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59 minutes ago
59 minutes ago
Ep. 162 features Owen Monagan and Oisin Tiernan from Layup, which is a FinTech company providing a gamified savings product that turns interest into free sports picks. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025.
Hear them discuss:
Their journey from building a Fantasy Premier League app together to launching Layup
How growing up with “prize bonds” in Ireland inspired Layup’s concept
Why their product offers a responsible alternative to sports betting and lottery
How Layup converts interest earned into sports picks that resemble parlays
The mechanics of how users can win money without risking any principal
The challenges of navigating state-by-state banking regulations in the U.S.
Why user education and overcoming skepticism are key to their marketing strategy
How early adopters are resonating with the concept of “winning without losing”
Why they are targeting both FinTech and gaming-focused investors in their next round
Their vision to build Layup into a culturally accepted alternative to sports betting
How they aim to expand globally and bring Layup back to Ireland and the UK
Why they see Layup as a “non-alcoholic beer” alternative in the sports betting space
SBC Americas makes its debut in Fort Lauderdale on May 13-15, and you won’t want to miss it! Get 50% off your Full Event Pass at checkout using discount code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP. Secure your ticket now: https://sbcevents.com/en/sbc-summit-americas/full-event-pass/
Catch the video version of this episode here.
Learn more 👇
➡️ Layup website
➡️ Owen Monagan on Linkedin
➡️ Oisin Tiernan on Linkedin
📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
Tuesday Apr 15, 2025
Tuesday Apr 15, 2025
Ep. 161 features Aishik Lala from Rotobot AI, an AI-driven platform tackling fantasy football’s information overload with personalized insights. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025.
Hear him discuss:
How ChatGPT’s rise inspired a chatbot to answer fantasy football questions
The launch of a simple web app in 2023 and discovering chat alone wasn’t enough for their vision
the evolution into a full app with player profiles and stat discovery
Hitting 10,000 downloads via TikTok livestreams with no marketing spend
Why distribution is as critical as the product in today’s startup game
Plans for league sync, advanced stats, and betting features by year-end
Why they're keeping it lean with angel funding over big VC rounds
How AI’s lowering barriers for zero-to-one entrepreneurs everywhere
His five-year dream: smarter fans, creators, and maybe even scouting
Catch the video version of this episode here.
Learn more 👇
➡️ Rotobot AI website
➡️ Aishik Lala on Linkedin
📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Tuesday Apr 08, 2025
Ep. 160 features Sebastian from Plucky, which is pioneering "gambling as a service," enabling brands with an audience to offer real money gaming without getting involved in regulation. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025.
Hear him discuss:
Winning the Starties award for Best Collaboration after partnering with Genius Sports to monetize free-to-play games
The deal with The Sun, monetizing half a million UK fantasy players through Plucky’s platform
His journey from a high school dropout to building and exiting multiple tech startups
How Plucky integrates regulated real money gaming seamlessly into fantasy and live environments
Plans to expand into Ireland, Australia, South Africa, and explore the U.S. market as a game of skill provider
The innovative live environment partnership with Sixes Cricket, allowing friends to bet while playing in a bar
The importance of lifetime value and building stickiness in Plucky’s business model
Why he believes in prioritizing distribution over product in the early stages of a startup
His strategy for handing off leadership when Plucky scales beyond the initial growth stage
His long-term vision of making Plucky a verb synonymous with engaging audiences in real money gaming environments
How he sees massive potential in blending real money gaming with live sports environments in the future
Catch the video version of this episode here.
Learn more 👇
➡️ Plucky website
➡️ Sebastian Lewis on Linkedin
📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
Tuesday Apr 01, 2025
Tuesday Apr 01, 2025
Ep. 159 features Aman Agarwal and Jatin Narang from Toast, building live multiplayer skill games with built-in player liquidity for real money iGaming. This episode was recorded at the World Trade Center during the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025.
Hear them discuss:
Toast’s origins: uniting Aman’s gambling roots and Jatin’s free-to-play expertise
Blending gambling psychology with free-to-play innovation to shape their vision
Their thesis for how skill games can fill the U.S. iCasino regulatory gap
How they ideate on new game concepts and formats, including their latest skill-based basketball game
Their learnings from the last G2E conference that led to development of new core infrastructure
How interest in their games is converting into commercial traction
How growing interest in entrepreneurship has led to a startup boom in India
Securing a Lightspeed seed round pre-product in just six weeks
Check out a demo of one of Toast's games here: https://21-jack.playtoast.com/
Watch the video version of this episode here.
Learn more 👇
➡️ Toast website
➡️ Aman Agarwal on Linkedin
➡️ Jatin Narang on Linkedin
📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
Tuesday Mar 25, 2025
Ep. 158 features Shivam Shorewala from Rimble, a next-generation esports odds and analytics platform powering player props and beyond. This episode was recorded in person at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2025.
Hear him discuss:
How his early days at SimpleBet sparked the idea for Esports micro markets
Why messy esports data forced a pivot to pre-game player props
Building a niche product filling the esports betting gap for operators
The surprising demand for Counter Strike and expanding to League of Legends
How official data deals and computer vision solved their data woes
Running a lean, bootstrapped team of seven engineers in San Francisco
Why skipping VC funding keeps them focused on product over hype
Expanding into cricket and kabaddi for Asian markets
Staying in the long tail of niche sports instead of chasing NFL
His five-year vision: powering esports and fan engagement with AI
Catch the video version of this episode here.
