The Profluence Pod 🌐

In this episode, CJ Handron of Diamond Kinetics gives us a deep dive into the evolution of sports tech (since they were one of the first companies in the space over a decade ago). Handron is an alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh entrepreneurship program and discusses the company's journey over the last decade, and its products aimed at the baseball and softball industry. We also delve int...

Reflecting on the trends and developments in sports business for the year 2023, the host speaks with Kirby Porter, the founder of New Game Labs.  Porter discusses the intersection of athletes and technology, the evolution of athlete investing, the importance of sports creators, and advancements in the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules. She also talks about trends in the women's sports indu...

In this exclusive interview, we break down TeamSnap’s acquisition of MOJO Sports with their respective CEOs. We cover the state of youth sports across the world, fragmentation across the space, and the commercialization of amateur athletics.  Ben Sherwood was previously the President of ABC News & Walt Disney Company before building the youth sports app, MOJO Sports. Pete Frintzilas is the ope...

After 30 years at Accenture, Mike Sutcliff has jumped into the sports entrepreneurship world co-founding 3 different companies.  We touch on advice from leaving the corporate world to be a startup entrepreneur and the nuance within sports, fitness, and media.  Mobeus is developing innovative media technologies including their new product called Airscreen . The tech allows you to watch sports in th...

Kyle Pfaffenbach is a high-end performance nutritionist, helping mostly athletes but also founders optimize their performance.  Plaffenbach has a B.S. and M.S. in exercise science from Colorado State University, along with a Ph. D. in nutrition from CSU.  LumosTech is an innovative sleep mask utilizing circadian rhythm studies to help improve sleep. They recently signed a deal with a WNBA team.  C...

The Program is a business focused on restoring New York City basketball at the youth and grassroots level.  This includes a focus on media, merchandise, camps, activations, and an eventual state-of-the-art facility that will open in the fall of 2024 to host its academy and membership training programs. Griffin Taylor and Jared Effron grew up playing basketball together.  Chapters: (02:00) Backstor...

With soccer growth ahead, Lega Serie A (Italy) launched a US division with Andy Mitchell leading the charge.  The Serie A Championship is the premier soccer division in Italy and is one of the world's elite soccer leagues. Prior to Serie A, Andy Mitchell worked at CNN, Facebook, and Meta as the Head of Global Media Accounts.  Chapters: (02:00) Media background (04:45) CEO of Seria A USA (08:15...

MediaKind is an end-to-end video delivery solution that serves some of the largest media properties in the world.  After serving as the CTO for a few years, Allen Broome took over the CEO role at MediaKind in 2021. Previously he spent time as the VP of Cloud Engineering at Comcast.  Chapters: (01:45) MediaKind & Allen’s background (05:15) Leveraging AI + mathematics  (07:50) Streaming, RSNs, a...

Grandstand raised $2.75M to build out its creator economy/fan engagement platform.  Sandeep Rajan previously spent time as a product leader at both Dropbox and Patreon.  Grandstand arose from Sandeep’s deep passion for sports and helping creators monetize with their biggest fans.  Chapters: (02:05) Consumer Tech background (07:45) Grandstand overview (10:15) Web3 paved the ground  (12:00) Women’s...

GODSENT is a world-famous, Swedish esports organization with its legacy in the game Counter-Strike.  To create the team, Ludwig Sandgren left his job and sold his apartment to be able to pay player salaries and get GODSENT off the ground.  Super interesting conversation covering esports, the future of the sport, and founding + operating a team in the space.  Chapters: (01:55) Journey to esports ow...

All-American wrestler to founding what would become CBS Sports Network and now running a micro betting company in Simplebet. Simplebet is a B2B product development company using machine learning and automation to make every moment of every sporting event a betting opportunity. Exploring the eerily similar worlds of sports media 20 years ago and sports betting today.  Chapters: (02:20) Inspiration...

Chris Paul, Zion Williamson, Jimmer Fredette, and a few other pro players are invested in Scout. Clients include Iowa, Texas A&M, G-League, Florida, Siena, Depaul, and others. Scout is the first digital family office solution for athletes that combines financial education, wealth management, and tax preparation with a premium financial concierge service. Michael Haddix Jr. previously spent tim...

Leading a team of 70+ artificial intelligence and computer vision experts, Luka Pataky has deep insights into where the space is headed.  Sportradar Group AG (NASDAQ: SRAD), founded in 2001, is a leading global sports technology company creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors. Today’s conversation centers around the evolution of computer vision, sports, artificial intelligence,...

