The Betting Startups Podcast

Ep. 129 - Meet the SBC First Pitch Finalists!

Ep. 129 is the official First Pitch preview episode, where we will meet the 5 startups selected to present at SBC Summit on September 24 in Lisbon, Portugal.Sue Schneider, VP of Growth and Strategy for the Americas at SBC, shares her perspective of the upcoming event, discussing the diversity of submissions, the evolution of First Pitch, and opportunities for all startups at the Summit.
In this episode, you will hear from the five finalists:
Adam Fonsica from Random State
Tom Lemke from SavageTech
Shawn Tucker from StatX Sports
Radek Psurny from Match Hype
Mark Flores Martin from XGENIA
SBC First Pitch brings together some of the most exciting startups within the betting and gaming industry to compete for a chance to win an exclusive prize package, valued at around €118,800 to assist in the winner’s development and growth plans.
The First Pitch event is hosted by BettingStartups.com's Jesse Learmonth.
Judges for the event:
Paris Smith from Life Winning
Mark Blandford from Burlywood Capital
Javier Altamirano from Sportradar
Adam Krejcik from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, LLC
Martin Collins from Soft2Bet
If you don't have a ticket for the event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP for $300 off your pass. Grab your ticket here. 
Watch this episode on Youtube.
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 128: The quest to eliminate sportsbook downtime w/ Rob Urwin and Sabin Brooks from Bettormetrics

Ep. 128 features Rob Urwin and Sabin Brooks from Bettormetrics, which offers next-generation sports trading analytics.
 
Hear them discuss:
Rob’s background co-founding BetNOW, a VC-backed startup that enabled mobile betting via SMS (before iPhones were invented!)
Sabin’s journey through working at Sky Sports, SkyBet, and PartyPoker.com
How Bettormetrics is helping trading teams reduce market downtime, and how that's positively impacting sportsbook KPIs
A look behind the curtain at trading operations at sportsbooks, and why live markets get suspended in the first place
Overcoming objections in the B2B sales cycle
Bettormetrics’ recent Series A funding led by BettorCapital and Velo Partners
Comparing and contrasting sportsbook trading approaches in the UK and the US
 
Video version of this episode can be viewed here.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Bettormetrics website
➡️ Rob Urwin on Linkedin
➡️ Sabin Brooks on Linkedin
 
 
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 127: Blazing the trail in "DFS 3.0" w/ Daniel Zimmerman from Verse Fantasy

Ep. 127 features Dan Zimmerman from Verse Fantasy which fuses fantasy sports and real-money gaming.
Hear him discuss:
His original idea of launching a betting exchange, which he realized would be "a very difficult endeavor" - thus triggering an early pivot to DFS
How the LeagueSync product allows season-long fantasy players to win real-money on weekly matchups
Using product-led growth tactics to drive user adoption of the Verse Fantasy app
The recent launch of Verse Media, which was "built to serve as Verse Fantasy's own affiliate"
The various content-led marketing tactics that Verse is focusing on, and the metrics they're seeing from it
A breakdown of his current thesis on the emergence of DFS 3.0
Why he feels that Verse Fantasy is well insulated from any potential regulatory changes to DFS in various states 
Exclusive breaking news that Verse Fantasy just closed a $1.1 million pre-seed round led by Frontstage Ventures
Video version of this episode can be viewed here.
Learn more 👇
➡️ Verse Fantasy website
➡️ Daniel Zimmerman on Linkedin
 
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

The Gamble & The Glory: Ep. 09 - Jay Deuskar & Dylan Cooper, PrizePicks

We're back with Ep. 9 of The Gamble & The Glory, where we meet founders that have built their companies to become stalwarts of the sports betting, fantasy, and iGaming industry. In this one, we speak with Jay Deuskar & Dylan Cooper from PrizePicks.Hear them discuss:
The origin story of PrizePicks with its goal to simplify the DFS experience for casual fans
How the PASPA repeal created an opportunity for PrizePicks to attack DFS while the incumbents shifted focus to sports betting
The key early growth moment that made them realize they had found product-market fit
How leveraging partnerships with athletes, sports teams, and arenas has helped them build a mass market brand
Scaling company culture while managing rapid growth in the business
The company’s lean fundraising journey and heavy focus on intentional growth
Why PrizePicks is investing so heavily in esports, and how that's translating into business results
What motivates them to keep pushing forward despite all of the success thus far
 
Video version of this episode can be viewed here.
Learn more 👇➡️ PrizePicks website➡️ Jay Deuskar on Linkedin➡️ Dylan Cooper on Linkedin The Gamble & The Glory is made possible by Segev LLP, a full solutions law firm purpose built for the gaming and betting industry. To learn more, visit: www.segev.ca
 

Ep. 126 - Elevating College Football Fandom w/ Jake Gillikin

We're back with Ep. 126 of The Betting Startups podcast, where guest host Thomas Coiner chats with Jake Gillikin from Ranked, a community-driven college football stats platform.
Hear them discuss:
Jake's background in tech and the inception of Ranked
The inspiration for creating a dedicated college football app
Jake teaching himself to code and building Ranked as a one-man-band
Overcoming early challenges and organic growth strategies
The importance of solving a specific pain point for college football fans
Innovative features like "My Game Day" and advanced stats for bettors
The role of community and message boards in building the Ranked brand
Leveraging user fandom to enhance the app's utility
The integration of web embeds for content creators and their potential growth impact
Growth strategies and initiatives for the upcoming college football season
The importance of maintaining an open and engaging community environment
 
Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Ranked website
➡️ Jake Gillikin on Linkedin
 
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 125: Betting on the Social Experience w/ Jon Robin from Dabble

Ep. 125 features Jon Robin from Dabble, which takes an innovative approach of combining social elements with sports betting. This episode is guest hosted by Benjie Cherniak.
 
