The Betting Startups Podcast

Ep. 32 introduces you to Will Armitage and Phillip Stritzke from BestOdds.com, the destination for US bettors. Hear them discuss: The advantage it provides to build a new brand with a category-defining domain name that “is part of the vernacular” Their views on the affiliate landscape in the US market, and why the trend towards consolidation of affiliates “does make sense” The advice they have for new aspiring affiliates to best navigate the compliance path in the regulated US market The main cultural differences they see between UK and US bettors, and how those differences are helping influence their strategy for BestOdds.com What sectors and industries (outside of betting!) Will is currently making angel investments into both personally and through his VC funds Learn more 👇 ➡️ BestOdds.com website ➡️ Will Armitage on Linkedin ➡️ Philipp Stritzke on Linkedin

Ep. 31 introduces you to Ben Cary, co-founder and CEO of CapWize, which combines expert human opinion with cutting-edge simulation models to help bettors make smarter picks. Hear him discuss: His 2 key takeaways from the SBC Summit North America event, and what those might mean for the future of the North American betting and iGaming industry Being selected as one of five finalists to present at the SBC First Pitch competition, and how that platform helped him make valuable new connections How he leveraged platforms like Twitch and TikTok to build an audience using educational content first while he developed the CapWize product The importance of simplifying the complex math behind simulations to deliver insightful and actionable insights to bettors The opportunity he sees for CapWize to help bettors make smarter same-game parlays with a new analysis tool that will be launched later this year Learn more 👇 ➡️ CapWize website ➡️ CapWize Twitter ➡️ CapWize Twitch ➡️ Ben Cary on Linkedin and Twitter

Ep. 30 introduces you to Sanjay Thakur, co-founder & CEO of Verdict MMA, which is the engagement platform for Mixed Martial Arts. Hear him discuss: How a controversial judge’s decision in a UFC fight sparked the idea for Verdict, which started as a passion project with his high school friends Why MMA as a sport is known for its passionate fans, and how Verdict was able to tap into that passion to acquire over 100k users Verdict’s recent launch of real-money fantasy sports, and why it made sense for them now despite the relative maturation of the DFS space Being a niche operator focusing on a single sport, and resisting the temptation to expand horizontally to other sports Getting ex-UFC fighter Ben Askren involved as an investor, who he “spoke to on a Monday… by Friday we had a wire transfer” His vote for MMA GOAT (spoiler alert: Sanjay is Canadian and the episode was recorded on Canada Day!) Learn more: ➡️ Verdict MMA website ➡️ Sanjay Thakur on Twitter and Linkedin

Ep. 29 introduces you to Brady Sharp, co-founder & CEO of BroThrow, a patent-pending, social sports betting network. Hear him discuss: The importance of establishing trust amongst users, and the need to build constraints in the product to enforce social accountability Why the peer-to-peer model used by BroThrow makes it exempt from sports betting regulations, despite the fact that users are betting real money The marketing channel that allowed BroThrow to successfully acquire its users, which they are doubling down on for the upcoming NFL season When he knew the time was right to leave the comfort of his corporate finance job to pursue BroThrow full-time How he pitched the idea for BroThrow to a former boss, who liked the idea so much that his boss gifted him the domain name BroThrow.com Learn more: ➡️ BroThrow website ➡️ Brady Sharp on Linkedin

Ep. 28 introduces you to Zac Litwack, partner at Savage Ventures which is a venture operator that invests in, acquires, and operates high growth digital-first businesses. Hear him discuss: Savage Ventures’ unique model being a “venture operator”, and how it is differentiated from more traditional venture investment firms The opportunity they saw to apply their growth marketing expertise to the sports betting vertical, which led to them being Fanduel’s #1 affiliate during the 2020 NFL season How they proved the venture operator concept through a partnership with Clay Travis and Outkick, which was acquired by Fox in 2021 What types of companies and products that they are looking to add to the Savage Sports portfolio as they go deeper into the sports betting vertical Why a bear market is the best time to build, and the advice that Zac has for people that are thinking about taking the leap into entrepreneurship Learn more: ➡️ Savage Ventures website ➡️ Zac Litwack on Linkedin

