The Betting Startups Podcast

Ep. 234 features Thomas Koller, Founder of Quiz2Coin, to discuss the evolution of the platform from a free-to-play quiz game into a real-money, skill-based tournament product, its fan-focused approach to engagement, and its plans to scale globally. Hear them discuss: Thomas’s entrepreneurial background and how he transitioned from consumer goods into the gaming industry. Quiz2Coin’s origins as a f...

Ep. 233 features Val Makovetskii from Maincard, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey, Maincard’s evolution into a full-stack platform for launching gaming brands, its recently announced $7 million oversubscribed seed round, and its vision to expand into banking solutions and gamified commerce. Hear them discuss: Val’s entrepreneurial journey across logistics, electronics manufacturing, online ed...

Ep. 232 features Viktor Atanasovski, Founder of B2Bux, to discuss the rise of pack ripping and mystery boxes as emerging real-money gaming verticals, how B2Bux helps operators launch these experiences, and the company’s plans for growth through B2B partnerships and its own consumer brand, Riply.us . Hear them discuss: Viktor’s 10-year journey in iGaming, from affiliate marketing to launching and s...

Ep. 231 features Sandra Wong, Founder of Lucky Lady Games, to discuss Volt, an AI-powered platform designed to help casino operators and game studios create and launch original branded games in minutes. Sandra shares her journey from professional poker player and product designer at VGW to startup founder, how Volt aims to improve player retention through personalized gaming experiences, and how t...

Ep. 230 welcomes Rishin and Hakon, Co-founders of Gmonitor, following a whirlwind 10 days that took them from Zero Labs Cohort 9 in Las Vegas to winning the first First Pitch competition at SBC Summit in Lisbon. The founders discuss their competitive and market intelligence platform for iGaming operators, their AI-native approach, and their ambitious vision to become the intelligence layer for the...

Ep. 229 welcomes back Gino Donati, Founder of BetOpenly, for a bonus episode exploring the evolution of his peer-to-peer betting exchange and his ambitious new venture, Open Markets. Gino discusses building a universal betting marketplace, connecting liquidity across platforms, serving institutional clients, and the lessons he's learned about fundraising and scaling a business. Hear him discuss: H...

Ep. 228 features Maksim Afanasev, Founder of Pixl. Bet , to discuss his journey from sportsbook product leadership to entrepreneurship, and how he is building a free-to-play sports gaming platform designed to capture the excitement of betting without the financial risk.   Hear them discuss: Maksim’s 17-year journey in the betting industry, from Coral to sportsbook product leadership and Sportradar...

Ep. 227 is the official First Pitch preview episode, where we meet the 5 startups selected to present at the SBC First Pitch Competition during SBC Summit in Lisbon on October 1st, 2026. In this episode, you will hear from the five finalists: Teemu Huuhtanen from Betsy Rishin Kesarla from GMonitor Cristian Barbosa from   InsightPlay.ai Eduardo Cesar Franceschett from Safefy Alfonso González García...

Ep. 226 features Cameron MacMillan and Justin Herzig, co-founders of PredictQ, to discuss their vision for building the expert layer of prediction markets. The pair share how their backgrounds in DFS, analytics, community building, and technology came together to create a platform designed to help traders discover, analyze, and trade prediction markets more effectively. Hear them discuss: Justin a...

Ep. 225 features Amar Rao, Co-Founder of SportsStack, to discuss the challenges of sports data infrastructure and how SportsStack is building a unified data layer for the industry. Amar shares insights from his experience at NumberFire, FanDuel, and Fanatics, along with SportsStack's approach to data normalization, settlement, and scaling sports technology. Hear them discuss: Amar's journey from A...

Ep. 224 features Andrew Wood, Co-Founder of RallyTabs, to discuss his transition from investment banking into entrepreneurship, the evolution of RallyTabs from a physical pull-tab concept into a digital product, and how the company is creating a new sports engagement experience that combines predictions, collectibles, and pack-ripping mechanics.   Hear them discuss: How Andrew's experience coverin...

Ep. 223 features Andrew Gonzalez, CEO & Co-Founder of ParlayX, for a wide-ranging discussion on entrepreneurship, prediction markets, institutional trading infrastructure, fundraising, product-market fit, and the rapidly evolving relationship between sports betting and prediction markets.   Hear them discuss: Andrew's journey from Southern California and UCLA to crypto investing, venture capit...

