iGaming Real Talk

Martin Zarian, co-founder of Factory 39 and full-stack brand builder , joins me on this episode of The Manesh Palli Show for a deep conversation on why brand strategy beats product-led growth in today’s saturated markets—especially iGaming. We unpack why “build it and they will come” is a dangerous myth, how only a small percentage of customers are ever ready to buy at any given moment, and why th...

Valentina Diaco spent nearly two decades in B2C iGaming before making the leap to start her own consultancy: Profit Matches. In this episode of The Manesh Palli Show, we dive into the real story behind her transition from agency and operator life to building a human-first business. We talk about:• The turning point that led her to leave full-time roles• Why she believes success comes from alignmen...

If you’re building a business, especially in iGaming or fintech, you must understand how payments and banking really work. In this episode, Viktoria Soltesz (Founder of PSP Angels & author of Moving Money: How Banks Think) shares hard truths and real-world insights about: Why so many startups fail because of banking The problem with introducers and commissions in high-risk industries How to ac...

In this episode of The Manesh Palli Show, I sit down with Hanna Rai, CEO of Bettorify, to unpack her journey... from running 6 brands alone on night shifts to building a platform designed around operator success, not just features. Most iGaming platform providers sell software and operate like factory lines. Bettorify is building with a different approach. We talk about: • How iGaming platforms us...

In this episode of The Manesh Palli Show, I sit down with Keith Zammit, Chief Sales Officer at XGENIA - a startup revolutionising iGaming through AI-powered game development. Keith shares how his team built a slot machine in 15 minutes using AI, what it’s like to launch at the intersection of iGaming and innovation. From bootstrapping demos at ICE with a laptop to launching a game creation platfor...

In this episode, I sit down with Eman Pulis, the founder of SiGMA Group, SiGMA Foundation, and IKIGAI Ventures. From starting with €16,000 in debt to building one of the biggest iGaming events in the world, Eman shares the unfiltered truth about entrepreneurship, leadership, and redefining what it means to win. We talk about how he built SiGMA from scratch, pivoted during COVID, and why he’s now m...

In my first episode of The Manesh Palli Show, I sit down with John Wright, co-founder of StatsDrone, for a real conversation about building a B2B SaaS in iGaming. We talk about the messy middle... shutting down the first version, dealing with revenue leak, rebuilding from scratch, and staying in the game when most would quit. John shares what most people don’t see: burnout, hard decisions, and wha...