Ep. 27 introduces you to Thomas Willomitzer, founder and CEO of SnapOdds, "the Shazam for sports betting" that makes it easier for people to find and place bets while watching games live. Hear him discuss: His past startup experiences as co-founder of Last.fm (acquired for $280m) and identity verification platform Jumio How he got the idea for creating 'the Shazam for sports' while watching the Superbowl with friends, which catalyzed the journey of developing the underlying computer vision technology that powers Snap Odds Why investors in Snap Odds saw it as a “rare combination” of a product that improved UX, provided utility, and had a clear path to monetization Why he decided to participate in the TechStars accelerator despite his past successes, network, and credibility, and how he benefitted from that experience The importance of having passion as an entrepreneur, and why money cannot be the sole motivation to start a business Learn More: ➡️ Thomas Willomitzer on Linkedin ➡️ SnapOdds website

Ep. 26 introduces you to Robin MacDonald, co-founder and managing partner of Rubik Talent, which cultivates smart, diverse talent for global iGaming, PayTech & FinTech enterprises. Hear him discuss: The unique way that Rubik is developing talent with specialized skills specific to the iGaming industry, and how it is helping to deploy that talent into partner organizations Why Rubik prefers to work with industry employers that “have a long-term view of the skills” they want to develop within their organizations, and why stakeholder buy-in is so important What he thinks about the iGaming industry’s effort to market and position itself as it competes to attract talent with other fast-growing sectors Why he decided to focus on the iGaming industry despite the fact that it’s not the only industry that is struggling to develop digital talent Why he thinks the current market contraction “is a very short term one”, and why macroeconomic headwinds will not decrease the demand for people with digital skills Learn More: ➡️ Robin MacDonald on Linkedin ➡️ Rubik Talent website

Ep. 25 introduces you to Pete Smaluck, founder and CEO of props.cash, which is the most comprehensive and effective player prop research tool on the market. Hear him discuss: His former career as an elementary school math teacher, and how his passion for finding intuitive ways to teach math has influenced the props.cash product How he developed math learning software using NBA data, and how he pivoted that software from education to become a props research tool that ultimately became props.cash Why he decided that props.cash would be a subscription-based business model, and the challenges of scaling a subscription-based B2C product How his experience working at VC-funded startups has informed his decision to bootstrap props.cash and focus on organic growth His perception of the newly regulated Ontario gaming market as a resident of that province, and why "there's a huge culture of sports betting" in Ontario Learn More: ➡️ Pete Smaluck on Linkedin ➡️ props.cash website

Ep. 24 introduces you to Benjie Cherniak, principal at Avenue H Capital, which invests in some of the most promising betting industry startups. Hear him discuss: His transition from operating businesses to investing in them, and what he misses most about his days at Don Best The importance of having founder/investor alignment of vision and ensuring both are "rowing the boat in the same direction" How he's thinking about the current macroeconomic headwinds, and what downstream impact he sees for earlier-stage companies His assessment on the current state of the betting industry, and where he sees opportunity for startups entering it As well, Benjie and Jesse take a little trip down memory lane together in the last few minutes of the episode! Learn More: ➡️ Benjie Cherniak on Linkedin

Ep. 23 introduces you to Ted Mauze, co-founder and CEO of Chalkboard, which is a mobile app that offers messaging and synced bet tracking for sports bettors and fans. Hear him discuss: How discussing sports betting in group messages with his college friends sparked the idea for building Chalkboard Why he pushed back on the traditional advice of "launch early" in favor of staying in stealth mode while developing the core technology How Chalkboard is tapping into the creator economy to help fuel its growth, which has resulted in 25% week-over-week growth How he is adjusting to the changing macroeconomic environment ahead of raising a seed round, and why he believes it's "a good thing" that valuations are coming down in response Learn More: ➡️ Chalkboard website ➡️ Ted Mauze on Linkedin ➡️ Ted Mauze on Twitter

Ep. 22 introduces you to John Latella and Grady Toombs, cofounders of Legacy Fantasy Sports, which is fantasy sports platform that includes both current and historical legacy athletes. Hear them discuss: How a father/son debate about sports helped spark the idea for incorporating retired athletes into modern fantasy sports Why their game is "pandemic proof" and how it can be played during gaps in the live sporting calendar The story of how they got four-time Pro Bowler and Detroit Lions legend Herman Moore to join as a co-founder Why their subscription-based model allows them to fall outside of DFS and sports betting regulations, allowing them to offer the game to players of all ages Their thoughts on the economics of the traditional fantasy sports and betting business models, and why theirs is a more sustainable model Learn More: ➡️ Legacy Fantasy Sports website ➡️ John Latella on Linkedin ➡️ Grady Toombs on Linkedin

