The Betting Startups Podcast

Ep. 65 (Part 2) - Disrupting the iCasino industry w/ Karolina Pelc from BeyondPlay

On Part 2 of Ep. 65, we welcome back Karolina Pelc from BeyondPlay, which is transforming solitary game sessions into engaging multiplayer, entertainment experiences.
Hear her discuss:
What investors saw in the BeyondPlay opportunity that led to their just-announced $5m+ oversubscribed funding round
Her advice for other startups that are fundraising in the current economic environment, and why “you have to be adaptive” as a founder
Building workplace culture as a fully-remote team, and how she is thinking about maintaining culture as the company and team size grows
Her experience facing imposter syndrome as an entrepreneur, which inspired a tattoo as a permanent reminder to herself
Her work to champion women in leadership roles within the industry, including her assessment on how the industry is doing with gender diversity
How she thinks about and defines success, both for BeyondPlay, and for herself personally as an entrepreneur
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ BeyondPlay website
➡️ BeyondPlay on Linkedin
➡️ Karolina Pelc 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 E1: Exploring key assumptions

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 Episode 1, Jesse introduces the startup and its founders that will be featured in season 1. 
They walk through the current status of the company, and explore some of the key assumptions that are being used in their business plan as they get investor-ready. To do this, they use the lean canvas framework, which is a quick and easy way to think through and validate new business ideas.
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
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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. 65 (Part 1) - Disrupting the iCasino industry w/ Karolina Pelc from BeyondPlay

Ep. 65 features Karolina Pelc from BeyondPlay, which is transforming solitary game sessions into engaging multiplayer, entertainment experiences.
Hear her discuss:
The arc of her 21-year career in the industry, starting as a casino dealer and working her way to the top levels of the global iGaming industry
How she leveraged her reputation and credibility within the industry to generate initial support from advisors and investors in the early days of BeyondPlay
How BeyondPlay is innovating in the casino vertical through the introduction of multi-player slot experiences
Why she has invested heavily in building the BeyondPlay brand prior to launching the product, and how that has benefitted the company
Successfully closing initial commercial deals, and why she thinks this has been possible despite the product being pre-launch
The recent awarding of a UK supplier license, and how she is thinking about tackling multiple markets in parallel
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ BeyondPlay website
➡️ BeyondPlay on Linkedin
➡️ Karolina Pelc 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.

Ep. 64: Getting 25k organic app downloads w/ Caleb Dykema from Vault

Ep. 64 features Caleb Dykema from Vault, which is the Mint of sports betting.
Hear him discuss:
His background as a Mechanical Engineer and creating physical products before getting into software (including one that he patented!)
How the initial version of Vault as a simulation engine led to the discovery of new user problems, resulting in an early pivot
Why he focuses so much of his time on customer development, and how interviewing hundreds of people has helped shape the product
Generating 25,000+ app downloads organically last NFL season, and how he is planning to reach his goal of 80,000 MAU next NFL season
Why he thinks “personalization is gonna be the name of the game over the 3-5 years”
How he thinks about the affiliate business model, and why he “doesn't think that anybody's really mastered revenue generation quite yet”
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Vault website
➡️ Caleb Dykema on Linkedin
➡️ Vault 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.

Ep. 63: Joining the NBA Launchpad w/ Kelly Pracht and Jeremy Jones from nVenue

Ep. 63 is our first follow-up episode, featuring Kelly Pracht and Jeremy Jones from nVenue, which leverages the power of machine learning & AI to predict every possible outcome of each play.
Hear them discuss:
How life has changed at nVenue since their first appearance on the podcast in March 2022
Their takeaways and insights as attendees and panelists at the recent iGaming NEXT NYC event
The recent announcement of being accepted as one of seven startups in the NBA Launchpad program - and the only one focused on betting
The proliferation of mainstream attention on AI technology and tools, and how that’s influenced their approach as an AI-focused company
How getting the backing of Apple, MLB Network, and now the NBA has helped advance other B2B opportunities and commercialization of their technology
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ nVenue website
➡️ nVenue on Linkedin
➡️ Kelly Pracht on Linkedin
➡️ Jeremy Jones on Linkedin