Hear them discuss:
Jon's entrepreneurial background led to the founding of Dabble
The unique social betting experience that differentiates Dabble in the crowded Australian market
Strategies for effective user acquisition through leveraging social features within the app
The significant investment and strategic partnership with Tabcorp
Insights into the fundraising process and the importance of building investorrelationships
Dabble’s expansion into the U.S. market while learning the cultural similarities and differences
Future plans for global expansion and targeting new markets
Jon’s perspective on balancing innovation with long-term strategic planning
Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Dabble website
➡️ Jon Robin on Linkedin
 
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

The Gamble & The Glory: Ep. 08 - Steven Salz, Rivalry

We're back with Ep. 8 of The Gamble & The Glory, where we meet founders that have built their companies to become stalwarts of the sports betting, fantasy, and iGaming industry.   In this one, we speak with Steven Salz from Rivalry. Hear him discuss:
How his background laid the foundation for Rivalry
The origin story of Rivalry, starting from trading in-game items to becoming a top esports betting brand
The importance of understanding the demographic and psychographics of esports bettors
How Rivalry maintains brand authenticity to attract Gen Z and Millennial demographics
Rivalry's journey to product-market fit, and how Steven knew the company had found it
His transition from a startup founder to a public markets CEO, and the resulting adaptations he's made in response
The rationale for focusing so intently on brand building as a young company, and how that's created competitive advantages now that Rivalry has reached scale
Why Rivalry is launching a crypto token later this year, and how he expects that to enhance customer engagement
Why he has the words "mint founders" permanently written on his whiteboard, and how this has influenced the culture he's created at Rivalry
Balancing fatherhood and entrepreneurship, and the importance of compartmentalization and focused thinking
Future plans for Rivalry and the vision for the company's growth
Video version of this episode can be viewed here.
Learn more 👇➡️ Rivalry website➡️ Steven Salz on Linkedin The Gamble & The Glory is made possible by Segev LLP, a full solutions law firm purpose built for the gaming and betting industry. To learn more, visit: www.segev.ca

Ep. 124: Making fantasy sports social again w/ Jay Huffman from Propellor

Ep. 124 features Jay Huffman from Propellor on redefining fantasy sports with friends.
Hear him discuss:
His early career movement inside the startup environment.
The importance of securing legal approval to proceed with Propellor.
The concept of Propellor where they're reversing traditional parlay dynamics.
Propellor's unique approach to leveraging text messages for group play.
Creative game features like the shame bell, veto options, and other engaging social interactions.
His product design philosophy of keeping UI intuitive, simple, and user-friendly.
Sourcing the initial angel investment and aiming for a million-dollar raise.
Gearing up for the Fall season through expanding features, integrating cash games, and aiming for significant growth.
▶️ Watch this episode on Youtube.🎁 Bonus segment -See a demo of Propellor.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Propellor website
➡️ Jay Huffman on Linkedin
 
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 123- Investor Vibe Check - Q2 2024

Ep. 123 is our quarterly Investor Vibe Check, where we chat with 3 industry investors to get their perspective on the landscape from their side of the table. The vibe check for Q2 features Chris Grove (Acies Investments), Roger Ehrenberg (Eberg Capital) and Davis Catlin (Discerning Capital).   
Hear them discuss:
Reflections on Q2 and the six-year anniversary of PASPA’s repeal, and its implications on the iGaming industry.
The surprising consolidation of operators in the U.S. market and what challenger brands can do to compete with incumbents.
The growing popularity of the sweepstakes model, its sustainability, and future potential within the broader real money gaming ecosystem.
Opportunities in betting on niche and alternative sports, and their impact on expanding the total addressable market in the U.S.
Practical advice for early-stage founders on navigating the uncertain economic environment and achieving cash flow positivity.
Future predictions for the iGaming industry, including potential M&A deals, cybersecurity concerns, and regulatory changes to watch for in the next six months.
Video version of this episode can be viewed here.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Chris Grove with Acies Investments
➡️ Roger Ehrenberg with Eberg Capital
➡️ Davis Catlin with Discerning Capital
 
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.

Ep. 122: Helping operators open new monetization channels w/ Björn Nilsson from FTDx

Ep. 122 features Björn Nilsson from FTDx, which is transforming blocked traffic.
Hear him discuss:
His career journey through various payment and operator roles, including consulting for Betfair, Unibet, and others.
The origins and evolution of Triggy, a product aimed to convert fans into bettors.
The founding of FTDx, focusing on monetizing non-local traffic for gaming operators.
Challenges in managing regulatory environments and non-monetized traffic.
FTDx's simple integration process and the positive reception from early adopters in Finland and Brazil.
Insights into FTDx's fundraising process.
Lessons learned from Triggy about building sustainable, cash flow positive businesses.
His perspective on innovation within the gaming industry, highlighting the influx of new ideas from the US and Eastern Europe.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ FTDx website
➡️ Björn Nilsson on Linkedin
 
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry. Since 2012, Optimove has served iGaming Operators from startups to industry leaders. Today, 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. iGaming operators know their growth journey begins and continues with Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming industry.