Learn more 👇
➡️ Rimble website
➡️ Shivam Shorewala on Linkedin
📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
Wednesday Mar 19, 2025
Wednesday Mar 19, 2025
Ep. 157 features Will Martin from LiveDuel, a decentralized blockchain-based betting exchange aiming to simplify sports betting with crypto innovations. This episode was recorded on-site at the NEXT Summit New York in March 2024.
Hear him discuss:
How a $300 TikTok filter campaign for the 2022 World Cup won Marketing Genius at The Starties
The origin of LiveDuel from Will’s background in arbitrage, prop trading, and meme stocks
Why they’re creating a hybrid model between sportsbooks and betting exchanges
How liquidity pools and smart contracts enable a smooth betting experience
The evolution of their thesis amid the rise of prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi
Their go-to-market strategy, and who they see as their ideal target customer
Why they are focused on soccer only for the time being
Regulatory challenges of launching a crypto-based platform, especially in the U.S.
Their experience in Techstars, and current efforts to raise a new round of capital
Creative marketing approaches that stood out at The Starties awards
Catch the video version of this episode here.
Learn more 👇
➡️ LiveDuel website
➡️ Will Martin on Linkedin
📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Ep. 156 features KB from Pick The Odds, which is a cutting-edge sports betting data platform providing real-time odds, arbitrage opportunities, and historical betting insights.
Hear him discuss:
How his background in eSports data and machine learning led to launching Pick The Odds
The conversation at an Eagles game that sparked the idea for his platform
How Pick The Odds collects and updates lines from over 100 sportsbooks in under 1.6 seconds
Why he focuses on building advanced betting tools rather than offering AI-driven picks
Why his pricing model ensures users get value while keeping the business self-funded
How he built a thriving, non-toxic betting community through Discord
His plan to introduce a bet-tracking tool to verify picks and combat misinformation
His vision for making Pick The Odds the go-to platform for sharp bettors
Why he has resisted outside investment and is committed to keeping the company independent
His take on the future of sports betting, regulation, and the rise of new platforms
Speaking of the NEXT NYC Summit, capacity is limited and tickets will sell out. Secure yours now and get $200 off your Full Event Pass with code SB2NYC52. Get your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/#tickets
Catch the video version of this episode here.
Learn more 👇
➡️ Pick The Odds website
📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/
--
This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
Wednesday Mar 05, 2025
Wednesday Mar 05, 2025
Ep. 155 features Co-Founders Ty D'Amore and Justin Järvinen from Bankroll U, which is a platform designed to educate bettors while providing a gamified environment that mimics real-money betting.Hear them discuss:
How a barrage of sportsbook ads sparked the idea for BankrollU
Why simulated betting is the best way to learn without going broke
The unique progression system that lets users prove they can win before earning real cash bonuses
Justin’s journey from venture studios and fintech to jumping on board with BankrollU
Ty’s experience scaling a tech company to a NASDAQ public listing and what he’s applying to BankrollU
The months of legal hurdles they tackled to make this model work
Why they see BankrollU as an educational tool, not a sportsbook or affiliate
The early traction they’re seeing and why players keep coming back
Why self-funding the company gives them an edge in building the best product
How they’re building a sports betting community that’s all about learning and winning
Their five-year vision—making bettors wonder how they ever placed a bet without this
Speaking of the NEXT NYC Summit, capacity is limited and tickets will sell out. Secure yours now and get $200 off your Full Event Pass with code SB2NYC52. Get your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/#tickets
Catch the video version of this episode here.
Learn more 👇
➡️ Bankroll U website
➡️ Justin Jarvinen on Linkedin
📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
Wednesday Feb 26, 2025
Wednesday Feb 26, 2025
Ep. 154 features Travis Geiger, who joins Jesse in this special episode that zooms in on the upcoming Starties awards show on March 12. Hear them discuss:
Their reflections on the crazy journey in the last 30 days since The Starties were announced
A look into the 250+ nominations that were submitted for the 9 award categories
The creation of the Starties Academy, and the inspiration behind creating a voting committee to ensure fairness and transparency
The unique venue where The Starties will be held in NYC
An update on ticket availability (look below for a link to buy your ticket!)
The announcement of award finalists across each award category
Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.
🎟️ General Admission tickets for The Starties are now on sale, with very limited capacity: https://thestarties2025.eventbrite.com
💰 Claim your $200 discount on a Full Event Pass to NEXT Summit NYC with code SB2NYC52: https://next.io/summits/newyork/#tickets
📱 Follow The Starties on Linkedin and Twitter
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
Ep. 153 features Tyler Amirault and James White from HotTakes, which is the ultimate free-to-play sports betting simulator.
Hear them discuss:
How their time at Western University led to HotTakes, starting as a passion project before becoming a full-time venture
The idea behind HotTakes—letting sports fans try betting for free, win real cash prizes, and learn without risk
Their business model, which monetizes user attention and shares value with players through an affiliate-driven rewards system
Why they've been so successful as affiliates at a time when so many other affiliates are struggling
The recent launch of their redesigned app as their entry point into the US market
Why they believe betting growth comes from new players, not competing for existing high-value bettors
How having top industry advisors such as John Gordon, Paris Smith, and Benjie Cherniak has unlocked new opportunities for HotTakes
Plans to raise $3M in Series A for user acquisition, key hires, and brand-building
Speaking of the NEXT NYC Summit, capacity is limited and tickets will sell out. Secure yours now and get $200 off your Full Event Pass with code SB2NYC52. Get your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/#tickets
Catch the video version of this episode here.
Learn more 👇
➡️ HotTakes website
➡️ Tyler Amirault on Linkedin
➡️ James White on Linkedin
📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/
--
This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.