The Betting Startups Podcast

Ep. 19 - Eric Frank, Odds on Compliance

Ep. 19 introduces you to Eric Frank, co-founder and CEO of Odds on Compliance, which helps gaming companies navigate the rapidly changing regulatory compliance landscape.
Hear him discuss:
His experience as Group Compliance Officer for Poker Stars where he responsible for over 25 of the group's international gaming licenses
How his career as a lawyer and at Poker Stars revealed the operational inefficiencies of compliance management, which he saw as the opportunity for Odds on Compliance
How Odds on Compliance is innovating with its AI-driven technology that automates many aspects of compliance management
Why he wanted to partner with strategic investors like SeventySix Capital and Tekkorp Capital who are "at the pulse of the US sports betting industry"
His biggest surprise in the transition going from corporate executive to startup founder
Learn More:
➡️  Odds on Compliance website
➡️  Eric Frank on Linkedin

Ep. 18 - Jason Mezrahi, Sharp App

Ep. 18 introduces you to Jason Mezrahi, co-founder of Sharp App, a sports media and bet tracking platform that makes sharp betting easy.
Hear him discuss:
His career as a professional DFS player, and how the ups and downs of high-level DFS competition prepared him for business and life
Stepping out of his comfort zone to write a book, and how he was able to convince Pete Rose to write the foreword for it
How he built what has become one of the largest and most engaged DFS communities at Win Daily Sports
Why he believes "the opportunity is massive" for Sharp App to innovate with new types of betting tools for every day bettors
How having passion for your business is the key to getting through the challenges and hurdles of entrepreneurship 
Learn More:
➡️  Sharp App website
➡️  Jason Mezrahi on Linkedin

Ep. 17 - Jonathan Bierig, Ultimate Odds

Ep. 17 introduces you to Jonathan Bierig, co-founder and co-CEO of Ultimate Odds, a next generation fantasy sports platform that combines sports betting lines and odds with fantasy players into one experience.
Hear him discuss:
Their unique concept of creating fantasy matchups using betting odds instead of players, and where this type of product sits within the ecosystem
"Betting on himself" and making the decision to drop out of college to start Ultimate Odds
How asking for help and advice led to investment in his company from some of the betting industry's top names
Opening up and being vulnerable enough to embrace his failures as part of his own story and journey
The importance of focusing on mental health, and his advocacy work with Same Here Global
Learn More:
➡️  Ultimate Odds website
➡️  Jonathan Bierig on Linkedin

Ep. 16 - Kelly Pracht & Drew Williams, nVenue

Ep. 16 introduces you to Kelly Pracht & Drew Williams of nVenue, which is using machine learning and artificial intelligence to quickly and accurately generate probabilities for every outcome of a play.
Hear them discuss:
How they solved the technical challenges to deliver a zero latency micro betting feed that is perfectly synchronized to live sports broadcasts
Being selected as one of 10 startups (out of over 1,000 applicants) for the inaugural cohort of the Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Accelerator
How facing major obstacles and adversity led them to the "aha moment" that resulted in a successful pivot from B2C to B2B
Their recently announced $3.5M round of funding, and addition of industry advisors including ESPN's Matthew Berry
 
Learn More:
➡️  nVenue website
➡️  Kelly Pracht on Linkedin
➡️  Drew Williams on Linkedin

Ep. 15 - Brandon Stakenborg, Underdog Fantasy

Ep. 15 introduces you to Brandon Stakenborg, co-founder and CEO of Underdog Fantasy, which is bringing fun, approachable contests and games to the masses.
Hear him discuss:
The story of his former company Draft, which was acquired by Paddy Power Betfair for $48 million
Why "getting the band back together" from Draft was a no-brainer, and how that has helped them accelerate progress with Underdog
The buy-versus-build decision that led to Underdog's acquisition of sports betting platform provider GOAT Gaming in September 2021
How Underdog is thinking about being "like a game studio" that continuously innovates and incubates new product concepts
The experience raising their Series A from investors such as Mark Cuban and Kevin Durant, and what they are hearing from investors now as they raise a Series B
His experience transitioning from iOS developer to CEO, and stepping up from an individual contributor to a manager
 
Learn More:
➡️  Underdog Fantasy website
➡️  Brandon Stakenborg on Linkedin

Ep. 14 - Greg Kajewski & James Seils, BettorEdge

Ep. 14 introduces you to Greg Kajewski & James Seils of BettorEdge, a no-fee social betting marketplace that is on a mission to democratize sports betting by giving the edge back to the bettor.
Hear them discuss:
How BettorEdge is fundamentally different from other betting products, and why they prefer to be compared to social fintech platforms like Venmo or Robinhood
Why their social betting marketplace is able to operate in 45 states when traditional betting exchanges cannot
Their focus on educating consumers about the "hidden fees" within fixed-odds sportsbooks and betting exchanges
How localizing the product and marketing has enabled them to seed the marketplace and overcome the cold start problem
Why they have made charitable giving a priority, and what it meant to donate $10,000 to Chad Greenway's 'Lead the Way Foundation'
Learn More:
➡️  BettorEdge website
➡️  Greg Kajewski on Linkedin
➡️  James Seils on Linkedin
 
