The Betting Startups Podcast

Betting On It, S1 E8: Drew & Sahil pitch BetsBooster to an expert investor panel (Season 1 finale!)

BettingStartups.com brings you Season 1 of Betting On It, an 8-episode series that follows one betting industry startup as it gets investor-ready ahead of its seed funding round.
In the Season 1 finale, Drew and Sahil pitch BetsBooster to 3 industry investors, who share their feedback and perspectives on the opportunity. 
The subsequent Q&A leads to some excellent discussion, including:
The potential challenges of offering different types of arbitrage bets in a gamified experience
Aligning the pricing model with value to the users
The technical complexity of seamless arbitrage in a mobile form factor
The use of gamification to drive user retention
Product positioning, and "what it wants to become when it grows up"
📹 Episode video clips (opens in YouTube):
Sahil takes the investors through the pitch deck (5:52)
Drew gives the investors a demo of the new BetsBooster app (3:12)
 
👤 Investor profiles:
Lloyd Danzig, Managing Partner of Sharp Alpha Advisors
Peter Heneghan, Senior Associate at Bettor Capital 
Marco Blume, advisor and investor 
 
Want an invite to use the new BetsBooster app? If you are a resident of NJ and 21 years of age or older, apply here for exclusive access.
 
Betting On It is made possible by GeoComply, which provides fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions that detect location fraud and help verify a user’s true digital identity. To learn more, visit: www.geocomply.com
 
Btw: did you know we have a newsletter? The Betting Startups Newsletter is the easiest way to keep your finger on the pulse of the betting industry's rapidly evolving early-stage ecosystem. New issues weekly. ⚡Subscribe Now⚡

Betting On It, S1 E7: Building a marketing blueprint w/ James McLoughlin

BettingStartups.com brings you Season 1 of Betting On It, an 8-episode series that follows one betting industry startup as it gets investor-ready ahead of its seed funding round.
In this episode, Drew and Sahil from BetsBooster are joined by James McLoughlin from Stirling Mac, who shares a ton of practical, actionable marketing advice.
They discuss:
The basic set of 'marketing musts' for any B2C mobile app 
App store optimization, and which specific tactics help drive organic downloads using ASO
Why and how to use storytelling in content and creative to build brand awareness
How to leverage influencers to promote products, and best practices for engaging with them
Launching and running an affiliate program
Driving virality through incentivized user referrals 
 
Betting On It is made possible by GeoComply, which provides fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions that detect location fraud and help verify a user’s true digital identity. To learn more, visit: www.geocomply.com
 
Btw: did you know we have a newsletter? The Betting Startups Newsletter is the easiest way to keep your finger on the pulse of the betting industry's rapidly evolving early-stage ecosystem. New issues weekly. ⚡Subscribe Now⚡

Ep. 68: Using gamification to drive betting customer loyalty w/ Dan Taren from Scrimmage

Ep. 68 features Dan Taren from Scrimmage, a retention tool for sports betting operators.
Hear him discuss:
His experience winning the SBC First Pitch competition, and what he thinks is a recipe for a successful pitch
Scrimmage’s origins as a sports betting hedge fund based out of Gibraltar
How going through the Techstars accelerator program led to a pivot into the current incarnation of Scrimmage
Using gamification techniques to help drive customer loyalty for sports betting operators
How he thinks about where web3 and NFT’s fit into the landscape for loyalty-based rewards
Why doing something he doesn’t love is “far worse than the anxiety of a company failing”
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Scrimmage website
➡️ Dan Taren on Linkedin
 
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This episode is brought to you by the Canadian Gaming Summit, which returns to Toronto June 13-15.
To learn more and secure your ticket for the Canadian Gaming Summit, visit www.sbcevents.com, and make sure to use promo code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP for $200 of your pass.

Betting On It, S1 E6: Financial modeling for startups w/ Kenneth Giles from Forecastr.co

BettingStartups.com brings you Season 1 of Betting On It, an 8-episode series that follows one betting industry startup as it gets investor-ready ahead of its seed funding round.
In this episode, Drew and Sahil from BetsBooster are joined by Kenneth Giles from Forecastr.co, who drops a ton of knowledge on everything related to financial modeling for early-stage companies.
They discuss:
Different broad approaches to fundraising strategy, and the pros and cons to each
The importance of doing bottoms-up customer modeling, and how to get started with that process
Understanding which metrics matter most for early-stage companies, especially when there isn't always a lot of available data
How to think about and approach valuation in discussions with investors
Using SAFE agreements for investment, and why they are a popular option for startups 
Betting On It is made possible by GeoComply, which provides fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions that detect location fraud and help verify a user’s true digital identity. To learn more, visit: www.geocomply.com
 
Btw: did you know we have a newsletter? The Betting Startups Newsletter is the easiest way to keep your finger on the pulse of the betting industry's rapidly evolving early-stage ecosystem. New issues weekly. ⚡Subscribe Now⚡

Betting On It, S1 E5: Running a successful crowdfunding campaign w/ Aaron Basch from Sparket

BettingStartups.com brings you Season 1 of Betting On It, an 8-episode series that follows one betting industry startup as it gets investor-ready ahead of its seed funding round.
In this episode, Drew and Sahil from BetsBooster are joined by Aaron Basch from Sparket, who shares his experience running a successful crowdfunding campaign.
They discuss:
How to prepare to launch a public fundraising campaign in a compliant way
Determining what incentives to offer backers of a crowdfunding campaign 
Where to market and promote your crowdfunding campaign based on what worked well for Sparket
What Aaron sees as the relative pros and cons of crowdfunding versus more traditional funding options
How VCs view crowdfunding, and whether they see it as a positive signal 
 
Betting On It is made possible by GeoComply, which provides fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions that detect location fraud and help verify a user’s true digital identity. To learn more, visit: www.geocomply.com
 