DMG Ventures recently made two sports investments: F1 Arcade and a new Padel tournament called The Hexagon Cup.  DMG Ventures is the investment arm of media company, Daily Mail, they have deployed over $200 million into consumer companies.  Manuel Lopo de Carvalho co-founded DMG Ventures alongside Lord Rothermere in 2017, previously spending time consulting at McKinsey and banking at Goldman Sachs...

The sport of padel has exploded across Europe! Today we break down the business behind it and its expansion west.  Ryan Redondo is a former All-American tennis player who has spent his career in racquet sports. He is currently the CEO of Taktika Padel and also the San Diego Stingrays in the Pro Padel League.  Padel is a cross between tennis and squash originating in Mexico.  Chapters: (03:25) What...

The Fan-Owned SailGP Team by FANVEST IO provides a unique opportunity to become a team owner for as little as $5,000.  David Palmer is helping coordinate the new Bermuda-based SailGP team that is owned by 1,950 accredited investors. The team aims to be the 11th team in the league, projected to begin participating in races in 2024 during Season 5 of the Sail Grand Prix Series. Through his various r...

Prior to founding Caffeine, Ben Keighran sold Chomp Inc to Apple where he led the design of Apple TV for several years.  Caffeine TV has had several pivots over the years and the last one saw the platform go from 2 million to over 40 million active users.  On Caffeine TV you can watch free live broadcasts, highlights, and replays of sports.  Chapters: (01:35) Original idea for Caffeine (07:00) Dri...

Tom Webb is the Chief Marketing Officer of the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP).  APP is an organization elevating the sport of pickleball by providing elite platforms for the best players in the world, right through to those picking up a paddle for the first time. Over his 30-year career, Tom Webb has worked with a number of world-famous brands including Red Bull, Emirates Airline, P...

The Sporting News (TSN) was founded in 1886 as a weekly newspaper. They recently raised $15M to expand into commerce beyond just digital ads. LTV > CPM.  Before TSN, Rich Routman was the President and CRO of Minute Media helping them raise millions of dollars and become a 10-figure company.  The Sporting News acquired a sports betting company earlier this year and plans to continue building on...

HEIR raised $10.6M from Thrive Capital for their consumer-facing community platform for athletes to connect with fans — as well as other lines of business, including an entertainment studio, AI tech, and consumer products. Prior to co-founding HEIR alongside Jeffrey Jordan and Daniel George, Jeron Smith was the CMO for Steph Curry’s brand and co-founder of Unanimous Media. He also worked at Nike a...

Drive by DraftKings is a multi-stage venture capital firm investing in SportsTech and Entertainment. Drive also has an all-star network consisting of notable athletes and executives to add value to their core themes of gaming, fandom, and human performance.  Meredith McPherron is a former college athlete herself who has spent her professional career at the intersection of sports, entrepreneurship,...

The fragmentation of tennis has come to a crossroads as Saudi Arabia is disrupting other individual sports and players are itching for stable pay.  30-year tennis veteran John Butler joins the podcast to break down tennis and present his new tiered-system model.  From player pay to superstar reliance, promotion and relegation, and so much more this podcast covers the state of tennis today (and whe...

Previously the CMO at LiveONE and ONE Championship, Jon Anastas jumped into the CEO seat at sports live-streaming startup ClashTV in 2023.   Jon is also the Chairman of the Board at AlphaGen Intelligence. ClashTV is an interactive live-streaming content-first social platform that raised a seed round in 2020.  Chapters: (01:35) Culture, content, & commerce (03:20) Why ClashTV? (09:30) GenZ spor...

Third-generation textile entrepreneur Gary Goldberg is the founder of SquadLocker, which raised a $20M Series C in 2020.  SquadLocker is a custom apparel and gear software and fulfillment company transforming how sports organizations, schools, and businesses develop and distribute custom goods. Gary Goldberg moved to the president role after bringing on George Overholster as the CEO in 2023. Georg...

Prior to jumping into the founder seat, Chase Garrett was a professional motocross rider, marketing manager at Red Bull, and personal agent to athletes such as Reggie Bush and Kris Bryant.  Chase is currently the CEO of Icon Source, an influencer marketing company connecting brands with athletes in a secure & trusted marketplace to reach new opportunities. Founded in 2018, Icon Source has cont...