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Episodes
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
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
Thursday Mar 10, 2022
Thursday Mar 10, 2022
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
Wednesday Mar 02, 2022
Wednesday Mar 02, 2022
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
Thursday Feb 24, 2022
Thursday Feb 24, 2022
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
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
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
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
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
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
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
Wednesday Jan 26, 2022
Wednesday Jan 26, 2022
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
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Ep. 9 introduces you to Kelly Brooks and Danijela Covic, co-founders of Quarter4.io, an AI-driven predictive sports data and analytics provider.
Hear them discuss:
The opportunity they see in the current "landscape of convergence" with media and leagues entering the regulated betting ecosystem
How their prediction platform is being leveraged by B2B customers to engage users and audiences with AI-driven content
How they responded to adversity when their planned launch in March 2020 was postponed due to Covid's arrival, and how they used that time to their advantage
The value of having a co-founder that you've worked with before, and how that has benefitted them with Quarter4
Learn More:
➡️ Quarter4 website
➡️ Kelly Brooks on Linkedin
➡️ Danijela Covic 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
Wednesday Jan 12, 2022
Wednesday Jan 12, 2022
Ep. 8 introduces you to Lloyd Danzig, Managing Partner at Sharp Alpha Advisors, a venture capital firm specializing in sports betting & online gaming.
Hear Lloyd discuss:
Why he thinks "there is a massive innovation gap" in the betting industry today, and how that underpins his firm's investment thesis
How he views sports betting as part of a broader category he calls "competitive entertainment", which includes several betting-adjacent business types
How founders should determine whether their business is a suitable candidate to receive venture capital funding
The 4 core questions he asks to determine if a startup is one that meets his investment decision criteria
What types of companies he is looking to invest in with his firm's $10 million fund
Learn More:
➡️ Lloyd Danzig on Linkedin
➡️ Sharp Alpha Advisors website
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