The Betting Startups Podcast

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What has been the most surprising thing about the US regulated market that he didn't expect before PASPA was repealed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

Ep. 9: Kelly Brooks & Danijela Covic, Quarter4

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

Ep. 8: Lloyd Danzig, Sharp Alpha Advisors

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

Ep. 7 - Spencer Marell & David Mason, The Handle

Ep. 7 introduces you to Spencer Marell and David Mason, authors of The Handle, a weekly betting industry newsletter aimed at the Gen Z audience.
Hear Spencer & David discuss:
How they got into the betting industry while studying full-time in their junior year of college
Why they were unable to launch HmmrBet, their odds comparison tool, and how that led them to create The Handle
How they grade the US regulated betting industry at appealing to Gen Z consumers from both a product and marketing perspective
Whether they think that sports betting products with more immediate gratification (such as micro markets) are the answer for operators to acquire more Gen Z customers 
The role they see NFTs and web3 playing in the growth of the total addressable market of sports betting
 
Learn More:
➡️ The Handle Newsletter
➡️ Spencer Marell on Twitter
➡️ David Mason on Twitter 

Ep. 6 - Dan Fabrizio, Unabated Sports

Ep. 6 introduces you to Dan Fabrizio, co-founder and President of Unabated Sports.
Hear Dan discuss:
Getting his start in the industry in the late 90's when he moved to the Caribbean to help a friend launch one of the first online sportsbooks
Starting his first company (Sports Insights/Fantasy Labs) as a side hustle, and choosing to bootstrap it and grow organically versus raising outside capital
Selling his company to The Action Network, and his experience transitioning into a more corporate environment following the acquisition
Why he chooses to not focus on monetizing his businesses as an affiliate, even though it would likely mean a quicker path to revenue
His advice for other founders and entrepreneurs that are getting their start within the betting industry   
Learn more:
➡️ Unabated Sports website
➡️ Dan Fabrizio on Linkedin
 

Ep. 5 - Mark Silver & Steve McAllister, Parleh Media Group

Ep. 5 introduces you to Mark Silver & Steve McAllister, two of the cofounders of Parleh Media Group.
Hear them discuss:
How they've quickly built The Parleh into an integrated media company through experimentation and iteration
Why they find the betting industry to be "refreshing" compared to the traditional sports media business that they came from
The importance of finding investors that can add value to your startup beyond the check they are writing 
What makes The Parleh uniquely positioned to succeed in Canada as sports betting regulation is adopted by provinces   
Learn more:
➡️ The Parleh Website
➡️ Mark Silver on LinkedIn
➡️ Steve McAllister on LinkedIn
 
This episode of the Betting Startups podcast is brought to you by HPL Digital Sport, a specialist agency that understands the sports betting, fantasy sports, and gaming markets like no other. To learn more, visit https://www.hpldigitalsport.com/ 
 

Ep. 4 - Chris Adams, SharpRank

Ep. 4 introduces you to Chris Adams, founder and CEO of SharpRank.
Hear Chris discuss:
The role that SharpRank is playing to increase the total addressable market of the betting industry
How SharpRank is using advanced technology and data science to create independent ratings for sports betting
Why he believes there "is a day of reckoning coming for those snake oil salesman" that are selling unverified picks to the public
The advice he received from his parents that prompted him to quit his job and go all-in on the SharpRank idea   
Learn more:
➡️ SharpRank website
➡️ Chris Adams on Linkedin
 

Ep. 3 - Omer Dor, Sports IQ

Ep. 3 introduces you to Omer Dor, founder and CEO of Sports IQ.
Hear Omer discuss:
Why he thinks the regulated US sports betting industry is still early when it comes to productization 
How innovations in data are enabling new types of models and sports betting product
How he thinks about product-market fit, and whether he thinks that Sports IQ has found it 
His journey raising $7m in funding this year from leading sports execs, including the Kraft Group, Fenway Sports Group, and Theo Epstein
    
Learn more:
➡️ Sports IQ website
➡️ Omer Dor on Linkedin
 
This episode of the Betting Startups podcast is brought to you by SBC Events, organizers of the world’s best sports betting and gaming industry events. To view the events calendar, visit www.sbcevents.com

Ep. 2 - Adam Weinstein, ThriveFantasy

Ep. 2 introduces you to Adam Weinstein, founder and CEO of ThriveFantasy.
Hear Adam discuss:
How ThriveFantasy is differentiated from the DFS incumbents, and what opportunity he sees 
Making the decision to quit his job with the New York Yankees in order to start ThriveFantasy
How ThriveFantasy is capturing the fast-growing esports market through partnerships with streamers and in-stream product integration
The long and difficult journey getting to "yes" with investors, who recently backed ThriveFantasy with $3m in funding
    
Learn more:
➡️ ThriveFantasy website
➡️ Adam Weinstein on Linkedin
 
This episode of the Betting Startups podcast is brought to you by SBC Events, organizers of the world’s best sports betting and gaming industry events. To view the events calendar, visit www.sbcevents.com

Ep. 1 - John Gordon, Incentive Games

The Betting Startups podcast is live! 🚀
Ep. 1 introduces you to John Gordon, co-founder and CEO of Incentive Games.
Hear John discuss:
What he learned competing against DraftKings and Fanduel in the UK and European markets
Why he decided to pivot from a B2C to B2B business model
How taking a scientific approach to gamification has helped Incentive Games become a leading developer of free-to-play games 
His strategy for taking Incentive Games into the regulated USA sports betting market
    
Learn more:
➡️ Incentive Games website
➡️ John Gordon on Linkedin
 
This episode of the Betting Startups podcast is brought to you by SBC Events, organizers of the world’s best sports betting and gaming industry events. To view the events calendar, visit www.sbcevents.com