The Betting Startups Podcast

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.

Ep. 121: Building with scrappiness and intentionality w/ Kelson Quan from Wager Games

Ep. 121 features Kelson Quan from Wager Games, which is the social content plugin for sports betting apps.
 
Hear him discuss:
Growing up in San Francisco, and his background working in tech at companies like Apple
Why he thinks the betting industry hasn’t received more attention from Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and investors
How Wager Games is using video content to make sports betting more accessible for people without betting domain expertise
Building product, and his team’s approach to customer-driven development
Why he’s so bullish on the sports betting industry as a space to be building in
Building WagerGames in a lean way while living “on the ramen noodle diet”, and being “super intentional about everything”
Why he doesn’t think he’ll ever feel like Wager Games has found product/market fit
A crazy story of scrappiness that included a last-minute flight to show up unannounced at the offices of a key partner
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Wager Games website
➡️ Kelson Quan 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. 120: Curling's Next Big Move: An Inside Look with Nic Sulsky

Ep. 120 features Nic Sulsky from The Curling Group, which is focused on transforming and promoting the sport of curling.
 
Hear him discuss:
His journey from co-founding Monkey Knife Fight and working at PointsBet to leading The Curling Group
How he put together the deal to acquire the Grand Slam of Curling from Sportsnet
The untapped potential of curling as a major sport and betting market
The importance of content creation and engagement to attract a younger audience to curling
Challenges and strategies in transforming curling events to be more vibrant and fan-friendly
The role of gambling in increasing engagement and revenue for curling
Nic's personal reflections on his passion for startups, brand building, and the future of curling.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ The Curling Group website
➡️ Nic Sulsky 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. 07 - Jai Maw & Jeremy Jakary, Betting Hero

We're back with Ep. 7 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 Jai Maw & Jeremy Jakary from Betting Hero.
 
Hear them discuss:
How their backgrounds laid the foundation for Betting Hero
The origin story of Betting Hero, originally called Sports Betting Street Team
How they leveraged the Covid-19 shutdown as a way to get ahead of the competition
The importance of their mission statement, “We help people enjoy their experience betting with mobile,” in guiding their business decisions
The operational hurdles and strategies of managing a large team of betting heroes across various states
Their approach to launching a new research division and how it complements their core business
Their personal sacrifices and work-life balance required to grow a successful business
Their long-term vision for success and the importance of building a strong, mission-driven company
 
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Betting Hero website
➡️ Jai Maw on Linkedin
➡️ Jeremy Jakary 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. 119: Exploring the benefits of a Betting Exchange w/ Zack Panos from 4casters

Ep. 119 features Zack Panos from 4casters, which is the future of sports betting.
 
Hear him discuss:
His backstory and early interest in betting
The challenges and learnings in starting an exchange
4casters today and how they operate
Taking an organic approach to growth with a focus on being prepared for the U.S. market
His thoughts on what will drive the U.S. market towards an exchange
What it’s like living in Curaçao
Maintaining a positive attitude while navigating a startup
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ 4casters website
➡️ Zack Panos 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. 118: Thomas Coiner, BettingStartups.com

Ep. 118 features Thomas Coiner from BettingStartups.com, the authoritative source for everything related to the early-stage ecosystem within the real-money gaming industry.
 
Hear Thomas and Jesse discuss:
Thomas’ background in sports media and how he entered the startup scene.
The motivation behind Jesse opening up the GM role and how he filled it.
BettingStartups.com’s SBC Summit North America activation.
How Thomas plans to take the Betting Startups podcast to the next level.
An update on the Betting Startups Newsletter.
A sneak peek into how the Startup Hub will be built.
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Bettingstartups.com website
➡️ Thomas Coiner 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. 117: Making sports predictions “easy enough for your grandmother to play” w/ John Maylam from 7Qz

Ep. 117 features John Maylam from 7Qz, which is a free-to-play and pay-to-play sports prediction game.
 
Hear him discuss:
Why he sees a gamified, P2P experience as the answer to many of the existing issues with sports betting
His product design philosophy of making 7qz “easy enough for your grandmother to play”
The story of overcoming his own sports gambling addiction 20 years ago, and how that experience is shaping his approach to 7qz
The loneliness of being a founder, and how he’s addressed that in his journey building 7qz
Being brought up in a “fiscally old school way”, and how that’s helped him maximize the 7qz runway
What excites him the most outside of building 7qz
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ 7Qz website
➡️ John Maylam 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. 116: Enabling Bitcoin payments for betting w/ Desiree Dickerson from THNDR

Ep. 116 features Desiree Dickerson from THNDR, which is payments tech reducing risk for greater reward.
 
Hear her discuss:
Her recent experience pitching THNDR at the SBC Summit North America conference in New Jersey
The origin story of how her team built THNDR to solve their own problems as developers of mobile games
How the immediacy and low-cost nature of using Bitcoin for micropayments will help drive growth for real-money gaming products
Why she and her team are committed to building on Bitcoin, and what makes it the best blockchain technology for facilitating micropayments
Why she thinks there is less mainstream coverage of the Bitcoin price recently reaching new all-time highs, and how she expects this cycle to play out
The ever-changing regulatory landscape around crypto and the implications for taking THNDR to market
The difficulty in raising capital as a Bitcoin-led company, and she’s “been really, really lucky” with the VCs that backed THNDR
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ THNDR website
➡️ Desiree Dickerson 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. 115: Personalizing the player experience w/ Matthew Gilbery & Rob Davis from Optimove

Ep. 115 features Matthew Gilbery & Rob Davis from Optimove, which is the #1 CRM marketing solution for the iGaming industry.
 
Hear them discuss:
Rob’s background as co-founder of Graphyte, a personalization startup that exited to Optimove in 2022
The synergies between Graphyte and Optimove, and why the acquisition made sense for both sides
How Optimove drives CRM marketing through player personalization
When startups should consider building personalization into their marketing mix
The role of AI in personalization, and how they expect to see that evolve as AI technology advances
 
Learn more 👇
➡️ Optimove website
➡️ Matthew Gilbery on Linkedin
➡️ Rob Davis 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.