Ep. 222 features Robert McCall, Founder of The Sharps, to discuss his journey from the cannabis industry into sports betting, building a skill-based peer-to-peer sports prediction tournament platform, and using AI to build the product from scratch.    Hear them discuss: How Rob went from the cannabis industry and competitive gambling into sports betting, with poker and blackjack tournaments inspir...

Ep. 221 features Frank Li, Co-founder of ESX, to discuss building a next-generation sports prediction market for technical bettors. Frank shares how his background in quantitative trading led him to prediction markets, why ESX is focused on live sports trading, and how content, community, and customer feedback have fueled the company's early growth.   Hear them discuss: Frank's journey from quanti...

Ep. 220 features Neil Dillon, Founder of Solas Compliance, to discuss how AI is transforming marketing compliance for regulated industries. Neil shares his journey from Betfair and Flutter to launching Solas, explains why compliance remains one of the biggest bottlenecks for operators, and offers practical insights into building enterprise-grade AI products for the betting industry. Hear them disc...

Ep. 219 features Edward Lyttel and Rob Fulforth from Flutter to discuss the company's AlphaHub innovation program and the 2026 Affiliate Draft. They explore how Flutter collaborates with startups, what they're looking for in this year's applicants, and why community, AI-powered fan tools, and betting innovation are shaping the future of sports betting.   Hear them discuss: How Flutter's AlphaHub h...

Ep. 218 features Devon and Tejas, Co-founders of Blitz, an AI-powered sports intelligence platform transforming how broadcasters, analysts, content creators, and sports organizations access and utilize sports data.    Hear them discuss: How two Duke graduates turned sports betting profits into a sports data startup The PrizePicks strategy that grew a small bankroll into tens of thousands of dollar...

Ep. 217 features Nick Meader, Co-Founder & CEO of SpeedLabs, joining Jesse Learmonth to discuss the company's $6.5 million seed round, the creation of "Momentum Markets," and why he believes the next generation of sports betting products will be built around live narratives rather than traditional betting markets.   Hear them discuss: Nick’s journey from college bookmaker and betting entrepren...

Ep. 216 features Jackson Erminio, Founder of Spina, joining Jesse Learmonth to discuss building a skill-based gaming startup, solving the liquidity challenge, and creating a marketplace where players can compete head-to-head in games they already know and love.   Hear them discuss: How Jackson went from selling sneakers and running a marketing agency to founding Spina, a real-money skill gaming pl...

Ep. 215 features Travis Geiger, Co-Founder & CXO of WagerWire, joining Jesse Learmonth at SBC Fort Lauderdale to discuss the company’s transformation into its vision for building a regulated prediction market ecosystem. Fresh off securing a license-in-principle in Gibraltar, Travis shares how the company is positioning itself at the intersection of gaming, finance, and innovation.   Hear them...

This bonus episode features Andrew Gonzalez, Founder & CEO of ParlayX, joining Jesse Learmonth moments after winning the SBC Summit Americas First Pitch competition in Fort Lauderdale.    Hear them discuss: Winning the SBC First Pitch competition, and what it means to him Andrew’s entrepreneurial story, including leaving his market-making career, navigating multiple pivots, and betting on hims...

Ep. 214 features Alec Gehlot, Founder of PlaySignal, a responsible gaming platform helping operators intervene earlier, reduce self-exclusions, and create healthier player experiences.    Hear them discuss: The inspiration behind PlaySignal and why rising self-exclusion rates reveal a growing industry challenge How PlaySignal’s traffic-light system helps identify at-risk behavior and intervene bef...

Ep. 213 features Gregory Tolmochow, Founder & CEO of Trendline Labs, a startup building what it calls the “Bloomberg Terminal for prediction markets.”    Hear them discuss: Gregory’s journey from sports betting analytics and The Betting Insider to founding Trendline Labs Why prediction markets represent a major evolution beyond traditional sports betting The pivot from an AI-powered sports ana...

Ep. 212 is the official First Pitch preview episode, where we will meet the 5 startups selected to present at SBC Summit Americas on June 11 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.   In this episode, you will hear from the five finalists: Javier Troncoso,  InsightPlay.ai Matt Bresler, Odditt Matt Paulton, OddsBlaze  Andrew Gonzalez, ParlayX Robert McCall, The Sharps   SBC First Pitch brings together some of...

Ep. 211 features Filip Michalsky from Soap Payments, an AI-native orchestration layer designed to simplify the complex payments stack for real-money gaming operators. Hear them discuss: Filip’s path from professional squash in the Czech Republic to Harvard AI data science and Fidelity Investments. The "iceberg" of payments: Navigating the hidden layers of issuing banks, acquiring banks, and convol...