The Betting Startups Podcast

Ep. 114: Winning the 2024 SBC First Pitch competition w/ Steven Astrachan and John Goehrke from 916 Gaming

Ep. 114 features Steven Astrachan and John Goehrke from 916 Gaming, which bring skill, interactivity, and engagement to iCasino content.
 
Hear them discuss:
Winning the $40k prize package at the 2024 First Pitch competition at the SBC Summit North America on May 9
The high-risk, high-reward approach they took to delivering their winning pitch
Why they pivoted from working in the sports betting category to the iCasino category
How the casino games they are building resonate with a younger demographic
Why they’re not worried about the potentially slow rollout of iCasino regulation in the US
Their previous experience working at other industry startups, and the learnings they are taking into 916 Gaming
Current fundraising efforts, and why they think it’s easier for iCasino startups
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ 916 Gaming website
➡️ Steven Astrachan on Linkedin
➡️ John Goehrke 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. 113: Sharp Alpha Advisors announces a $25 million Fund II w/ Lloyd Danzig from Sharp Alpha Advisors

Ep. 113 features Lloyd Danzig from Sharp Alpha Advisors, which is a venture capital firm specializing in sports, gaming, and entertainment.
 
Hear him discuss:
Reaching the milestone of oversubscribing Fund II, and how he is feeling now that the fund has closed
The similarities and differences in the process between startups raising money from VCs, and VCs raising money from LPs
What factors LPs are looking for when determining which VC funds to invest capital into
How his learnings from deploying Fund I have shifted his thinking going into Fund II
‘Competitive entertainment’ as a thematic focus for his fund, and where he draws the boundaries for investments within this category
Why he thinks that now is “the most favorable period in the last 15 years to bet on great founders”
Areas where he sees the opportunity for entrepreneurs within the space, despite it inching closer to maturity
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Sharp Alpha Advisors website
➡️ Lloyd Danzig 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. 112: Meet the SBC First Pitch Finalists!

Ep. 112 is the official First Pitch preview episode, where we will meet the 5 startups selected to present at SBC Summit North America on May 9.
 
In this episode, you will hear from:
John Goehrke and Steven Astrachan from 916 Gaming
John Pereira and Ben Howard from EdgeSports
Calvin Konya from Linemate
Shawn Tucker from StatX Sports
Desiree Dickerson from THNDR
 
These startups will be competing for a prize package valued at over $40,000 on May 9 at SBC Summit North America.
 
If you don't have a ticket for the event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPSVIP for $300 off your pass.
 
 
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming market. 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. Visit Optimove at SBC North Americas in NY  on May 5 to May 7.

Ep. 111: Building a sports betting masterclass w/ Andrew Pace from inplayLIVE

Ep. 111 features Andrew Pace from inplayLIVE, which is the #1 in-play sports investing platform.
 
Hear him discuss:
His background earning a living betting on sports, and how that journey has evolved over the years
The “aha” moment he had during Covid to build a community of people dedicated to in-play betting
How inplayLIVE has applied an e-learning framework to sports betting to educate people through a masterclass-style curriculum
The success that their teachings have created, including 20+ people that have become millionaires through sports betting
Why inplayLIVE is focused on strategies on in-play betting only, and not pregame betting
The dynamics he sees with US sportsbooks more aggressively limiting and restricting player accounts
The longterm viability of betting on sports for profit, and whether people can still generate meaningful income from it
The business challenges of working with offshore sportsbooks and grey market jurisdictions
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ inplayLIVE website
➡️ Andrew Pace on Linkedin
 
 
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This podcast is presented by Optimove, the #1 CRM Marketing solution for the iGaming market. 4 out of the Top 5 US Operators Personalize Player Experiences with Optimove. Visit Optimove at SBC North Americas in NY  on May 5 to May 7.

Ep. 110: Investor Vibe Check for Q1 2024

Ep. 110 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 Q1 features Connor Williams (Velo Partners), Andrew Ehrenberg (Eberg Capital) and Robin Reed (HappyHour.io).  
 