Ep. 21 introduces you to Dan Healy, co-founder and CEO of PickUp, which is an incentivized fan engagement platform. Hear him discuss: How starting an online food delivery service during college in 2005 launched his career in consumer tech, which included developing mobile apps for brands such as lululemon, SoulCycle, American Express, and more The unique way that PickUp is engaging the 80% of sports fans that have an opinion on sports, but aren't yet betting on sports How his partners at NASCAR are leveraging betting to drive interest in the sport, and how PickUp is helping make that possible Why he believes that "NFTs will play a massive part in the sports landscape going forward", and the role that utility will play in the fan experience Learn More: ➡️ PickUp website ➡️ Dan Healy on Linkedin ➡️ Dan Healy on Twitter

Ep. 20 introduces you to Ryan Murphy, co-founder of SharpSports, which is building infrastructure for sports betting developers. Hear him discuss: How his experience working at Google and Stripe helped him to become "enamored" with the API economy, which helped spark the idea for SharpSports Some examples of apps and products that developers are building with their APIs and tools Why sportsbooks allow SharpSports to integrate with their platforms, and why some (such as BetMGM) have signed even deeper marketing partnership agreements Why being the Plaid for sports betting made "perfect sense" to his existing investors, and his plans to raise a new round of funding later this year Learn More: ➡️ SharpSports website ➡️ Ryan Murphy on Linkedin

Ep. 19 introduces you to Eric Frank, co-founder and CEO of Odds on Compliance, which helps gaming companies navigate the rapidly changing regulatory compliance landscape. Hear him discuss: His experience as Group Compliance Officer for Poker Stars where he responsible for over 25 of the group's international gaming licenses How his career as a lawyer and at Poker Stars revealed the operational inefficiencies of compliance management, which he saw as the opportunity for Odds on Compliance How Odds on Compliance is innovating with its AI-driven technology that automates many aspects of compliance management Why he wanted to partner with strategic investors like SeventySix Capital and Tekkorp Capital who are "at the pulse of the US sports betting industry" His biggest surprise in the transition going from corporate executive to startup founder Learn More: ➡️ Odds on Compliance website ➡️ Eric Frank on Linkedin

Ep. 18 introduces you to Jason Mezrahi, co-founder of Sharp App, a sports media and bet tracking platform that makes sharp betting easy. Hear him discuss: His career as a professional DFS player, and how the ups and downs of high-level DFS competition prepared him for business and life Stepping out of his comfort zone to write a book, and how he was able to convince Pete Rose to write the foreword for it How he built what has become one of the largest and most engaged DFS communities at Win Daily Sports Why he believes "the opportunity is massive" for Sharp App to innovate with new types of betting tools for every day bettors How having passion for your business is the key to getting through the challenges and hurdles of entrepreneurship Learn More: ➡️ Sharp App website ➡️ Jason Mezrahi on Linkedin

Ep. 17 introduces you to Jonathan Bierig, co-founder and co-CEO of Ultimate Odds, a next generation fantasy sports platform that combines sports betting lines and odds with fantasy players into one experience. Hear him discuss: Their unique concept of creating fantasy matchups using betting odds instead of players, and where this type of product sits within the ecosystem "Betting on himself" and making the decision to drop out of college to start Ultimate Odds How asking for help and advice led to investment in his company from some of the betting industry's top names Opening up and being vulnerable enough to embrace his failures as part of his own story and journey The importance of focusing on mental health, and his advocacy work with Same Here Global Learn More: ➡️ Ultimate Odds website ➡️ Jonathan Bierig on Linkedin

Ep. 16 introduces you to Kelly Pracht & Drew Williams of nVenue, which is using machine learning and artificial intelligence to quickly and accurately generate probabilities for every outcome of a play. Hear them discuss: How they solved the technical challenges to deliver a zero latency micro betting feed that is perfectly synchronized to live sports broadcasts Being selected as one of 10 startups (out of over 1,000 applicants) for the inaugural cohort of the Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech Accelerator How facing major obstacles and adversity led them to the "aha moment" that resulted in a successful pivot from B2C to B2B Their recently announced $3.5M round of funding, and addition of industry advisors including ESPN's Matthew Berry Learn More: ➡️ nVenue website ➡️ Kelly Pracht on Linkedin ➡️ Drew Williams on Linkedin