Btw: did you know we have a newsletter? The Betting Startups Newsletter is the easiest way to keep your finger on the pulse of the betting industry's rapidly evolving early-stage ecosystem. New issues weekly. ⚡Subscribe Now⚡

Ep. 67: Building a free-to-play content aggregation platform w/ Hussain Naqi from Inside The Pocket

Ep. 67 features Hussain Naqi from Inside The Pocket, a free-to-play content aggregation platform, and WonderWins, a DFS product for cricket and soccer fans in emerging markets.
Hear him discuss:
His background working for professional sports leagues, including the NFL, MLB, NCAA - plus a long tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars
The current state of the free-to-play landscape
Why he thinks that operators shouldn't "tie up their marketing and acquisition strategy in one product"
Raising a Series A in the current funding environment, and what he's hearing from investors
Partnering with ESPN to develop and launch a DFS product for India, called WonderWins
His observations of the market in India after launching WonderWins there, and how he sees that market evolving 
What it means to have Inside The Pocket selected as one of five finalists at the 2023 SBC First Pitch competition
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Inside The Pocket website
➡️ WonderWins website
➡️ Hussain Naqi on Linkedin
 
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This episode is brought to you by SBC Summit North America, the biggest dedicated igaming and sports betting event in North America, which returns to New Jersey May 9-11.
To learn more and secure your ticket for SBC Summit North America visit www.sbcevents.com, and make sure to use promo code BSP23 for $200 of your pass.

Betting On It, S1 E4: Embracing the entrepreneurial grind

BettingStartups.com brings you Season 1 of Betting On It, an 8-episode series that follows one betting industry startup as it gets investor-ready ahead of its seed funding round.
In this episode, Drew from BetsBooster is joined by Colin Davy from Betscope, who discuss their respective entrepreneurial journeys from a number of perspectives. 
They discuss:
What motivated them to take the leap from corporate jobs to entrepreneurship
How they think about the word "sacrifice" within the context of their startups
Why they have chosen to bootstrap their companies to this point, and the relative pros/cons of that decision
Living with a minimalist mindset, and how that extends into the world of business and entrepreneurship
Developing the self-confidence needed to become the best in the world at something
 
Betting On It is made possible by GeoComply, which provides fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions that detect location fraud and help verify a user’s true digital identity. To learn more, visit: www.geocomply.com
 
Btw: did you know we have a newsletter? The Betting Startups Newsletter is the easiest way to keep your finger on the pulse of the betting industry's rapidly evolving early-stage ecosystem. New issues weekly. ⚡Subscribe Now⚡

Betting On It, S1 E3: A masterclass in gamification w/ Yu-Kai Chou

BettingStartups.com brings you Season 1 of Betting On It, an 8-episode series that follows one betting industry startup as it gets investor-ready ahead of its seed funding round.
In this episode, Drew and Sahil from BetsBooster are joined by the world's top gamification guru, Yu-Kai Chou.
This episode was an absolute masterclass in game mechanics, which is especially relevant to B2C products.
They discuss:
The Octalysis Framework for Gamification & Behavioral Design
Which game mechanics best align to sports fans' passion for their teams 
How to think about designing the optimal user referral program
 
Betting On It is made possible by GeoComply, which provides fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions that detect location fraud and help verify a user’s true digital identity. To learn more, visit: www.geocomply.com
 
Btw: did you know we have a newsletter? The Betting Startups Newsletter is the easiest way to keep your finger on the pulse of the betting industry's rapidly evolving early-stage ecosystem. New issues weekly. ⚡Subscribe Now⚡

Ep. 66: Pivoting towards a profitable business model w/ Evan Kirkham from Outlier

Ep. 66 features Evan Kirkham from Outlier, where sports fans can browse, analyze, and execute bets with confidence.
Hear him discuss:
Outlier's origins as a social sports talk app before pivoting the product 
Why he and his cofounders decided to execute on the pivot, despite having over 10,000 MAUs
How the current Outlier product is creating a one-stop-shop for all stages of the sports bettors' journey
Why he thinks "the most successful partnerships are ones where there's actually no exchange of dollars"
How they are using product-led growth tactics to acquire and retain users
Why he is committed to building a B2C business, despite seeing potential in B2B opportunities 
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Outlier website
➡️ Evan Kirkham on Linkedin
➡️ Outlier on Linkedin
 
=================
This episode is brought to you by SBC Summit North America, the biggest dedicated igaming and sports betting event in North America, which returns to New Jersey May 9-11.
To learn more and secure your ticket for SBC Summit North America visit www.sbcevents.com, and make sure to use promo code BSP23 for $200 of your pass.

Betting On It, S1 E2: Learnings from the UK market w/ John Gordon from Incentive Games

BettingStartups.com brings you Season 1 of Betting On It, an 8-episode series that follows one betting industry startup as it gets investor-ready ahead of its seed funding round.
In this episode, Drew and Sahil from BetsBooster are joined by guest John Gordon, co-founder & CEO of Incentive Games. They discuss:
Learnings from the mature UK betting market as the guys look at the US opportunity for BetsBooster
John's thoughts on launching a B2C betting product in the current environment, and why having an intuitive UX is critical
Fundraising tips based on John's experience raising capital for Incentive Games
The 2 things that John would be thinking about if he was in Drew and Sahil's shoes right now
 
Betting On It is made possible by GeoComply, which provides fraud prevention and cybersecurity solutions that detect location fraud and help verify a user’s true digital identity. To learn more, visit: www.geocomply.com
 
Btw: did you know we have a newsletter? The Betting Startups Newsletter is the easiest way to keep your finger on the pulse of the betting industry's rapidly evolving early-stage ecosystem. New issues weekly. ⚡Subscribe Now⚡