Hear them discuss:
What they make of the uptick in 2024 Q1 funding announcements, and whether they expect to see that pace persist
Why Q1 saw several notable strategic investments into B2B startups by industry incumbents
DraftKings’ and Fanduels’ Q1 acquisitions of Jackpocket and BeyondPlay, respectively, and the future outlook for more operator M&A at the earlier stage
The state of integration roadmaps with operators, and whether frustrations expressed by some B2B startups are overblown
The disconnect between early-stage funding and revenue generation from funded companies, as cited in the recent Game Changers report (Download here Free!)
What continued consolidation at the operator level means for startups, and to best prepare for future shifts in the landscape
Rapid fire predictions for notable M&A deals to watch for in 2024
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Connor Williams on Linkedin
➡️ Andrew Ehrenberg on Linkedin
➡️ Robin Reed 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. 109: Modeling the relationship between weather and home runs w/ John Leekley & Paul Dorian from Home Run Forecast

Ep. 109 features John Leekley & Paul Dorian from Home Run Forecast, which is an index rating that measures the favorability of conditions for ball fight.
 
Hear them discuss:
How Paul fused his background as a meteorologist with his passion for baseball to develop the Home Run Index
What goes into developing a model like the Home Run Index, which is “about 60-65% accurate”
How the Home Run Index helps bettors with over/under markets, and fantasy players with start/sit decisions
Their go-to-market strategy, and the different ways they are thinking about further commercializing the product
How recent changes to MLB rules have improved the game from a fan perspective
Their thoughts on baseball’s future
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Home Run Forecast website
➡️ John Leekley 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. 108: The value of building in public w/ Chris Shreeve from Locker Room Labs

Ep. 108 features Chris Shreeve from Locker Room Labs, which are sports app development specialists.
 
Hear him discuss:
His background owning a marketing services agency, and the lessons he learned running a services-based business
How Locker Room Labs is taking a different approach as a services business by “providing value first before aggressively selling”
The value of building in public for startups, and developing your personal brand as an entrepreneur
Why focusing on a niche and “a specific vertical and sticking to it is incredibly powerful”
How he views innovation within the sports betting industry through his first year in the space
Why he thinks “it's never too early to create, scalable enterprise level processes” for startups
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Locker Room Labs website
➡️ Chris Shreeve 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. 06 - Rasmus Sojmark, SBC

We're back with Ep. 6 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 Rasmus Sojmark, CEO & Founder of SBC.
 
Hear him discuss:
How his interest in the psychology of sports betting led him to study it in university, which included writing a 175 page dissertation on the topic
His early days working in the industry, which led him to move from Copenhagen to London in 2007 to be closer to operators
The origins of SBC as an industry meetup group in London that ran quarterly meetups of 150-200 people
His decision to go all-in with SBC in 2012 to build an events and media business focused on the betting and gaming industry
How he validated he was on the right path with SBC, and how he knew he had found product/market fit
Why he’s “not looking for an exit” for SBC, despite generating “tens of millions” in revenue
The importance of building a strong network and reputation, and why “being helpful and nice to people certainly helps”
How he thinks about success, and why appreciating the journey is more important to him
“Being a perfectionist”, the art of delegation, and putting trust in your people
Why prioritizing his health has made him a better entrepreneur
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ SBC website
➡️ Rasmus Sojmark 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. 107: Creating a new category of betting markets w/ Johnny Coetzer from BetLabs

Ep. 107 features Johnny Coetzer from BetLabs, which is reinvigorating the sports betting experience for bettors while helping operators elevate their game.
 
Hear him discuss:
The lessons he learned playing chess and tennis growing up, and how they prepared him for life as an entrepreneur
How his idea for Boost Bets was derived from the spread betting concept (except it provides the downside protection for players that spread betting doesn’t)
Why he’s prioritizing working with platform providers as his primary distribution strategy
B2B sales and the challenges of getting a product prioritized on an operator or platform provider’s roadmap
Winning the pitch competition at last week’s SiGMA Africa event in Cape Town
The insights from the recently published ‘Game Changers’ report published by BettingStartups.com, which included data from 68 industry startups (Free download at Next.io!)
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ BetLabs website
➡️ Johnny Coetzer 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. 106: Building HQ Trivia for live sports w/ Noah Bernstein from Locker

Ep. 106 features Noah Bernstein from Locker, which is getting fans off the bench and in the game.
 
Hear him discuss:
The million dollar offer he received to drop out of college to start his first company - which he didn’t take on the advice of his Mom
How Locker is blending mechanics from HQ Trivia and traditional fantasy sports to create a live second screen experience
The ideation process he followed to develop the Locker concept and ensure it was sufficiently differentiated in a crowded DFS market
His vision for building Locker into “a game studio for watching experiences of sports”
The increased regulatory scrutiny on the DFS space right now, and why he is confident that Locker’s game format is compliant
How building a team of experienced mentors and advisors has helped him to grow as a younger entrepreneur
Opening a new round of funding around the Superbowl, which became oversubscribed within two weeks
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Locker website
➡️ Noah Bernstein 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.