This episode is presented by The Betting Startups Newsletter, a monthly Roundup of key developments from the betting industry's most promising startup companies. Keep your finger on the pulse of the early stage ecosystem and subscribe now! news.bettingstartups.com

Ep. 13: Tomash Devenishek, Kero Sports

Ep. 13 introduces you to Tomash Devenishek, founder and CEO of Kero Sports, a curated in-game betting engine that powers the apps of major teams, leagues, and sportsbook operators.
Hear Tomash discuss:
The changing relationship between fans and live sports in an age of shortening attention spans
Why delivering continuous entertainment through algorithmic curation is the "north star" for his company
How designing a user experience with accessibility and immersiveness in mind has helped differentiate Kero Sports from other fan engagement products 
Why he is relocating from San Francisco to Miami and how he expects the move to benefit his company
Learn More:
➡️  Kero Sports website
➡️  Tomash Devenishek on Linkedin
 
This episode is presented by OneComply, which is changing the game for licensing and compliance management.
Its innovative platform enables companies large and small to organize all their licensing related data in one central repository and automate the creation of licensing applications for multiple jurisdictions, at the push of a button.
Whether for key person, entity or occupational licensing, OneComply streamlines the process and helps you manage and protect your company’s most valuable asset: your gaming license.
Learn more at www.onecomply.com

Ep. 12: Marvin Sanderson, Xpoint

Ep. 12 introduces you to Marvin Sanderson, co-founder and CEO of Xpoint, which provides an essential geo compliance solution to the sports betting and gaming industries globally.
Hear Marvin discuss:
How Xpoint sees geolocation compliance as a business opportunity for partners instead of a utility or "a box to be checked"
The importance of getting market validation as a new B2B supplier, and how the deal came together with Sporttrade as the first customer
The biggest differences he sees between the US regulated market and other non-US markets 
Why investors were very excited about the opportunity that Xpoint is pursuing, what made Bettor Capital the ideal investor partner for Xpoint, and a teaser about further funding announcements coming soon
Learn More:
➡️  Xpoint website
➡️  Marvin Sanderson on Linkedin
 
This episode is presented by The Betting Startups Newsletter, a monthly Roundup of key developments from the betting industry's most promising startup companies. Keep your finger on the pulse of the early stage ecosystem and subscribe now! news.bettingstartups.com

Ep. 11: Martina Åkerlund, Triggy

Ep. 11 introduces you to Martina Åkerlund, CEO of Triggy, which develops products that connect sports data, live odds, and user insights to increase customer engagement, acquisitions, and lifetime value.
Hear Martina discuss:
How Triggy has been able to secure partnerships with international betting operators, while also expanding to work with leagues and teams in the US market
Why the founders of Triggy decided to bring in an external CEO at this stage of its growth, and how that transition has been going
The feedback she is hearing from investors about the 'customer engagement' category as Triggy currently works to secure a new round of growth capital 
Why she thinks that entrepreneurs will be a leading force in helping to bring more diversity to the betting industry
What has been the biggest surprise to her about the betting industry since she joined it in October 2020
Learn More:
➡️  Triggy website
➡️  Martina Åkerlund on Linkedin
 
This episode is presented by The Betting Startups Newsletter, a monthly Roundup of key developments from the betting industry's most promising startup companies. Keep your finger on the pulse of the early stage ecosystem and subscribe now! news.bettingstartups.com

Ep. 10: Daniel Kustelski, Chalkline

Ep. 10 introduces you to Daniel Kustelski, co-founder and CEO of Chalkline, the leading independent provider of free play and real money games for operators and media companies
Hear Dan discuss:
How the experience of founding and operating an online sportsbook in South Africa gave him the insights that led to Chalkline
Why Chalkline is focused on developing sports betting products that help drive the "education and acclimation" of the US market 
The importance of tapping into local fan bases to help convert sports fans into sports bettors in the US market
How the process of raising a $2.7 million Series A highlighted the importance of working with investors that understand the unit economics of the sports betting business 
What has been the most surprising thing about the US regulated market that he didn't expect before PASPA was repealed
Learn More:
➡️  Chalkline website
➡️  Daniel Kustelski Linkedin
 
This episode is presented by The Betting Startups Newsletter, a monthly Roundup of key developments from the betting industry's most promising startup companies. Keep your finger on the pulse of the early stage ecosystem and subscribe now! news.bettingstartups.com