by providing support, resources, and guidance that we couldn’t get anywhere else. Without our backers on Kickstarter, which include friends, family, and people who believe in our mission, we are extremely grateful.

Website: https://ambrgrading.com/

Instagram: ambrgrading

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmfMrXJUpFaXDLw8p6Ael1w