Ep. 62 - Jaymee Messler, The Gaming Society

Ep. 62 introduces you to Jaymee Messler, co-founder of The Gaming Society, which is a betting education company on a mission to build an inclusive community that ignites the sports fan in us all.
Hear her discuss:
Her background in sports management, representing professional athletes like Pete Sampras, Paul Pierce, and Lamar Odom
How her and Derek Jeter connected on the idea empowering athletes to own their story and narrative, which led to them co-founding The Player’s Tribune
The work her team at The Gaming Society is doing to drive interest and engagement in women’s sports through their “Bet on Women” campaign in partnership with the WNBA
The importance of storytelling to make sports betting more accessible to different demographics
Building an all-star advisory board of professional athletes, and how she believes their involvement will help drive the company forward
Why she believes that “having conviction over consensus when you have an idea” is so important for entrepreneurs
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ The Gaming Society website
➡️ The Gaming Society on Twitter
➡️ Jaymee Messler on Linkedin

Ep. 61 - Alex Monahan, OddsJam

Ep. 61 introduces you to Alex Monahan, co-founder of OddsJam, which is the home page of sports betting.
Hear him discuss:
How his background as a quant trader helped him see sports betting from a market and data perspective
The growing ‘betting tools’ category, and why he thinks that OddsJam is uniquely positioned within it
Why OddsJam emphasizes education through content, and why audience growth of that content is their biggest focus
Last year’s acquisition of Odds Boom, how the deal came together, and why it made sense for both parties
The B2B opportunity for OddsJam, and how he views it versus the core B2C business model that it launched with
How being profitable provides optionality with fundraising, and how he is thinking about that for OddsJam
 
Learn more:
➡️ OddsJam website
➡️ OddsJam on Twitter
➡️ Alex Monahan on Linkedin
➡️ Alex Monahan on Twitter
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This episode is brought to you by iGaming Next Valetta 2023, which is set to be the biggest and best yet with over 4,000 industry leaders from around the world attending on the 21-22nd of June.
The event will also host a week-long festival schedule packed with exciting activities such as bowling, poker, golf, and the highly anticipated 10 year anniversary celebration of the legendary, 2000 guest pool party 'Showers'.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to network, learn, and have fun with the biggest names in iGaming, web3, marketing, investments and beyond. Register now at iGamingNEXT.com!
 

Ep. 60 - Pierre Lindh, iGaming NEXT

Ep. 60 introduces you to Pierre Lindh, founder and Managing Director of iGaming NEXT, which is a content-driven conference company that focuses on both in-person and online events.
Hear him discuss:
His career in the iGaming industry, which started at the age of 15 when he was organizing poker games at school - much to the annoyance of his teachers
The crazy story of how the cancelation of live events in the early days of the pandemic almost killed iGaming NEXT, and the sacrifices that he and his team made to persevere through it
What he and the team at iGaming NEXT are doing to differentiate their live events from others, and why he thinks they have a recipe for success and longevity
Why he thinks the oligopoly of operators in the US market makes it more challenging for startups when compared to the more competitive European markets
How he stays inspired and motivated each day through the ups and downs of growing a business in such a competitive landscape
How he thinks about his role as a leader to his team, and why he thinks about them as “part of his extended family”
His one big prediction for the industry in 2023, which is an M&A transaction between two industry behemoths
Learn more 👇
➡️ iGaming NEXT website
➡️ iGaming NEXT on Twitter
➡️ Pierre Lindh on Linkedin

Ep. 59 - Matthew Berry

Ep. 59 brings you the face of fantasy football himself, Matthew Berry. 
Hear him discuss:
How he encouraged a fan engagement app to go all in on sports betting in Dallas after a “terrible” pitch contest
His journey from writing jokes in Hollywood to becoming the face of fantasy football
How he monetized a passion and hobby by leveraging his expertise and reach through strategic channels
Beyond being a girl dad, Matthew shares what he most proud of and why he prefers his title of “writer” above his other credentials
How the NFL has acknowledged the impact and important of Matthew’s part in fantasy football
How Matthew used his NYT best selling book to ultimately launch a fan engagement community that was sold in 2021
His tactics to brush off criticism and to persevere
Matthew’s picks for the upcoming Super Bowl on Sunday, his ride or die Fantasy player Jalen Hurts or Patrick Mahomes
This episode was guest hosted by Christiana Yebra, CMO of nVenue, which you can learn more about in Ep. 16 from last year.
 
Learn more: 👇
 
➡️ Matthew Berry on Twitter
➡️ Matthew Berry on Wikipedia
➡️ Betsperts website
 
Episode host: 
➡️ nVenue website
➡️ Christiana Yebra on Linkedin

Ep. 58 - Andy Westmeyer, UBetOhio

Ep. 58 introduces you to Andy Westmeyer, CEO of UBetOhio, which is a licensed Type-C operator in the state of Ohio.  
Learn more 👇
 
➡️ UBetOhio website
➡️ Andy Westmeyer on Linkedin