Ep. 15 introduces you to Brandon Stakenborg, co-founder and CEO of Underdog Fantasy, which is bringing fun, approachable contests and games to the masses. Hear him discuss: The story of his former company Draft, which was acquired by Paddy Power Betfair for $48 million Why "getting the band back together" from Draft was a no-brainer, and how that has helped them accelerate progress with Underdog The buy-versus-build decision that led to Underdog's acquisition of sports betting platform provider GOAT Gaming in September 2021 How Underdog is thinking about being "like a game studio" that continuously innovates and incubates new product concepts The experience raising their Series A from investors such as Mark Cuban and Kevin Durant, and what they are hearing from investors now as they raise a Series B His experience transitioning from iOS developer to CEO, and stepping up from an individual contributor to a manager Learn More: ➡️ Underdog Fantasy website ➡️ Brandon Stakenborg on Linkedin

Ep. 14 introduces you to Greg Kajewski & James Seils of BettorEdge, a no-fee social betting marketplace that is on a mission to democratize sports betting by giving the edge back to the bettor. Hear them discuss: How BettorEdge is fundamentally different from other betting products, and why they prefer to be compared to social fintech platforms like Venmo or Robinhood Why their social betting marketplace is able to operate in 45 states when traditional betting exchanges cannot Their focus on educating consumers about the "hidden fees" within fixed-odds sportsbooks and betting exchanges How localizing the product and marketing has enabled them to seed the marketplace and overcome the cold start problem Why they have made charitable giving a priority, and what it meant to donate $10,000 to Chad Greenway's 'Lead the Way Foundation' Learn More: ➡️ BettorEdge website ➡️ Greg Kajewski on Linkedin ➡️ James Seils 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. 13 introduces you to Tomash Devenishek, founder and CEO of Kero Sports, a curated in-game betting engine that powers the apps of major teams, leagues, and sportsbook operators. Hear Tomash discuss: The changing relationship between fans and live sports in an age of shortening attention spans Why delivering continuous entertainment through algorithmic curation is the "north star" for his company How designing a user experience with accessibility and immersiveness in mind has helped differentiate Kero Sports from other fan engagement products Why he is relocating from San Francisco to Miami and how he expects the move to benefit his company Learn More: ➡️ Kero Sports website ➡️ Tomash Devenishek on Linkedin This episode is presented by OneComply, which is changing the game for licensing and compliance management. Its innovative platform enables companies large and small to organize all their licensing related data in one central repository and automate the creation of licensing applications for multiple jurisdictions, at the push of a button. Whether for key person, entity or occupational licensing, OneComply streamlines the process and helps you manage and protect your company’s most valuable asset: your gaming license. Learn more at www.onecomply.com

Ep. 12 introduces you to Marvin Sanderson, co-founder and CEO of Xpoint, which provides an essential geo compliance solution to the sports betting and gaming industries globally. Hear Marvin discuss: How Xpoint sees geolocation compliance as a business opportunity for partners instead of a utility or "a box to be checked" The importance of getting market validation as a new B2B supplier, and how the deal came together with Sporttrade as the first customer The biggest differences he sees between the US regulated market and other non-US markets Why investors were very excited about the opportunity that Xpoint is pursuing, what made Bettor Capital the ideal investor partner for Xpoint, and a teaser about further funding announcements coming soon Learn More: ➡️ Xpoint website ➡️ Marvin Sanderson 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. 11 introduces you to Martina Åkerlund, CEO of Triggy, which develops products that connect sports data, live odds, and user insights to increase customer engagement, acquisitions, and lifetime value. Hear Martina discuss: How Triggy has been able to secure partnerships with international betting operators, while also expanding to work with leagues and teams in the US market Why the founders of Triggy decided to bring in an external CEO at this stage of its growth, and how that transition has been going The feedback she is hearing from investors about the 'customer engagement' category as Triggy currently works to secure a new round of growth capital Why she thinks that entrepreneurs will be a leading force in helping to bring more diversity to the betting industry What has been the biggest surprise to her about the betting industry since she joined it in October 2020 Learn More: ➡️ Triggy website ➡️ Martina Åkerlund 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. 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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

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