The Betting Startups Podcast

Ep. 203 features Toby Bucsescu, CEO & Co-Founder of Blitz:Draft, which is reimagining the sports gaming experience by combining elements of daily fantasy, betting, and quick-play mechanics into a format built for speed and accessibility. Hear them discuss: Toby’s path into the sports gaming industry and founding Blitz Draft The problem with traditional betting and DFS products How Blitz Draft creates a faster, more engaging user experience Key differences between draft-style games and conventional formats Product development insights and early user feedback Navigating regulation while building an innovative product Strategies for acquiring and retaining users in a competitive market The importance of simplicity and reducing friction in gameplay How Blitz Draft fits into the broader evolution of sports gaming What’s next for the company and the future of quick-play betting formats SBC Americas First Pitch is back in Fort Lauderdale (June 9–11), bringing together some of the most exciting companies in real money gaming for a chance to win an exclusive prize package valued at $100,000. Applications are now open. Submit your application before April 17th using this link: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit-americas/first-pitch/ Catch the video version of this episode here. Learn more 👇 ➡️ Blitz:Draft website ➡️ Toby Bucsescu on Linkedin 📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/

Ep. 202 features Cal Spears, founder of Gambly, returning to the Betting Startups Podcast to share an update on the company’s progress since launch, insights from the NEXT Summit in New York, and a major milestone for the business. Hear them discuss: Cal’s return to the podcast and what has changed at Gambly since its launch in October 2024 Key takeaways from the NEXT.io Summit in New York and why prediction markets dominated the conversation The story behind Gambly merging with Unabated and why combining forces made strategic sense for both companies How Unabated’s advanced betting analytics and pricing models now power Gambly’s tools and insights for bettors The vision of creating a unified ecosystem that blends AI-driven bet discovery with professional-grade betting data Lessons learned from building and scaling products in the betting ecosystem How founders should think about partnerships, consolidation, and product leverage when building betting startups What’s next for Gambly following the merger and how the team plans to expand its product offering Betting Startups Capital is now accepting pitches from early-stage founders looking for their first institutional check, strategic support, and access to a global operator network. If you’re solving a real problem and ready to scale, we want to hear from you. Submit your pitch here: bettingstartups.com/capital Catch the video version of this episode here. Learn more 👇 ➡️ Gambly website ➡️ Unabated website ➡️ Cal Spears on Linkedin 📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/

Ep. 201 features Taylor Caby, Co-Founder of Establish The Run, sharing the story behind building the evolution of betting content, the business of premium sports analysis, and why high-quality information products continue to thrive in an increasingly crowded sports betting ecosystem. Hear them discuss: Taylor’s background in poker, daily fantasy sports, and the path that led to launching Establish The Run How the DFS boom helped shape the modern sports betting content ecosystem Why building a subscription-based analysis product requires credibility and long-term trust with an audience The difference between entertainment betting content and serious analytical work How Establish The Run approaches projections, modeling, and content production across multiple sports The realities of running a premium subscription business in a market filled with free picks and influencer content Why niche expertise and deep analysis still outperform broad “mass-market” betting advice How sports betting media companies balance education, entertainment, and actionable information The role of community and loyal subscribers in sustaining independent sports betting media businesses Taylor’s perspective on where sports betting content and analytics businesses are headed next Betting Startups Capital is now accepting pitches from early-stage founders looking for their first institutional check, strategic support, and access to a global operator network. If you’re solving a real problem and ready to scale, we want to hear from you. Submit your pitch here: bettingstartups.com/capital Catch the video version of this episode here. Learn more 👇 ➡️ Establish The Run website ➡️ Taylor Caby on Linkedin 📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/

Ep. 200 marks a major milestone for the Betting Startups Podcast, featuring a special conversation between Jesse Learmonth and longtime industry leader Paris Smith to celebrate the 200th episode and announce a major new chapter for the platform. Hear them discuss: Jesse and Paris’s shared history at Pinnacle, how a startup acquisition led to a six-year partnership, and the full-circle moment that brings them back together The official launch of BettingStartups Capital, including its mission to back early-stage real-money gaming startups as one of the first checks in What they look for in founders, from industry experience and coachability to problem-solving mindset and commercial realism Lessons Paris has learned as an angel investor, how operator instincts translate to investing, and why availability and honesty matter most Why ecosystem-building, fast decision-making, and founder support are central to their investment philosophy The announcement of InsightPlay.ai as the first investment under BettingStartups Capital and why the team stood out How conferences, networks, and mentorship accelerate startup success in a complex and regulated industry Catch the video version of this episode here. Betting Startups Capital is now accepting pitches from early-stage founders looking for their first institutional check, strategic support, and access to a global operator network. If you’re solving a real problem and ready to scale, we want to hear from you. Submit your pitch here: bettingstartups.com/capital Only a few tickets remaining! Use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/

Ep. 199 features Michael, Evan and Chris from Feen, to discuss building a next-generation betting product, navigating early-stage product decisions, and finding differentiation in an increasingly crowded wagering landscape. The conversation explores Feen’s origin story, early traction, and how the founders think about product focus, user behavior, and long-term scalability. Hear them discuss: The founding story behind Feen and the problem the team set out to solve Why real market volatility beats RNG games and how Feen turns crypto moves into playable races Macro thesis: finance following content’s shift toward short-form, on-demand, dopamine-driven formats Community, identity, and lessons learned from NFTs and consumer internet culture B2C focus vs potential B2B integrations with operators and ecosystem partners UX challenges in crypto, onboarding “normies,” and passing the ultimate test: the mom test Early traction, user feedback, and why Feen stayed private during initial iterations Bootstrapping the company, current fundraising plans, and scaling mobile distribution State of crypto in 2026, volatility as opportunity, and why builders still have the edge Five-year vision: becoming a household pocket prediction game If you don't have a ticket for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/ Catch the video version of this episode here. Learn more 👇 ➡️ Feen website ➡️ Michael Chiang on Linkedin ➡️ Evan Luza on Linkedin 📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/

Ep. 198 features Pierre Lindh, founder of NEXT.io, returning for his fourth appearance on the Betting Startups Podcast. Pierre reflects on NEXT.io’s breakout year, the transition from scrappy startup to growth-stage business, the role of investigative journalism in iGaming media, and why emerging betting products may go global in 2026. Hear them discuss: How 2025 became a “12-year overnight success” after more than a decade of compounding momentum The shift from runway preservation to investing aggressively in growth Why founders inevitably become bottlenecks and how to let go without losing vision The importance of finding a true operational counterbalance as a visionary leader Why sustainable scaling beats short-term overexpansion in a cyclical industry How AI is reshaping media and why human journalism may become more valuable, not less The commercial trade-offs of integrity-led investigative reporting Game theory, AI acceleration, and why safety may lose to competitive pressure The explosive growth of NEXT New York and what makes it a senior-level dealmaking event His 2026 prediction: emerging products like prediction markets and sweepstakes expanding globally If you don't have a ticket for the Next.io Summit in New York event yet, use discount code BETTINGSTARTUPS10 for 10% off your full event pass. Grab your ticket here: https://next.io/summits/newyork/ Catch the video version of this episode here. Learn more 👇 ➡️ Next.io website ➡️ Pierre Lindh on Linkedin 📩 Get the top headlines from the industry's most promising growth-stage companies every week—totally free! Subscribe to the Betting Startups newsletter here: https://news.bettingstartups.com/